UAMS Breast Cancer Program Accepted into National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers

By Susan Van Dusen


The NAPBC, a program of the American College of Surgeons, represents a consortium of national professional organizations dedicated to improving of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes for patients with diseases of the breast.


“Being recognized as the only NAPBC accredited program in the state further distinguishes the UAMS program and our Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute as the premier cancer treatment facility in Arkansas,” said V. Suzanne Klimberg M.D., chief of the Division of Breast Surgical Oncology and professor on the Departments of Surgery and Pathology in the UAMS College of Medicine. “Our commitment to following recognized guidelines for patient care allows our facility to become a part of this elite group.”


Klimberg also directs the Breast Fellowship in Diseases of the Breast at UAMS and holds the Muriel Balsam Kohn Chair in Breast Surgical Oncology at UAMS.


The NAPBC accreditation is granted only to centers that are voluntarily committed to providing the best in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and able to comply with established NAPBC standards.


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. Named best Little Rock metropolitan area hospital by U.S. News & World Report, it is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has more than 2,800 students and 775 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.