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Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, (front) stands with the 2022 Chancellor’s Circle Grant Awards recipients. Image by Evan Lewis

UAMS Chancellor’s Circle Awards Grants to 14 Programs

Sept. 29, 2022 | LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) awarded 14 grants totaling $336,000 at the annual Chancellor’s Circle Grant Awards ceremony held Sept. 19.

The Chancellor’s Circle is UAMS’ premier giving society. Through its unrestricted annual giving, this group of dedicated members donates nearly $300,000 a year that funds grants to address the institution’s highest priorities. More than 250 household and corporate members make up the Chancellor’s Circle.

The grants are used to help attract distinguished scholars, purchase state-of-the-art medical equipment, provide seed monies for innovative health and wellness programs, and finance research projects of high potential to the state’s economic and social development.

“These grants will have a direct impact in empowering UAMS faculty and staff across the state, providing much needed support and focus, enabling us all to perform at a higher level,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “We’re proud to recognize these programs that drive our mission forward.”

Since the inception of the Chancellor’s Circle in 1984, donors have given more than $9 million to support UAMS’ mission. The funds awarded in the ceremony will support key mission areas in health care education, research and patient care.

This year’s grants were awarded to the following:

• A culinary medicine program that will provide the College of Medicine’s 65 residency and fellowship programs with experiential team building course concepts, exposing UAMS doctors to topics in food for medicinal use. The $20,000 grant was accepted by Molly Gathright, M.D., vice dean for Graduate Medical Education, and Gina Drobena, M.D., FCAP, associate professor of pathology.
• Tel-A-Mom, a lactation support program, will expand current practices and highlight the positive impact of digital health for lactation education and support. Dora Smith, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, accepted the $25,000 grant.
• Girlology, a program that provides medically accurate information to young girls and their caregivers by OB-GYN providers, residents and APRNs in an effort to empower girls to make informed self-health care choices. Laura Hollenbach, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, accepted the $20,000 grant.
• Road Map for Arkansas Rural Geriatric Homebound Telehealth, a campaign by the UAMS Centers on Aging that addresses health disparities among homebound older adults and their caregivers in Arkansas. AmyLeigh Overton-McCoy, Ph.D., APRN, director of the UAMS Centers on Aging, accepted the $16,000 grant.
• Scholarships for the UAMS College of Pharmacy that will honor the Classes of 2020 and 2021.The $25,000 grant was accepted by Cindy Stowe, Pharm. D., dean of the College of Pharmacy, and Ashok Philip, Ph.D., the college’s associate dean for Student Services.
• The High Reliability Recognition System, a program that tracks zero harm events, such as patient falls, pressure injuries or hospital acquired infections, with the goal of decreasing and eliminating these incidents. The $25,000 grant was accepted by Trenda Ray, Ph.D., RN, chief nursing officer and associate vice chancellor for patient care services for UAMS Health, and Tim Copeland, director of quality management for the Integrated Clinical Enterprise.
• The Statewide Image Repository Emerging Needs in expanding the Trauma Image Repository, a digital platform for sharing images associated with trauma among medical facilities in Arkansas and bordering states, to include non-trauma image transfers. Lori Berry, MNSc, RN, director of operations for the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation’s stroke program, accepted the $50,000 grant.
• The launch of two workplace culture initiatives to improve onboarding experiences and fund internal coaches, scaling up coaching as a resource for employees. Sheridan Richards, M.Div., senior director of organizational development, accepted the $50,000 grant.
• The Center for Nursing Excellence to support nurses with continuing education, professional development, career advancement and recognition. Rebekah Thacker, MNSc, nursing director of Research, Excellence and Magnet, accepted the $25,000 grant.
• The extension of the nursing support program’s wellness retreat offerings to all UAMS employees. Natalie Cannady, M.Ed., director of wellness in the UAMS Division of People and Culture, accepted the $20,000 grant.
• Building Bridges, a program that supports physical therapy students in identifying quality clinical rotations. Andy Glidewell, DPT, ATC, OCS, physical therapist with UAMS Health Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, accepted the $25,000 grant.
• The UAMS Solid Organ Transplant team’s health literacy workgroup to identify and address barriers to optimal clinical outcomes for transplant patients. Pharmacy specialists Amy White, Pharm.D., and Darby Derringer, Pharm.D., accepted the $20,000 grant.
• The UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation’s TeleSANE program to utilize digital health to connect facility site clinicians to consultants specifically trained in caring for patients who have experienced a sexual assault. Sherrie Searcy, project director for the sexual assault assessment program, accepted the $5,000 grant.
• The Pulaski County Regional Crisis Stabilization Unit and the Northwest Crisis Stabilization Unit to fund upgrades to the units’ facilities. Lisa Evans, Ph.D., clinical psychologist with the Psychiatric Research Institute, accepted the $10,000 grant.

“It is truly amazing to look back over the history of the Chancellor’s Circle — each of our chancellors have utilized these funds to move the UAMS mission forward.” said

John Erck, vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement. “For each of us here this evening, and those of us who are Chancellor’s Circle members, we are able to feel a part of true excellence in health care, research, education and patient care.”

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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