UAMS Receives INSIGHT Into Diversity’s 2021 Health Professions HEED Award

By Linda Satter

As a recipient of the annual award, UAMS will be featured along with 50 other recipients in the December 2021 issue of the magazine. The national honor recognizes health colleges and universities in the United States that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“It is the mandate of UAMS to care for the entire state, and it is likewise the mandate of equity that we offer our programs to all Arkansans,” said Brian Gittens, Ed.D., MPA, UAMS vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion.

“I’ve been pleased to see the tremendous geographic expansion of so many of our efforts,” Gittens said. “Our work to improve the climate and culture within UAMS continues to thrive, with grassroots subcommittees that include employees from throughout the institution who advise us on policy decisions that will create more equitable hiring, offer more opportunity for mentoring and research for minority scholars, and create a more welcoming environment that respects the identity of all individuals.”

UAMS was also named a Diversity Champion, which means it scored in the top tier of all HEED Award institutions.

In selecting recipients of the Health Professions HEED Award, the magazine rigorously reviews answers to questions about the recruitment and retention of students and employees, and best practices for both. It also considers answers related to continued leadership support for diversity and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion.

“We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a Health Professions HEED Award recipient,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of the magazine. “Our standards are high, and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across the campus.”

“Our work has earned us recognition as a 2021 Health Professions HEED award recipient and Diversity Champion, but work remains as we continue our efforts in accordance with the chancellor’s 2029 strategic plan,” Gittens said.

A list of all of the 2021 award recipients is available on the magazine’s website.

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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