UAMS Celebrates Opening of Multiple Sclerosis Clinic in Fayetteville
| FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 18 to celebrate the opening of the UAMS Health MS Clinic, located at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville.
“UAMS is committed to expanding specialized care throughout the state, and with the opening of the new multiple sclerosis clinic, people in Northwest Arkansas living with MS can now receive treatment from neurologists who specialize in that disease — without leaving the region,” said UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D. “I am also inspired by the efforts that have made this clinic possible, especially through the professional guidance of Dr. Rohit Dhall and Dr. Lee Archer, and through the philanthropy of Jo and Scott Rampy.”
Located at 1125 N. College Ave., the clinic will be under the supervision of Robert “Lee” Archer, M.D., professor of neurology in the UAMS Department of Neurology.
“In the UAMS Department of Neurology, we have some of the foremost experts in treating neurological disorders such as MS, and leading this clinic is Dr. Lee Archer,” said Rohit Dhall, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurology. “Further, in our mission to deliver high-quality care and advance MS research, we have had steadfast support from the Rampy MS Research Foundation, under the leadership and bravery of Jo and Scott Rampy. We are honored and grateful for their continued commitment towards UAMS’ research and treatment of MS.”
The Rampy Multiple Sclerosis Research Foundation, created by Jo and Scott Rampy, made a $100,000 gift to the UAMS Department of Neurology to help open the clinic. The funds for the gift were raised through the nonprofit’s nationwide network of supporters.
“I am very thankful to the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus staff for all their diligent work getting the clinic up and running, ensuring we are able to provide world-class care,” said Ryan Cork, MSHA, vice chancellor for the Northwest Arkansas Region. “This is an exciting development for the Northwest Arkansas community, and we are very grateful for partners like the Rampy Foundation.”
It was Jo Rampy’s diagnosis with MS that was the catalyst for the couple’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, Arkansas, and the annual Run the Check event in which runners and walkers raise money while relaying a donation check from Bentonville to Little Rock. 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 over $1 million.
“We are beyond excited by the opening of this clinic because it is a goal of the Rampy Foundation to create better accessibility for MS patients, and this opening certainly strengthens the statewide network of MS clinical care,” said Scott Rampy, president and chief advancement officer for the Rampy MS Research Foundation. “Also, we don’t consider the clinic a conclusion of our efforts, we believe it is a step that accelerates MS research and clinical care in Arkansas and beyond.”
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 seven 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, 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 3,553 students and 1,030 medical residents and fellows, and two dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 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.###