2024 Award Recipients

Thanks for all who joined us in November to celebrate our accomplishments from 2024! We had a wonderful time at Grand Street Cafe and enjoyed celebrating our award winners together. The Kansas City Medical Society presented the following 2024 Awards at our Annual Meeting:

Lifetime Acheivement Award

Keith Jantz, MD

Dr. Jantz has been leading the Retired Physicians Organization for the past few years. Despite his retirement, Dr. Jantz has remained steadfast in his unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of the Kansas City community. Through his leadership in RPO, he has helped bring together a network of retired physicians, keeping them both informed and engaged. He consistently helps others channel decades of expertise into new opportunities by volunteering time and knowledge to develop and promote community health education programs across Kansas City. He is a shining example of showing that service to the community and leadership in healthcare are not bound by time or career but are instead driven by an enduring commitment to the well-being of others.

Friend of Medicine Award

Reverend Robert Magee

Recognizes a non-physician for outstanding service to medicine.

Reverend Dr Robert Magee served 32 years as a US Army Reserve and National Guard Chaplain, 38 years with Rotary International and 50 years of affiliation the AF & AM Masons.



Rev. Magee has served for 11 years on the North Kansas City Hospital Board of Trustees.. For 24 years Bob has organized and served as Team Leader on mission trips to Jamaica providing medical, dental and vision care as well as prescriptions for those in need. In this year’s trip they served nearly 900 Jamaicans, provided 3,240 prescriptions, extracted 372 broken or loose teeth, and gave glasses to 177 people.

Rising Star Award

Hamza Alshami, MD

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

Hamza Alshami was born and raised in Jordan. He graduated from the University of Jordan Medical school in 2008 and completed his postgraduate training at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), specializing in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Alshami is currently practicing at Kansas City Pulmonology Practice. He is also a founding member and serves as the secretary of the Jordanian American Physician Association.

Patient and Community Advocate Award

Traci Johnson, MD

Recognizes a physician who has made significant contributions towards improving access to care or quality of care.

Dr. Traci Johnson, a distinguished Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician, has been nominated for the Kansas City Medical Society’s (KCMS) Patient & Community Advocate Award in recognition of her exceptional work in advancing maternal health. Known for her holistic, patient-centered approach, Dr. Johnson has become a tireless advocate for mothers, particularly in underserved communities and among women of color, addressing significant disparities in maternal health outcomes. Her efforts include raising awareness of pregnancy-related complications, reducing stigma around high-risk pregnancies, and collaborating with local healthcare providers, policymakers, and community leaders to improve maternal health. Additionally, Dr. Johnson has worked to increase access to prenatal care, particularly for those facing socioeconomic barriers, and has championed policy initiatives to standardize care protocols, improve early intervention, and support mental health resources for expecting mothers. Through her clinical work, outreach, and advocacy, Dr. Johnson has made a profound impact on maternal health in Kansas City, transforming countless lives and ensuring a lasting legacy for the community.

Community Service Award

Paul Chan, MD

Paul was born in Hong Kong and moved to the U.S. at age 7, growing up in the Lower East Side of New York City. After earning a joint degree in Chemistry and Religious Studies from Harvard, he spent two years volunteering as a teacher in Appalachian Kentucky and later worked as a lobbyist for hunger legislation in Washington, D.C. Paul earned his MD from Johns Hopkins and completed a joint residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s and Boston Children’s Hospitals. Currently, Paul spends two-thirds of his time conducting clinical research and one-third as a general cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. A Professor of Medicine with over 300 peer-reviewed publications, he is an international expert on cardiac arrest, quality of care, and healthcare disparities. Paul remains connected to his roots by volunteering weekly at Cherith Brook House in east KC, leading service trips for youth to Guatemala, Vietnam, and local communities, and raising funds for hunger and poverty programs. This October, he completed his 15th annual 50-mile hike in the Grand Canyon, raising over $1.7 million, with a quarter of the funds supporting programs in Kansas City.