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Leadership strategist and consultant Tish Bullard talks to UAMS students about how to build their personal brand in health care.
Image by Chris Carmody
UAMS Seminar Shows Students How to Build Reputations in Health Care
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) welcomed leadership strategist and consultant Tish Bullard, Ph.D., for a March 6 seminar that taught students how to build their personal brand based on hard work and consistency.
The seminar was the second of three events in the Spring 2026 Career Development Series organized by UAMS Academic Pathways and Workforce Partnerships and the UAMS Graduate School.
Bullard opened by telling the students that they have proved their intelligence and capability throughout their time at UAMS. However, those qualities alone aren’t enough to open doors to all the clinical, research, and leadership opportunities they would like to experience during their careers, she said.
“In health care settings, most of the people you’ll encounter are smart,” she said. “What sets you apart is your personal branding — how people experience working with you.”
Bullard said personal branding doesn’t require self-promotion or the creation of a fake persona; it’s about the day-to-day actions that demonstrate a person’s reliability.
“Your brand is who you are as a professional,” she said.
Bullard outlined several pillars of brand building, including clarity of purpose, credibility through preparation and professionalism, communication with colleagues and patients, and contributions that exceed expectations. She noted that consistency is the pillar that ensures a person’s brand will stand the test of time.
“There’s always someone watching you in the workplace,” she said. “Think about how reliable and respectful you are toward your peers, your colleagues, and your patients. That is how you build your professional reputation.”
Bullard also encouraged the students to engage with their colleagues in health care through research presentations, professional organizations, and networking events. She led them through an exercise in which they prepared short introductions that can help them highlight their academic and professional credentials during interactions with their peers.
Latrina Prince, Ed.D., the Graduate School’s associate dean for academic affairs, said Bullard showed the students that they have the tools they’ll need to be successful in the health care field.
“Dr. Bullard’s seminar was very engaging and reminded students of the importance of being confident,” she said. “There was definitely a positive energy in the room.”
Each session of the Career Development Series is designed to support students’ professional growth and help them prepare for life beyond the classroom. The series began Feb. 20 with a seminar on tax preparation for students and graduates.
The final event, scheduled for March 20, is a resume-building workshop featuring a representative from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Career Services department.
Patrice Storey, Ph.D., director of student, postgraduate, faculty, and staff engagement for UAMS Academic Pathways and Workforce Partnerships, said the series highlights the importance of preparing the next generation of health care leaders not only through academic training but also through intentional professional development.
“Career development programming helps our students and trainees cultivate professional identity, strengthen communication and leadership skills, and better understand how they are perceived in professional spaces,” she said.