LITTLE ROCK –University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing Dean Linda Hodges, Ed.D., R.N., has received the Arkansas Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award.
The award was presented Oct. 5 during the Hospital Association’s 76th Annual Meeting in Little Rock.
Hodges will retire as dean of the College of Nursing on Oct. 14, after 17 years at the helm. In announcing the award, the Arkansas Hospital Association noted that Hodges has increased the number of UAMS nursing programs and course offerings, as well as increasing those available by interactive video and at more sites off the main campus. She also has testified before congressional committees about nursing education, co-authored several state nursing initiatives and researched public policy and nursing education.
Claudia Barone, Ed.D., R.N., will replace Hodges as dean on Oct. 16. Barone is associate dean for academic administration in the College of Nursing.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,320students and 690 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 9,400employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ AreaHealthEducationCenters throughout the state. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.5billion a year. For more information, visit www.uams.edu.