Bank of America Gives $24,500 for UAMS Diversity Programs
| Aug. 23, 2016 | Bank of America continued its stalwart support for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) with a $24,500 corporate foundation gift given to the UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs at an August 23 presentation.
The check was presented by Donnie Cook, Arkansas state president and Little Rock market president for Bank of America, to Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief academic officer, and Billy Thomas, M.D., vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion.
Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief academic officer, and Billy Thomas, M.D., UAMS vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, visit with Donnie Cook, Arkansas state president and Little Rock market president for Bank of America at the presentation.
“UAMS and the Center of Diversity Affairs are grateful for this generous gift from Bank of America and its ongoing support for the center’s summer outreach programs,” Gardner said. “These summer enrichment programs cultivate a more diverse population of health care professionals and provide opportunities for students ranging from kindergarteners through college undergraduates.”
“Without Bank of America’s support, the Center for Diversity Affairs would not be where it is today,” Thomas said. “They see the vision that we see. Without programs like ours, a lot of the people we serve would not be here.”
Braylon Camper, a sophomore at the University of California, Los Angeles, first became involved with the Center for Diversity Affairs in eighth grade, via its Bridging the Gap program. This summer, he worked alongside Parimal Chowdhury, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the UAMS College of Medicine, studying cell culturing and the effects of microgravity on rats.
“I’ve been involved with the Center for Diversity Affairs for six years now,” Camper said. “This is a great program, very beneficial. I’ve learned a lot.”
A small portion of the gift is designated for the UAMS Chancellor’s Circle. The Chancellor’s Circle is UAMS’ premier annual giving society that presents grants each year to areas of greatest need. Thirteen grants were awarded this year.
“Investing in a diverse workforce is just one of the ways we’re addressing issues fundamentally connected to economic mobility,” Cook said. “Through this grant, we look forward to helping UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs promote the diversity of workforce in health professions.”
Other Bank of America guests at the presentation included John Dominick, senior vice president; Heather Albright, vice president-small business banking; and Karil Greason, assistant vice president.
Bank of America has given nearly $400,000 to UAMS in recent years and has supported the Center for Diversity Affairs for the past five years for recruitment, retention and graduation of students, particularly economically disadvantaged students, to meet the future medical needs of the state.
This gift supports the center’s summer enrichment programs, which benefit students throughout Arkansas. These programs are designed to strengthen science, math, literacy and test-taking skills. In addition, the programs give students an introduction to the many health career options at UAMS and include mentored research, the Summer Science Discovery Program, Bridging the Gap, ACT Preparation, and Undergraduate Summer Science Enrichment Program I and II. This summer, more than 180 students have been exposed to health careers in the UAMS colleges of Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and the Graduate School.
Bank of America has also given support for programs that serve low-to-moderate income populations at the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###