A family affair: Three brothers carry on legacy at KU Medical Center

One family in Pittsburg, Kansas, is doing their part to provide physicians for the state — three brothers followed in both their parents’ footsteps to the University of Kansas Medical Center.

“I do consider us to be a KU family,” said Joan Higginbotham, a 1987 graduate of KU School of Nursing and matriarch of the family. “Out of the eight of us, seven passed through KU at one time or another!” The result so far is six graduates with bachelor's degrees, one with a doctorate, two with medical degrees and one third-year medical student.

Last year, there were three Higginbothams in medical school at the same time. Ryan and Simon, who are surgical residents at KU School of Medicine’s Wichita campus, and current medical student Aaron all say they are best friends who lived and studied together, while supporting each other’s dreams.

All three graduated from Pittsburg State University, majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. Aaron also minored in Spanish and spent a semester in Spain. Ryan studied abroad in Finland, which put him six months behind his cohort — so he reapplied and was accepted to KU School of Medicine on the same day as Simon.

They all strive to bring out the best in their brothers. “We all have different styles of studying … but we aren’t competitive with each other,” Ryan said. “For example, sometimes I have trouble staying awake … and Simon is a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of guy. He made 30,000 flashcards and motivates me to do more.”

Simon said, “Ryan is the smartest guy in the room We did all our studying together; he can always see the bigger picture. And Aaron is an absolutely stellar student.”

Aaron added, “When I started at KU, I had two built-in mentors in my brothers. I knew what to expect and how to approach medical school. I was ecstatic for that!”

Ryan and Simon always knew they would follow in their father’s footsteps. Dennis Higginbotham earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation management from Auburn University, but he later decided to change careers. At age 34, Dennis and his wife auctioned off their belongings, and with their two children, Penny and Steven, moved to Pittsburg so he could pursue a medical career.

While he was at Pittsburg State, the pre-med counselor encouraged Dennis to apply to KU. “KU's renowned reputation for excellence in primary care resonated deeply with my interest in serving underserved communities,” Dennis said, “making it the ideal environment to build a foundation for a patient-centered career.”

He graduated from Pittsburg State University and matriculated at KU School of Medicine in 1991, where he earned his M.D. and completed his residency in OB-GYN.

Following his first wife’s death from cancer, Dennis met Joan when she was working in the Labor and Delivery unit at The University of Kansas Hospital. They married and had four children — Nolan, Ryan, Simon and Aaron.

“Who knew that our children’s exposure to the family medical conversations around the dinner table would culminate in three of them deciding on a career in medicine?” Joan said. “It has been immensely gratifying having them in medical school at KU Medical Center at the same time.”

She added that no one outside the medical school experience can fully appreciate the dedication, time commitment, mental demand and financial burden it requires. “But my husband and I have also found that the rewards and fulfillment of our medical professions justify those in the long run,” Joan said.

In their first year, Ryan and Simon needed to move closer to the Kansas City campus, so they rented an apartment just two miles from their grandparents in Lenexa. “It was during the pandemic, so we would watch the lectures online at home,” Simon said. “We studied together 8-10 hours a day. We were diligent — and that’s because of our parents.”

When Aaron was accepted into the same program two years later, he moved in, and Ryan moved across the street with his new wife. Today both are married, Ryan with two children, Simon with one on the way—and Aaron is engaged.

Aaron wasn’t always sold on going into medicine. “As a kid, I really didn’t want to do it because I got grossed out,” he said with a laugh. But high school anatomy and physiology classes opened his eyes to the possibilities. Now he aspires to become a neurosurgeon.

Simon said his mother’s philosophy is that “you can learn anything.” To prove it, she learned how to both assist Dennis with surgeries and manage the family’s medical practice. They all say they are open to the possibility of working in or near Pittsburg someday. “I enjoy living close to family,” Ryan said. “I would never want to lose that.”

Now they share more than just the family vernacular. “Medicine is its own language,” Aaron said. “There is jargon and meaning that we understand because of what we went through together.”

Today that bond has led to a professional collaboration. The Higginbothams have designed a new version of a common surgical instrument, a needle driver. They plan to continue developing it and bring it to market eventually.

On the suggestion that one day they might build a surgical practice together near where they grew up in Pittsburg, they each laughed and said there are no plans to launch a business. And then, Aaron reflected on the bond he has with his family: “I guess I could see it … building something with my best friends for life.”