Patricia Cowan, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Honored by Alma Mater

By Spencer Watson

Cowan was presented with a Citation of Merit, which honors an alumna who “exemplifies high ideals, outstanding leadership, meritorious service and outstanding achievement.” The award has been presented annually since 1966 by the Sinclair School of Nursing Alumni Organization.

“I’m grateful to be recognized as a leader in nursing by the institution where I began my education, especially as my work now is not only to prepare nurses to join a workforce that badly needs them, but also to train the next generation of nursing educators and researchers, where the demand is just as strong,” said Cowan.

Cowan has served as the dean of the UAMS College of Nursing since 2015. She has more than 35 years of experience in all areas of nursing, including academics, clinical practice and research. Her research interests include lifestyle interventions in overweight youth and adults, and cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes. She participates in a multi-professional research team and is interested in translational research.

After graduating magna cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in nursing, Cowan went on to earn a master’s degree in adult health nursing from the University of Kansas in Kansas City and a doctorate from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, the Southern Nursing Research Society and Sigma Theta Tau International.

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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