Penni and Richard F. Jacobs, M.D., Gift $1 Million to Support Scholarships in UAMS College of Medicine
| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received a $1 million estate gift from Penni and Richard F. Jacobs, M.D., professor emeritus and former chair of the UAMS Department of Pediatrics, to create the Richard and Margaret Revocable Trust to support the UAMS College of Medicine’s scholarship program.
The trust, which will become the Robert F. Jacobs Trust once the estate funds are received by UAMS, will establish the Richard F. Jacobs, M.D., Endowed Scholarship in the UAMS College of Medicine, support the College of Medicine Class of 1977 Scholarship, and aid the UAMS Pediatrics Scholarship Initiative.
“Something that truly makes UAMS special is the continued support we receive from those who we consider part of our UAMS family — Penni and Dick Jacobs certainly embody this sentiment, possessing great leadership, and sincere generosity, which will support so many within our institution,” said UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D. “Scholarships are becoming an ever-increasing important tool in supporting healthcare in Arkansas, and I am pleased to see many of our former colleagues and alumni understand the importance of philanthropy in creating future doctors at UAMS.”
The Richard F. Jacobs, M.D., Endowed Scholarship will support College of Medicine students in alignment with the greatest needs and opportunities for scholarships at UAMS with preference to support one student for multiple years.
The Pediatrics Scholarship Initiative is a UAMS program that awards fourth-year medical students who are pursuing careers in pediatric care with an initial $5,000 scholarship, and an additional award for College of Medicine graduates who match with and train in the UAMS Pediatrics Residency Program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). With the growth of the fund, the awards will increase.
“It was a great pleasure, a truly wonderful experience, to work in the Department of Pediatrics, not only in teaching future doctors and guiding young physicians, but doing all of it while caring for children,” said Richard Jacobs. “It also just makes sense to us to give these students a little incentive to study medicine at UAMS, and hopefully they will stay in Arkansas to practice.”
“Because of our relationship with UAMS, we’ve had very meaningful and rewarding lives, and it is out of this sense of gratitude that we felt compelled to support the future of UAMS,” added Penni Jacobs. “What a wonderful thing to do, to make such a big difference in the lives of these students.”
Richard Jacobs grew up in Longview, Texas, and Penni Jacobs in Little Rock. They met while attending Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and were married in 1973. He graduated from the UAMS College of Medicine in 1977, and she finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Richard Jacobs joined the UAMS Department of Pediatrics in 1982, caring for patients at UAMS and ACH. He became chief of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases section in 1989. He was the Horace C. Cabe Professor of Pediatrics at ACH from 1993 to 2005. Jacobs became chair of pediatrics in 2006 and was invested in the Robert H. Fiser Jr., M.D., Endowed Chair in Pediatrics in 2008. He served as president of the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute from 2004 to 2015. In 2016, he received the College of Medicine’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. He retired in 2017.
“I’ve known Penni and Dick for many years, and I understand how deeply they care for UAMS, the education of young people, and the well-being of children,” said Ron D. Robertson, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine. “This gift is especially meaningful to me considering that I was a colleague with Dr. Jacobs for many years, seeing first-hand his professionalism and thoughtfulness. It must be inspiring to know that a place you’ve dedicated so much time and cared for so many people will live on through the education and care of others.”
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospitals in Little Rock and Bryant; an orthopaedic 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, including partnering hospitals in Pine Bluff, Helena-West Helena, Mena, and Warren. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,813 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.###