Dr. James Kerns Joins WMMC OB/GYN Team in Warrensburg
James Kerns Joins Western Missouri Medical Center Obstetrics Team
Western Missouri Medical Center expanded its obstetrics and gynecology team on October 28, 2026, welcoming Dr. James Kerns through a partnership with Missouri Valley Regional Medical Center, wmmc.com reported. The addition brings a physician with more than 35 years of clinical experience into a coordinated care model serving expectant mothers across the Marshall and Warrensburg regions.
Decades of Clinical Practice and Academic Leadership in Marshall
Dr. Kerns has cared for patients in the Marshall area since 2020. Throughout a career spanning over three decades, he has held clinical, academic, and leadership positions including attending physician, medical director, department chair, and OB/GYN clerkship director. He has also served as a clinical faculty member and preceptor for medical students and residents.
He earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago. His residency training in obstetrics and gynecology included positions at MacNeal Hospital, University of Illinois Hospitals, and South Baltimore General Hospital. He also holds a Master of Business Administration in Health Care from St. Ambrose University and is board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Western Missouri Medical Center Coordinates Patient Care with Regional Partner
The collaboration between Western Missouri Medical Center and Missouri Valley Regional Medical Center allows Dr. Kerns to maintain continuity of care for his established patients while integrating into a broader regional network. WMMC President and CEO Darinda J. Dick noted that his background in patient care and medical education provides a valuable addition to regional families.
Under the coordinated care model established by the two institutions, patients may continue seeing Dr. Kerns for prenatal care in Marshall or Warrensburg until approximately 34 weeks of pregnancy. At that point, patients transition to WMMC for the remainder of their prenatal care and delivery. Both hospital teams coordinate to manage this transition for local families.
WMMC Delivers over 700 Babies Annually with Specialized Staff
At present, the staff of WMMC’s obstetrics and gynecology department consists of a family nurse practitioner focused on obstetric care, three certified nurse-midwives, three family medicine doctors possessing surgical and obstetrical training, alongside four board-certified OB/GYNs. The county-owned healthcare system delivers more than 700 babies annually, managing care from initial pregnancy through labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery.
Affiliations held by Kerns include professional memberships in the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and the American Medical Association.