Speakers
Dr. Steve Pu is a board certified General Surgeon who practices in a small rural community in southeast Missouri. He first arrived in Kennett in 1984, right after residency, and has remained there his entire career. Initially as a solo practitioner from 1984-2009, in 2009 he transitioned out of surgery, and now is Medical Director of the hospital owned Wound Care Center. He has served multiple roles in the medical staff leadership, and has served as the facility Chief Medical Officer since 1997.
He has been very active in his community serving on boards for his local church, Chamber of Commerce, local booster club, local home health agency, local hospital board, and presently serves on the Board of Public Works, which governs the local utility, and economic development for the county. From 2003-2008, he served on the board for the Missouri Foundation for Health, a philanthropic foundation that awards $50-60 million per year to various non profits that serve the uninsured, underinsured, and underserved in Missouri. During his time on this board, he chaired the Health Policy Comm for 4 years, and served as Chair of the Board in 2008. Through his work with health policy, he served on the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable of Health Disparities for 4 years. After being term limited out of the board of MFH, he was asked to lead a new organization, on behalf of the foundation, called Health Literacy Missouri, recognized today as one of the leading health literacy organizations in the country. He continues to serve as its Board Chair today.
Dr. Pu has also been very active in medical education over his entire career. He holds clinical appointments at three medical schools, the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, A.T. Still University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the University of Missouri School of Medicine. In 2008 he was awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award for the many hours of voluteer work in educating medical students, PA students, and APN students. He continues to serve as the Medical Director for the AHEC system that coordinated medical education in the area.