KCMS AWARDS

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2025 Award Recipients

Thanks for all who joined us in November to celebrate our accomplishments from 2025! We had a wonderful time at Grand Street Cafe and enjoyed celebrating our award winners together. The Kansas City Medical Society presented the following 2025 Awards at our Annual Meeting:

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Patient & Community Advocate Award 

Patrick Christopher, MD and Robert Weiss, MD

Drs. Patrick Christopher and Robert Weiss are oral and maxillofacial surgeons specializing in cleft lip and palate repair in Kansas City and abroad. In a relatively short time, they have built strong partnerships across Kansas City’s hospital systems and co-founded Forever Smiles, a nonprofit dedicated to making comprehensive cleft care accessible for families locally and internationally.



Learn more: https://foreversmiles-foundation.org/


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Rising Star

Ashley Holly, MD

Recognizes a physician who has made significant contributions to medicine in the Kansas City Metro Area early in their career.

Dr. Ashley Holly is a highly regarded general surgeon known for combining excellent technical skill with a compassionate, patient-centered approach. Colleagues and patients alike value her clear communication, meticulous preparation, and calm leadership in the clinic and operating room.


She chairs the OR Subcommittee and serves on the Medical Executive Committee, leading initiatives that strengthen safety, efficiency, and quality while mentoring peers. At 39, Dr. Holly has already distinguished herself and is well positioned to be a major leader at NKC Health.

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Exemplary Leadership Award

Carl Myers, MD

Dr. Myers is a family medicine physician in Platte City, Missouri—the community where he was raised. Deeply engaged at both the local and state levels, he has served on the Missouri State Board of Healing Arts and is recognized for his leadership and service to the profession.


He recently received a special Dean’s Distinguished Service Award from the University of Missouri School of Medicine for his efforts to raise scholarship funds for medical students. Dr. Myers upholds the highest standards of patient care and community stewardship.



Learn more HERE >

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Exemplary Leadership Award

Rebecca Lowry, MD

Dr. Rebecca “Becky” Lowry is Medical Director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center Survivorship Transition Clinic. As Chief Wellness Officer, she led systemwide initiatives before and during COVID-19 and founded the Office of Professional Well-Being, which provides physicians confidential, no-cost access to certified mental-health specialists in person or virtually. A recognized advocate for clinician well-being and suicide prevention, she now serves as Associate Chief Medical Officer for UKHS and received the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Early Career Achievement in Medicine Alumna Award (2020).