Brandi Mize Wins Scheving Award
| Feb. 16, 2018 | A new name now graces the Lawrence E. Scheving Award plaque outside the Division of Clinical Anatomy’s office on the ground floor of the Daniel W. Rahn Interprofessional Education Building.
Brandi M. Mize of Paragould accepted the award, given to the first-year medical student with the highest grade in Human Structure, Feb. 12 from David Davies, Ph.D., associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences.
Mize is the 15th recipient of the award, handed out annually since 2004 to the student who displays the best grasp on a course that includes gross anatomy and aspects of radiology, histology and surgery.
The Scheving Award was established on behalf of the late Lawrence E. Scheving, Ph.D., the first Rebsamen professor of anatomical science. He served as director of the gross anatomy course for 15 years and was a UAMS College of Medicine faculty member for 20 years until his retirement in 1990.
Mize learned of her selection for the award in December in an email a few days after her final exam.
“It’s a proud moment for me and a happy surprise,” she said.
Mize has had an interest in medicine since at least middle school. Her first recollection is an assignment by a science teacher to pick out current activities associated with topics learned in class. Eventually, she realized hers always had to do with medicine.
“It started there and blossomed through high school and college,” said Mize.
She graduated from Arkansas State University with a double major in biology and chemistry. Mize is still deciding what specialty she’ll practice, but she’s fairly certain she wants to be a surgeon so she can have a “hands-on” occupation.
Growing up, she said it was always inspiring to see how a family member was helped by a medical procedure.
“They weren’t themselves, but then a knee replacement or hip replacement would return that person you always knew and loved,” said Mize. “I liked seeing the impact a procedure could have on the patient as well as the family.”
She was heartened as well by the care and attention her grandfather received during a battle with cancer. He passed away in June.
“I saw how the doctors and staff interacted with him and kept him in high spirits, and I want to provide that type of support and care one day,” said Mize. “If he were still here, I know he would be proud.”
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.###