Ingram's October 2023

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DAWN HEIZMAN North Kansas City Hospital/Meritas Health

ELIZABETH “KAY” GERSTNER Liberty Hospital

Dawn Heizman figures she was about eight years old when she approached the concession stand at the ballfields in her hometown of Mexico, Mo. She was there to buy herself a slush ie. She came away with much more. “The woman that took my order had never met me—she took one look at me, knew ex actly who my mother was due to our resemblance, and started praising my parents for the care they provided,” says Heizman, whose mother was a nurse and stepfather was the town’s only gastroenterologist. “I knew at that moment I wanted to find a job that I was passionate about, but that also allowed me to help others. Medicine was the only career I ever entertained.” The desire to get there—ASAP—led her to the accelerated program at UMKC’s School of Medicine; “that allowed me to achieve

The way these stories often go, a young child is influenced by a family member in health care—usually a doctor or nurse. The script flipped a bit with Kay Gerstner. Growing up in St. Joseph, she followed her childhood inclinations to become a physician— and inspired her mother, later in life, to join her profession by be coming a nurse. “I cannot remember ever wanting to be anything else in life, says Gerstner, who specializes in pediatrics, internal

medicine, and primary care at Liberty Hospital. “I believe back to first or second grade, I declared to my parents I wanted to be a doctor, and since then, I never swayed.” She had no concept of the scope of the challenge ahead, but she intuitively grasped the mission: “I knew at a young age I wanted to help people,” she says. “I went to the doctor when I was sick, and the doctor made me feel better. That’s what I wanted to do: make people feel better and

my dream faster than the tradi tional route,” Heizman says, and the clinical experience with an assigned docent/mentor during her first year was a unique pro gram feature that put the school at the top of her list. The period after rotations was almost like a kid-in-candy-store: “My love for medicine was evident in all of my rotations,” Heizman says, but it was her final one, in ob stetrics/gynecology, that took. “I was leaning towards becom

help them.” Gerstner is yet another member of the “UMKC Six” cohort, those who took the accelerated path through undergrad uate and med-school instruction in six years. “The combined medical school program allowed me to cut off two years from school and start my profession sooner,” she says. “I was able to get into medical school without taking the MCAT as it was based on my high school grades, ACT scores, and achievements.” She was also surrounded by classmates who became lifelong friends. After graduating, she landed a top spot in an internal medicine-pediatric residency in Kansas City. There was no reason to leave the Midwest when I could continue to get the best training right here in Kansas City, then was drawn into specializing in both internal medicine and pedi atrics because she could treat patients of all ages. “I especially love the complexity of adults and their ailments,” Gerstner says. “I loved being able to think critically with internal medicine pa tients and the intricacies of caring for adults. Pediatrics obvious ly is the flip side, and I loved being able to do the same thing with children but on a smaller scale. Children are the perfect balance to adults as even in their sickest moments they are always so bright, smiling, happy and keep you grounded and excited for their future.” Despite the rewards, she harbors a growing con cern about how the role of care is viewed today. Because of the pandemic, she says, “there has been a great divide in the pop ulation, in those who fully trust and support medical care and those who do not.” The positive side? “There has also been a larger group of people who genuinely recognize the burdens and hardships of those working in health care and go out of their way to show their appreciation and gratefulness,” Gerstner says. “There are also more people who have taken the initiative to be more educated on routine illnesses and doing everything they can to protect themselves and maintain their health.”

ing a general surgeon,” she says, but “within one week of starting my OB-GYN rotation, I fell in love with the specialty.” She saw in it the ability to build long-term relationships with patients—seeing them as young adults, delivering their babies, caring for them through motherhood and even into their later years. “It is a truly rewarding specialty and I am honored to be a part it,” she says. “Women’s health is my passion, and I take great pride in the care I provide to my patients.” At that point, the choices became geographic. “Kansas City is magical—the food, the culture, and (of course) the CHIEFS,” she says. “When I graduated, I knew that I wanted to find a hospital and a prac tice that supported my passion to serve others. I found that in spades at North Kansas City Hospital.” There’s a fair amount of runway left in her career, but already, her practice has been reshaped by innovation. “The medical profession is chang ing at a rapid pace—technology continues to improve patient care,” Heizman says. “In just 10 years, I went from using paper charts to a complex, integrated electronic medical record that is shared by outpatient and inpatient settings, and even com municates with EMRs of other health systems.” Advances in devices, as well, have been, in her assessment, “astonishing.” “Devices that decrease the need for invasive surgery shorten operating time, decrease hemorrhage, decrease infection, etc. The constant climate of change continues to fuel my passion for medicine—every innovation helps me provide the best pos sible medical care.”

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October 2023

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