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Pictured with Cam Patterson (right) and the Rampy MS Research Foundation relay team, Jo and Scott Rampy present Lee Archer with the relay baton containing the check. Image by Bryan Clifton

Rampy Foundation Relays $50,000+ Donation to UAMS Department of Neurology for MS Research

Nov. 29, 2022 | LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Neurology in the College of Medicine received more than $50,000 for multiple sclerosis research from the Rampy MS Research Foundation during a Nov. 29 ceremony.

Jo and Scott Rampy, along with other runners and walkers, relayed a check from Bentonville to Little Rock. The run was organized for the foundation’s Giving Tuesday fundraising efforts. The foundation made an initial pledge of $25,000 to UAMS, with donations made during the run added to the total amount.

“Thanks to generous UAMS supporters like Jo and Scott, and the runners and walkers who helped bring the check here today, our exceptional team of neurologists are able to advance the important work that allows the clinic to continue to tailor care to the individualized struggles of treating MS,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “We are truly inspired by the dedication of the Rampy Foundation to support critical research, helping to improve the lives of so many people with MS.”

The check was presented to Patterson and Robert L. “Lee” Archer, M.D., chairman of the Department of Neurology.

“UAMS has enjoyed a great relationship with the Rampy Foundation, and we are very thankful that we can always count on the generosity and passion of the Rampys,” said Archer. “Their steadfast support of MS research at UAMS has helped fund resources such as a neuroimmunology fellowship and the creation of a lab.”

It was Jo Rampy’s diagnosis with MS that was the catalyst for the Rampy’s advocacy for MS research, and the creation of the Rampy MS Research Foundation in 2012. The foundation organizes several fundraisers, including its premier event Trifest for MS, an annual triathlon in Bentonville. In addition to UAMS, the foundation has donated to Northwestern University in Chicago and University of California, San Francisco. Since its creation, the foundation has raised close to $900,000.

“The Rampy Foundation’s primary focus is to help provide the resources that are critical in conducting MS research, so that the talented researchers at UAMS can focus on their work in the lab,” said Scott Rampy, president and chief advancement officer for the Rampy MS Research Foundation. “It’s very inspiring to see the runners, doctors and researchers together today — it’s a reminder that we are on the same team when it comes to fighting multiple sclerosis.”

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 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 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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