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From left, Steven Webber, M.D., Sam R. Dalvi, M.D., Eleanor A. Lipsmeyer, M.D., and Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA. Image by Bryan Clifton

UAMS Invests Sam R. Dalvi, M.D., in Eleanor A. Lipsmeyer, M.D., Endowed Professorship in Rheumatology

Sept. 27, 2024 | LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine invested Sam R. Dalvi, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology in the Department of Internal Medicine, in the Eleanor A. Lipsmeyer, M.D., Endowed Professorship in Rheumatology during a Sept. 23 ceremony.

“When I came to UAMS, I outlined a vision that the Division of Rheumatology would be the premier program in the south-central United States in the next 10 years,” said Dalvi, who also serves as the director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program. “In my mission statement I said that we’re going to transform the care of patients through cutting-edge therapies and developing a team-based approach for all of our patients, and thanks to the Lipsmeyer Professorship we are well on our way to fulfilling these goals.”

Dalvi, who joined UAMS in 2024, is board-certified in rheumatology and internal medicine, and specializes in arthritic diseases, including osteoarthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

“Endowed chairs and professorships are the highest honors of academic excellence that a university can bestow upon its faculty.  Dr. Dalvi is extremely worthy of this distinction, and we are happy to honor him today,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “We are also here to honor Dr. Lipsmeyer, and all the people who contributed to establishing this professorship.”

An endowed professorship is established with a minimum of $500,000. It is a visionary investment by philanthropic donors that creates a powerful legacy of leadership to support the educational, research and clinical activities of its holder, who will lead future innovations in medicine and health care. Those named to a professorship are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields of expertise.

The professorship honors Eleanor A. Lipsmeyer, M.D., a longtime UAMS physician and faculty member in the Division of Rheumatology. Lipsmeyer received her medical degree from UAMS in 1962 and stayed for her residency in internal medicine. After completing her training at Yale University, she returned to UAMS in 1969, joining the faculty as assistant professor. Over the next five decades, she was promoted through the academic ranks, serving as professor until her retirement in 2015.

“Chairs and professorships are a very prestigious honor, but also they help recruit and retain clinicians, educators and scientists to UAMS,” said Steven Webber, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine and UAMS executive vice chancellor. “Just as importantly, they support the vital work and vision of the faculty member who holds them in our mission at UAMS. It is a great pleasure to pay tribute to Dr. Dalvi, and we are happy that our college was able to recruit him to UAMS to lead the Division of Rheumatology and the Rheumatology Fellowship Program.”

Dalvi received his Bachelor of Science in molecular biology and Bachelor of Arts in history from Auburn University in Alabama and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He then attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, where he received his medical degree in 2005. He completed his residency in internal medicine at UAB in 2008. After completing his residency, Dalvi worked as a hospitalist for various hospitals in New York City and took courses at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Dalvi completed a fellowship in rheumatology at the NYU Langone Medical Center in 2012.

In 2012, he joined the faculty as an assistant professor in the Division of Rheumatology at Duke Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. While at Duke, he co-led the Lupus Clinic and was chosen to participate in the Duke Faculty Development Academy, Education Scholars Branch. In 2015, he returned to Birmingham to join the Division of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology at UAB. While there, he served as clinical course director for the musculoskeletal module for preclinical medical students, as a clinical skills scholar for the introduction to clinical medicine course, and as a learning communities’ mentor for students. Further, he served as the division leader for digital health services and worked to expand rheumatologic services using this delivery model to rural areas of Alabama. He also initiated the virtual scribe program within the division, an initiative that led to significant improvement in physician well-being as well as increased productivity among faculty.

“We are very happy to have Sam join our faculty, and in a very short time he has already established himself as one of the more admired and liked rheumatologists, so it is clear that I have great expectations for him,” said Edward T.H. Yeh, M.D., FACC, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. “I hope to see Sam stay here for a long time and develop the Division of Rheumatology into an even greater program, following in the footsteps of Dr. Lipsmeyer.”

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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