View Larger Image UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., speaks at the awards ceremony March 9.
UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., speaks at the awards ceremony March 9.

UAMS Chancellor’s Circle Awards Grants to 12 Programs

By Benjamin Waldrum

| March 21, 2017 | Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., awarded 12 UAMS programs a total of $360,000 at the annual Chancellor’s Circle Grant Awards ceremony and reception March 9.

This year’s awards again set a record for the most funds distributed, said Rahn. Each of the 12 programs received a $30,000 grant.

Members of the Chancellor’s Circle provide roughly $400,000 a year in discretionary funds, which are then distributed to various programs to provide additional support in UAMS’ key mission areas of health care education, medical research and patient care. Since its creation in 1984, the Chancellor’s Circle has raised more than $8 million to support UAMS’ mission.

“The generosity of the Chancellor’s Circle continues to make a significant impact on the lives of the people of our state,” said Rahn. “These grants give UAMS the flexibility to support key areas as needed and they are critical in our mission to improve the health of everyone in society.”

The following 12 programs were chosen to receive grants:

  • Department of Biomedical Informatics in the UAMS College of Medicine. Pope Moseley, M.D., UAMS executive vice chancellor and dean of the College of Medicine, and Fred Prior, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics, accepted the award, which was presented by Don Munro, member of the Chancellor’s Circle and the UAMS Foundation Fund Board.
  • College of Dental Medicine to facilitate development of an interdisciplinary dental curriculum to serve the people of Arkansas. Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief academic officer; Douglas Murphy, Ph.D., dean of the College of Health Professions; and Gene Jines, D.D.S., director of the UAMS Center for Dental Education, accepted the award from Munro.
  • Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging to supplement work investigating early events in Alzheimer’s disease development. Sue Griffin, Ph.D., vice chairman of research, Department of Geriatrics in the College of Medicine, and Jeanne Wei, Ph.D., institute director, accepted the award, which was presented by Charlene Reed, a member of both the Chancellor’s Circle and Foundation Fund Board.
  • Child Development Center to support creation of a child care facility to support UAMS staff and faculty. Gardner and Jeannette Shorey, M.D., associate provost for faculty, accepted the award from Reed.
  • College of Nursing, to support a professorship in women’s cardiovascular health. Patricia Cowan, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the College of Nursing, and Jean McSweeney, Ph.D., R.N., associate dean for research in the College of Nursing, accepted the award from Reed.
  • Bone Research Initiative on behalf of the Department of Orthopaedics in the College of Medicine, the Myeloma Institute and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery; Stavros Manolagas, M.D., director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism; and Gareth Morgan, M.D., director of the Myeloma Institute, accepted the award, which was presented by Beau Blair Jr., a member of the Chancellor’s Circle and Foundation Fund Board.
  • Get Healthy UAMS team to promote a campus conducive to healthy living and working. Christina Clark, chief of staff; Natalie Cannady, director of the UAMS Fitness Center; and Tonya Johnson, director of nutritional services, accepted the award from Blair.
  • College of Health Professions in a joint effort with the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions to develop an occupational therapist education program. Murphy and Tim Hill, vice chancellor for Regional Campuses, accepted the award from Blair.
  • Interprofessional Education to teach those from across health education programs how to learn about, from and with each other. Gardner and Kathryn Neill, Pharm.D., associate dean for administrative and academic affairs, accepted the award, which was presented by Joe Larkin, a member of the Chancellor’s Circle and Foundation Fund Board.
  • National Cancer Institute designation to set the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute in an elite category with 69 other NCI-designated cancer centers nationwide. Peter Emanuel, M.D., director of the Cancer Institute, accepted the award from Larkin.
  • UAMS Arts Council to support the Healing Arts Acquisition Project, which enriches the working and learning environments for faculty, staff and students, and which enhances the healing environment for patients and their families. Erin Gray, director of volunteer services; Richard Turnage, M.D., senior vice chancellor for clinical programs and CEO of UAMS Medical Center; and Lana Rahn accepted the award from Reed.
  • ALS Research to support creating a chair in honor of Paul Dunn, a victim of the disease. Robert L. “Lee” Archer, M.D., professor and interim chairman of the Department of Neurology in the College of Medicine; Nancy Rusch, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the College of Medicine; Moseley and members of Dunn’s family accepted the award, which was presented by Cindy Pugh, a member of the Foundation Fund Board.

The Chancellor’s Circle, established by the UAMS Foundation Fund Board, recognizes those donors who support programs at UAMS through annual unrestricted contributions. Currently, more than 300 household and corporate members make up the Chancellor’s Circle. To learn more about the Chancellor’s Circle, visit giving.uams.edu/chancellorscircle.

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 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 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.

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