Eligibility

Faculty nominees must be an assistant professor, associate professor or equivalent, in either a basic science or clinical science department at the University of Kansas Medical Center to be eligible.

The candidate must exhibit evidence of:

• Success as a mentor and role model for faculty, non-faculty, trainees and students
• Leadership at the university, regional, national or international level (e.g., development of clinic work, manuscripts, committees)
• Efforts to influence or institute a positive cultural change regarding the careers of faculty, non-faculty and/or staff members at KU Medical Center
• Commitment to enhanced collaboration and productive relationships with faculty and staff at all levels of the medical center organization
  
  

Nomination Process

The call for nominations is sent out each spring. All required materials must be submitted via the 2026 REDCap Nomination form. The submission deadline for applications is 5:00pm on Friday, May 29, 2026. Award recipients will be announced at the August WIMS Annual Event.

Contact Julianna Kinney with questions. 

Required Nomination Materials

To self-nominate or to nominate a deserving colleague, please submit the following required information via the 2026 REDCap Nomination form:

• Nomination letter focusing on the applicant's clinical, educational, research and administrative responsibilities and goals (as they are applicable). Please limit the letter to one page or less. Nomination letter may be written by nominee or nominator.
• Nominee's current curriculum vitae (SOM applicants: FACT SOM CV format required)
• One letter of support. May be from the department chair or division director, mentor, etc. Should include evidence of leadership and competence at our institution based on the above criteria. The most effective letters will address each criterion specifically.

History

Patricia A. Thomas, M.D., MA, FACP, FASCP (1956-2015)

The inaugural award was presented posthumously to Dr. Thomas and accepted by her husband and family at the August 20, 2015, annual awards dinner.

A one-line personal mission statement accompanying her professional resume neatly characterized Patricia Thomas' caring attitude and lifelong ambition: "I will inspire and empower others, and myself, to make a real difference in the world we share."

Dr. Thomas was guided by this commitment since her earliest days in her hometown of Leavenworth, Kan., where she and her four siblings were raised. She felt her calling was as a physician, so she began her medical training, eventually earning her M.D. from New York University Medical Center.

Dr. Thomas was a nationally known expert on pathology and cytopathology, with special interest and training in fine needle aspiration and breast pathology. Her research focused on early detection of benign breast lesions that might predict a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, as well as any racial or ethnic variations in breast cancer survival.

Nominated as a Local Legend of Medicine by Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS-3), Patricia chaired the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center and served as the associate dean for the medical center's Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity (OCED). In this capacity, she strove to foster diversity. Under her direction, the office addressed issues relating to the art, science, learning and "humanness" of medicine.

Patricia also directed the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in Medicine and the Minority Resource Center at KU Medical Center. As a respected teacher and campus leader, she co-directed an initiative to increase the number of underrepresented students in health professions. Thanks to her efforts, the School of Medicine received a $5.5 million endowment grant from the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities for merit-based scholarships to minority students in the Greater Kansas City area.

A prolific researcher, Dr. Thomas published more than 110 articles and abstracts and made numerous presentations. A recipient of the University of Kansas Student Voice Award for Excellence in Teaching (2002-2003), she received many other awards and citations honoring her and her work.

"Medicine is the perfect combination of the things I like to do: study science, make a difference and make decisions that help people. The most important thing to me, though, is my family. That I can have a family and be a doctor is what inspires me."