Spotlight on Tiffany Schwasinger-Schmidt, M.D., Ph.D., FACP

By Kelly Hale, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Feb 02, 2023

“I really want to make Wichita a hub for research to not just help people in Wichita, but across the region. We’re seeing people from Oklahoma, Missouri, and rural areas of Kansas come to our clinic.”

Growing up with a love of science and research, Dr. Schwasinger-Schmidt may have been destined for a career in medicine and medical research.

“I always wanted to learn more about things and see how they worked,” she said.

And after her grandfather was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, there weren’t many available treatment options, and little was known about it. He agreed to participate in a clinical trial for the disease and while the treatment in the trial didn’t help him, it made an impression on Schwasinger-Schmidt.

Besides maintaining an internal medicine primary care practice and serving as a hospitalist at Wesley Medical Center (Wichita, Kan.), Schwasinger-Schmidt is the Director for the Center for Clinical Research at the KU School of Medicine – Wichita and is actively engaged in clinical trials across multiple disciplines s that include general internal medicine, infectious disease, vaccine development, neurology, and psychiatry.

“One aspect I really like about what I’m doing is seeing the positive impact this has on a patient’s overall health,” she said. “One patient asked our team in Wichita to trace our handprints for a quilt she was making because we became a part of her story . To hear stories like that really makes an impression on how not just me but everyone here is making an impact in our community and I wouldn’t be able to do my job without all the people I work with on a daily basis.”

And Schwasinger-Schmidt is making an impact as she was recognized during KU Medical Center’s Alumni Weekend as an Early Career Achievement in Medicine Alumna.

“I was so overwhelmed with this recognition. It really is a validation for all our teams, no matter where they are working,” she said. “We’re making a difference and we are impacting lives in a positive manner. We are changing the practice of medicine right here within our local community. I’m just so grateful to be a part of such exceptional teams.”

And, during the COVID pandemic, the Center for Clinical Research participated in the COVID-19 vaccine trials which all started through a simple email connection.

“I heard Dr. (Mario) Castro speaking on a Town Hall about the Hero trial and sent him an email asking about having our team participate in the trial,” Schwasinger-Schmidt said. “That email helped open doors for more collaboration, and I consider Dr. Castro as a mentor.”

With the support of her family and her colleagues in Wichita, she’s able to continue her amazing work to help the community.

“I work with a lot of really talented people, and they are the reason I can do what I do. They all have a service mindset and are some of the most compassionate and caring people that I have encountered and that really makes a difference,” she said. “My kids also see what I’m doing, and they’ll come home and say, “I helped my classmate today or I helped my teacher today” and that’s such a great feeling to see the positive impact they are making because they see what I’m doing.”

And we’re sure to be hearing about more great things that Schwasinger-Schmidt and the Center for Clinical Research in Wichita are doing.