Cathy Cole and Denton Seilhan Pledge $1 Million to Create Endowed Chair for Child and Family Resilience at UAMS
| LITTLE ROCK — Cathy Cole and Denton Seilhan pledged $1 million to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to establish the Cathy Cole Seilhan and Denton Seilhan Endowed Chair for Child and Family Resilience in the College of Medicine’s Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.
“I want to thank the Seilhans for their visionary gift to UAMS that establishes the Cathy Cole Seilhan and Denton Seilhan Endowed Chair for Child and Family Resilience,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “With the assistance of these funds, we will be able to help many children throughout our state who have experienced trauma and mental health issues.”
The gift was made in honor of Nikki Edge, Ph.D., professor and vice chair for research in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and director of the department’s Research and Evaluation Division, who will be invested in the chair later this year.
An endowed chair is established with gifts of at least $1 million, which are invested and the interest proceeds used to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chair holder. Those named to a chair are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields.
“The babies of today will control the future of the world and they will drive not only the economic future but more importantly the health of the population and the earth for humanity,” said Denton Seilhan. “It is this group that are witnessing trauma at unprecedented levels and while many are working on prevention, Dr. Nikki Edge is working on both prevention and ways to minimize the impact of trauma in the very young. We believe her work will provide the understanding and the means to lessen not only the amount of induced trauma but practical measures to minimize the impact of the trauma in later years.”
“In 2020, I volunteered to be a convener on an early childhood task force, and we utilized a paper written by Dr. Lorraine McKelvey describing the state of well-being of the caregivers of young children in Arkansas,” added Cathy Cole Seilhan. “Our leaders invited Dr. Nikki Edge to help us navigate the basics of early brain development through the interplay of the young child and the adults in their lives. I saw that Dr. Edge had the ability to translate research into action for parents, caregivers, teachers and policy makers so that children, especially in a very high needs state, are given protective factors that can help mitigate the effects of the adverse childhood experiences many of our youngest citizens will live through. Through Dr. Edge’s research and outreach, more children in Arkansas can lead happy and productive lives.”
Nearly one-fourth of Arkansas children has experienced at least one potentially traumatic event, such as witnessing domestic violence, experiencing abuse or neglect, or living with parental substance abuse or mental illness. The elevated presence of adverse behavioral health conditions, the third highest in the nation, among Arkansas’ children demonstrate the impact of potentially traumatic events during childhood.
“Research shows that trauma can have a major impact on children, increasing the risk of outcomes like developmental delays, physical and mental health concerns and challenges with emotions and behavior,” said Edge. “However, we also know that positive experiences with supportive relationships and nurturing environments, created by caring adults like parents, teachers, and neighbors, can help build resilience. Resilience is a combination of attributes, experiences and skills that allow children to overcome adversity and thrive despite difficult circumstances. We can’t always stop bad things from happening to children we care about, but we can help them build skills for coping and give them support to bounce back.”
For many years, the Seilhans have been champions of Arkansas children. Since making Arkansas their home, the Seilhan family has consistently dedicated their time and resources to improving the lives of the state’s most vulnerable citizens and children. Cathy Cole Seilhan, drawing from her experience as an educator, and Denton Seilhan, as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer, understand how family and environmental factors are linked with poor health, growth and psychosocial development. Their desire to see every child in Arkansas have the opportunity to thrive motivates this generous gift.
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.###