Dr. Slater is the Medical Director of the Burnett Burn Center at The University of Kansas Health System, the region’s only nationally verified Burn Center. She is boarded in both Surgery and Plastic Surgery and completed her Burn Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. She takes great pride in being able to care for burn-injured patients both at the initial time of injury and throughout their reconstructive journies. She feels privileged to be part of her patients’ transformations from burn-injured patients to burn survivors.

Marilyn is an occupational therapist who has specialized in burn rehabilitation and outpatient hand therapy at The University of Kansas Health System since 1990. She serves as the treasurer of the Kansas City Burn Foundation and is an organizer of the KU Burn Recovery Group. Through these roles, she is honored to support individuals who have sustained burns, as well as their families. She is also a proud Jayhawk.

Janelle is an Occupational Therapist at The University of Kansas Health System who specializes in hand and burn injuries since 1991.   As a Certified Hand Therapist, she is passionate about providing care for the outpatient burn survivor population. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Janelle serves as President of the KC Burn Foundation and helps lead the Burn Recovery Group.

Kevin is a burn survivor who was injured in a work place incident in 2012.  He has been very active in the University of Kansas Hospital SOAR program which is a peer support program, giving one on one mentoring to newly injured patients. He is currently serving as Secretary for the KC Burn Foundation.

October 29, 2011 was just another day at work. Fall harvest was winding down, but I had to load a train that showed up late in the day. It was all going well until about 7:05 pm. Then my life changed forever……the grain elevator exploded. Six of my co-workers/grain inspectors were killed, I was life-flighted along with another employee to the KU Burn Center. I was burned at 65% on my upper body with additional trauma in various areas of my body. I had eight broken ribs, a punctured right lung, lacerations on my liver, a ruptured ear drum and small fractures in my back. I had all five right fingers amputated and was on continuous dialysis for 6 weeks. I was intubated after 10 days in ICU where I stayed for 90 days and then transferred to rehab for an additional 4 weeks. In total, I was in the hospital for 129 days before coming home. I have undergone numerous rounds of physical and occupational therapy to get to a place of being able to function independently. 

I have had over 50 surgeries/procedures to date with more down the road. I was very fortunate to have the support of my family and be a patient at the KU Burn Unit where I have developed some very close relationships. Dr. Bhavsar has been my main doctor throughout this entire time. I am very blessed to have him as well as the entire staff take care of me during my stay.