The Leadership Honors Track is an elective honors track that prepares students for future careers as leaders in a variety of health care and related fields, including academic medicine, clinical enterprises, community engagement and professional organizations. 

Students will participate in coursework outside of the DO program which includes in-person and online didactics, expert panel presentations, examination of literature, projects and presentations. The track begins with a course in the spring semester of the first year of the DO program and continues with one course each semester through the fall of the fourth year. 

The track is available on both the Joplin and Kansas City campuses, with approximately 12 students from the Kansas City campus and eight from the Joplin campus. Students are selected for participation through an application process. Grading is pass/fail. Students who wish to participate in more than one dual-degree program and/or honors track require approval from the executive dean.

To remain eligible for the track, students must be in good academic and professional standing. A student will be administratively withdrawn from the honors track if one or more of the following circumstances occur:  

• Course failure 
• Academic probation status 
• Failure to meet professionalism/conduct standards
• Students who place in the third or fourth quartile of the class after any calculation of overall percentage grade or fail a COMLEX or COMAT exam must meet with the course director to determine eligibility for continuation of the track.
• Students who take a leave of absence from the COM may resume track activities upon return at the discretion of the campus dean.