Donna Sweet to receive Wichita State’s first honorary doctorate since 1988

Wichita State University will offer the first honorary doctorate since 1988 to Donna Sweet, a leading physician in the AIDS and HIV community.

“I was astonished,” Sweet said about the award. “Humbled and astonished.”

The university will present the award to Sweet on Sunday during the WSU fall commencement ceremony.

Sweet works as a professor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and has treated patients with HIV and AIDS for 35 years.

She is a Kansas native and received an undergraduate degree from WSU and a master’s degree from KU.

“I love my work,” she said. “I feel like what I do is what my job requires. I don’t think of myself as extraordinary.”

Sweet spoke over the phone from New York, and said she ran into one of her patients that day in the Wichita airport who exemplified the advancements made during her career.

“He was commenting on the fact he turned 70 this year,” she said. “And he never thought he would see 70, and never thought he would outlive his mother who’s turning 90 now,” she said.

At the beginning of her career, she said, most of her work involved education and less medical treatment because of the lack of treatment available.

Now, she said, stigmatization still undoubtedly exists, but treatments have grown.

Going forward, she said, she hopes to see HIV become a long-term chronic illness.

She said that’s now possible as long as people have appropriate care and access to medication.

“What I would like to see going forward is better access to appropriate care for all, without as much hassle and difficulty as we have,” Sweet said. She added a key part of that access includes public funds.

She said she plans to tell graduates at the commencement ceremony to “always think how they can help someone rather than just make a living.”

Tony Vizzini, provost and senior vice president for Wichita State University, said the award was approved by the Kansas Board of Regents and will be presented by John Bardo, president of WSU.

Vizzini said Sweet’s career sets an example of courage for students who will soon enter their careers after graduation.

“She provided care to people who, in that time, were cast out from society,” he said.

Sweet will provide the commencement speech for the 2:30 p.m. ceremony on Dec. 13 at the Charles Koch Arena.

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 9:10 AM with the headline "Donna Sweet to receive Wichita State’s first honorary doctorate since 1988."