Ben McCallister, M.D.

In his 35 years as a cardiologist for Saint Luke’s Hospital, Endowed Chair Dr. Ben McCallister has had a front-row seat to the rise and development of cardiovascular care and research in the Kansas City area. He co-founded the Mid-America Heart Institute in 1980, the first heart hospital built in the United States, and serves as full-time director of Cardiovascular Research. He also co-founded Cardiovascular Consultants P.C., one of the largest cardiovascular groups in the country.

Outside of his work with the Heart Institute, Dr. McCallister holds positions with several other related committees and organizations, such as serving with the American College of Cardiology for 15 years as secretary of treasury and on the board of trustees, and serving as chairman of the board of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.

"”I've known Ben McCallister for 20 years and have had the pleasure to work with him on many initiatives,” says Ingram’s Publisher Joe Sweeney. “Ben is among the most driven and passionate physicians, administrators and researchers in the healthcare industry. He is committed to the advancement of cardiac care, his organization and his community more than anyone I know."

Although he retired from clinical practice five years ago, Dr. McCallister still enjoys the contact with colleagues, students and patients that his various positions afford him. And through all his work, he has displayed a strong commitment to development. “I love what I’m doing,” he says. “I love to develop new programs, and I love to be here and watch [them] continue to grow.”

Sister Ann Marita Loosen, S.C.L.

When asked what led her to join the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth (SCL) in 1950, Sister Ann Marita Loosen answers, “It was a culmination of knowing I had a vocation and that I wanted to help people.” This decision led her to a lifetime career of service and leadership within the healthcare system. She has spent more than 25 of those years working in Kansas hospitals, both as a leader and, today, as a volunteer with Providence Medical Center.

From 1978 to 1995, Sister Ann Marita served in various leadership positions at Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, St. Francis Hospital in Topeka and Providence Medical Center. After her first retirement in 1996, she became Legislative Liaison for the SCL Health System. In 1998, Sister Ann Marita was honored with a lifetime service award by the Kansas Hospital Association.

Since retiring, for the second time, in 2003, Sister Ann Marita has focused much of her time volunteering at Providence, where she mostly assists with patients’ families, making them feel comfortable and answering their questions. She also attends to her fellow sisters’ needs at the SCL Mother House on an as-needed basis. Throughout her lifetime of service, Sister Ann Marita’s guiding motivation has been the desire to “love and serve God to the best of my ability and love my neighbor as I love myself. It's the Golden Rule—I’m just bringing God into it.”

Jack Stelmach, M.D.

As founder and past director for 20 years of the Baptist Hospital Family Practice Residency program, Dr. Jack Stelmach has played a significant role in establishing and improving medical programs in the Kansas City area. After holding a 20-year private practice, Dr. Stelmach developed one of the first family medicine residency programs in the area. The Goppert-Trinity Family Care Center at Baptist-Lutheran Medical Center started with 12 residents in 1974 and has become one of the largest family medicine clinics in the area, with more than 175 physicians graduated from the three-year program.

Dr. Stelmach has also served as president of such medical organizations as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Board of Family Practice. He received the Merit Award of the Metropolitan Medical Society in 1996, the same year he retired as a physician.

In 2000, Dr. Stelmach helped start “Partners in Health,” a health education program for senior citizens developed through Shepherd's Centers of America, with which Dr. Stelmach has been involved for 25 years. The purpose of the program is to create a “health literacy” between patients and their doctors. “A lot of older people feel disenfranchised with the modern technology,” Dr. Stelmach says. Each two-hour class covers topics such as “Effective Communications Between Doctor and Patients” and “Understanding Medications.” With the program, Dr. Stelmach hopes “to develop a real partnership where both sides are benefiting.” He adds, “What I'm doing now is more fun than I’ve had in years.”to grow.”