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Joplin Today
By the People, for the People
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Establishes $500,000 Scholarship to Honor KCU Alumna
The scholarship will support osteopathic medical students at Kansas City University.
Apr. 1, 2026 at 11:34am
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The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation has established a $500,000 endowed scholarship in honor of Kansas City University (KCU) alumna Capt. Rebecca deVillers, MC, USN, DO. The Foundation also contributed an additional $25,000 to ensure the first award can be made during the 2026–27 academic year. deVillers, a retired board-certified family medicine physician and KCU graduate, personally contributed $25,000 to the scholarship, bringing the total to $550,000.
Why it matters
This scholarship will help support the next generation of osteopathic physicians, reflecting deVillers' gratitude for the role osteopathic medicine has played in her career and her desire to extend that support to future doctors. The scholarship's flexible criteria will allow it to assist students facing different challenges or opportunities, furthering KCU's mission of training physicians to serve in primary care, rural, and underserved areas.
The details
The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation established the endowed scholarship to honor deVillers' decades of service and leadership, which were recently recognized with the Star Spangled Medallion from the KCU Alumni Association. deVillers designed the scholarship with broad criteria so it can support any KCU osteopathic medical student, hoping it will help students focus more on learning and less on financial stress.
- The first award from the scholarship will be made during the 2026–27 academic year.
The players
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
A foundation that aims to improve health and quality of life through education, research, and service consistent with the osteopathic heritage.
Capt. Rebecca deVillers, MC, USN, DO
A retired board-certified family medicine physician and KCU alumna who recently received the Star Spangled Medallion from the KCU Alumni Association in recognition of her decades of service and leadership.
Kansas City University (KCU)
A private not-for-profit health sciences university with Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Biosciences and Dental Medicine, and campuses in Kansas City and Joplin, Missouri.
What they’re saying
“The Foundation is grateful to our directors for their dedication to advancing our mission to improve health and quality of life through education, research and service consistent with our osteopathic heritage. We are pleased to recognize Dr. deVillers' years of service, leadership and commitment to osteopathic medicine and community health with the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Rebecca E. deVillers, DO.”
— Terri Donlin Huesman, President and CEO of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
“Being an osteopathic physician has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Osteopathic medicine set me on a path that shaped everything that followed.”
— Capt. Rebecca deVillers, MC, USN, DO
“If this gift helps even one student focus more on learning and less on financial stress, then it's worth it.”
— Capt. Rebecca deVillers, MC, USN, DO
“Dr. deVillers has devoted her career to caring for others, and service to our country. This scholarship extends that legacy to future osteopathic medical students. We are honored by the Foundation's recognition of her remarkable service and deeply appreciative of the impact this investment will have on generations of KCU‑trained physicians.”
— Marc B. Hahn, DO, President and CEO of Kansas City University
What’s next
The first award from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Rebecca E. deVillers, DO will be made during the 2026–27 academic year at Kansas City University.
The takeaway
This scholarship demonstrates the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation's commitment to supporting the next generation of osteopathic physicians and honoring the legacy of dedicated alumni like Capt. Rebecca deVillers. By making medical education more accessible, the scholarship will help KCU continue producing primary care physicians to serve rural and underserved communities.
