Interim Chancellor Gardner’s Leadership Recognized by UA Board
| May 25, 2018 | For “honorably and steadfastly” leading UAMS “during a most challenging period,” UAMS Interim Chancellor Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., was recognized May 24 with a resolution by the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees.
The resolution was presented during the board’s two-day meeting on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus. The board offered “its deepest and most sincere gratitude” for Gardner’s service to UAMS and the state.
“I am humbled by this recognition and appreciate it very much,” Gardner said. “I have been an employee of UAMS for 27 years and am very proud of the wonderful work done by our more than 10,000 employees across the state.”
Gardner became interim chancellor Aug. 1, 2017, upon the retirement of Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. She is set to relinquish that title June 1 when incoming Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, arrives on campus. Gardner will continue in her role as senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, which she has done simultaneously while serving as interim chancellor.
Gardner’s tenure has seen increased research funding, the creation of an accountable care alliance to increase educational opportunities and clinical care, new UAMS Family Medical Center openings across the state and the university’s first balanced budget in several years.
The $1.55 billion balanced budget was especially significant after UAMS encountered a $72 million deficit in fiscal 2018 after revenues didn’t meet expectations. UAMS was forced in January to eliminate 600 positions, including 258 that were filled, and an additional 124 positions through attrition.
Another noteworthy accomplishment for UAMS this past year was being reaccredited by the Higher Learning Commission for a full 10 years.
Gardner saw the first graduating class of the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus’ physical therapy program, and the continued development of its occupational therapy program in collaboration with the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. It is expected to accept students in 2019.
Other new programs created include an M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics in the UAMS College of Medicine, and graduate certificates in Healthcare Analytics and Healthcare Management in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.
The College of Medicine saw all of its graduating class match with a residency and ranked in the top 10 nationwide for the percentage of its graduating class pursuing family medicine. It was the fifth time in nine years to be ranked among the top 10.
In research, funding grew 53 percent from $111.6 million in FY 2016 to $170.6 million in FY 2017.
That included an $8.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to expand and enhance an archive of cancer medical images and data, and a $7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the Arkansas Center for Health Disparities at UAMS for research on minority health disparities.
Clinically, UAMS announced a statement of strategic intent with Baptist Health. The alliance allows the health care organizations to offer a wider range of educational opportunities and deliver clinical care more efficiently.
UAMS Family Medical Centers were opened in Helena and Fort Smith. UAMS was also chosen by the Home-Centered Care Institute as one of eight Centers of Excellence for its Home-Based Primary Care program. The program is a first-of-its-kind that is designed to make high-quality, home-based primary care a more common practice.