A Source of Guidance Toward Greater Awareness

When it comes to health awareness, most people don't tend to think of the kidneys before, for example, the heart or lungs. And yet these hardworking organs enable so many essential metabolic regulations; Carol Kirila, DO, MACOI, deems them “just plain fascinating.” And she firmly believes everyone should pay as much attention to their kidney function as they do other processes when they visit their doctor or have lab work completed.

It’s timely to have met with Dr. Kirila just in time for March, which is National Kidney Month. A longtime ACOI member, Dr. Kirila is also an educator, expert on kidney health, and Chair of the Medical Advisory Board for the National Kidney Foundation of Western Missouri and Kansas. She has worked with the National Kidney Foundation for almost 20 years and is passionate about collaborating with her colleagues there, as well as raising awareness about kidney health, ensuring people know it can be, as she puts it, “a silent killer.”

“People know about heart disease, and breast cancer, which are certainly worthy causes,” she said, “but people often don’t know kidney disease is there until it’s advanced. We want to encourage early recognition and prevention.”

The current chapter of her professional journey is defined by this kind of demonstrative leadership: Dr. Kirila was also inducted into the Gillum Society of Master Fellows at the ACOI Annual Convention in November 2024. She joined ACOI in 1998 and has long held the distinction of Fellow; becoming a Master Fellow is a way for her engagement with ACOI to grow and evolve. She said, “The meeting during the conference where the Master Fellows gathered was amazing, for the thought process that ensued, and the discussions. [It was a] general atmosphere of brainstorming to nurture and grow the profession, and the osteopathic internal medicine community.”  

Another important role Dr. Kirila fulfills is that of Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Department of Primary Care at Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine. There, she spends her days working with medical students, serving not just as an educator, but also as a mentor, advisor, and guide.  

Finding a Calling from within Community

Dr. Kirila’s path into osteopathic internal medicine began in her childhood, though it took some turns before bringing her where she is now. “My father was a DO, so I grew up with it,” she said. “His office part of the practice was in our home, so I knew he was working there even when I was a very small child ... He would take me to the hospital when he had to go in after hours.” She knew from that time that she wanted to be a doctor; her father was influential, but not the deciding factor, as he passed away when she was quite young. “Obviously, I missed him,” she said, “but [because of that], I didn’t have the [sense of] ‘should’ that some people have. I felt like I chose it, it was my calling.”

While growing up in the Kansas City area, Dr. Kirila volunteered at a local osteopathic community hospital as a candy striper and worked part-time in its lab during high school. Afterward, she took the nursing school route, thinking that would scratch the medical itch while allowing her a solid career. “I enjoyed it,” she said, “and had lots of wonderful experiences, but I realized it wasn’t quite where I needed to be.” That calling to become a physician was persistent, eventually leading her to pursue her DO at Kansas City University (KCU) College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Working and Walking Alongside Students

Dr. Kirila’s path took a few more turns before bringing her to internal medicine at KCU. She completed a rotating internship at an osteopathic institution, then switched to an allopathic institution (the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine at St. Luke's Hospital and Truman Medical Center) to complete her internal medicine residency. Joining ACOI was integral during this period: there, she received help to manage her credentials and certifications so she could become fully board certified in osteopathic internal medicine. Shortly thereafter, she was asked to become the associate program director for internal medicine residency at KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

When asked why she chose KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine to build her career, Dr. Kirila said, “Kansas City has been my home since I was a child, so that’s a given. Obviously, I looked at other possibilities, but [I was drawn to] the fact that it’s very much a community. I’m so blessed to work with so many people who are supportive as we nurture each other. I think everybody here is committed to our students and their success.”

Dr. Kirila is herself, of course, incredibly committed to her students and their success. Her approach to being an educator is one she sees as combining “advising, coaching, and mentoring” – three inseparable threads that all inform one another. A great deal of what Dr. Kirila learned as an internist strengthens this work. One significant skill, she noted, is the patience to listen to people’s entire stories, both to understand their experiences and connect with them more completely.

“When you’re seeing patients, by nature, you might be tempted to try to beat them to the punch as far as the real reason why they’re there. Sometimes you do have to do that – but I think it’s [important to have] the patience to listen to the individual at hand, whether patient or student. To take that breath, which may only take a second, and then listen for a couple more seconds. You’ll get more information that you needed and establish a lot more rapport.”

Similarly, she works with students by asking questions rather than telling them what to do, which helps teach them to think like physicians. “I was taught that way as well. I think it came with the package and grew over time – the idea of ‘thinking like a doctor,’ to promote the fact that there’s a reason you go through all this medical school. The thought process isn’t just an algorithm or a checklist – there's a lot more to it than that.”

To Dr. Kirila, the results are as rewarding as the process. She particularly loves to see students have “a-ha moments” when a concept finally clicks. “You can see the look in their eyes when the connection happens, which is wonderful, as is the fact that I can help them along that journey.”

The connection between all she does – wanting to raise awareness about kidney health and providing students with guidance – is quite clear. She said, to her, “As important as the science is, the art of medicine is important to me, too. The human aspect, the communication skills.” Dr. Kirila’s approach certainly puts that element first – and pays forward the help she received herself. She described a former anatomy professor, Dr. Walter Buck, who took time on the weekends to draw diagrams so his students could understand their depth. That influence is evident in the ways Dr. Kirila continues to uplift, encourage, and guide the students and colleagues around her.

“Recently,” she shared, “one of the students was having a difficult time, and she was kind enough to tell me not only how she appreciated my help, but that I had become family to her. It’s mind-boggling, it really is.”