Each year since 1990, the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians has named one doctor as its Kansas Family Physician of the Year. This year, the honor goes to Debbie Haynes '76/76 — who adds the distinction of being the award's first female recipient. She is also the first woman to serve as the academy's president.
A Gore Scholar at WSU, Haynes earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences; her medical degree is from the University of Kansas School of Medicine–Wichita. She has been practicing family medicine in Wichita for 30 years, currently with Via Christi Medical Associates.
In the first two decades of her practice, she delivered 1,000 babies. "I have been privileged to help patients through prenatal care and to see the joy of the parents as I deliver their first child," she says. "I once delivered the eighth child for a family — and will always remember the children all gathered around the hospital bed to welcome their new sibling."
Also a medical educator, Haynes is a clinical professor at the KU School of Medicine-Wichita. Additionally, this top Kansas physician participates in many Wichita State projects and events, is a life member of the alumni association and serves on a number of university boards, including the WSU Foundation's National Advisory Council.
