UAMS’ Gehring Named Fellow of American Society for Healthcare Engineering

By todd

LITTLE ROCK – Leo Gehring, vice chancellor for campus operations at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), has been designated a fellow of the American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), the highest professional designation from the organization.


 


The designation is awarded for excellence in education, leadership and advancement of the body of knowledge of health care engineering, the organization said in a letter announcing the selection. Just 102 members of the organization have been named fellows.


 


Gehring, who served as president of the society in 2007, was credited with leading the group during a period of “unprecedented” growth in membership. “His vision of excellence, for every patient, in every bed, in every hospital in America has led to a strategic focus on developing young and new health care professionals to build and manage the healing environments of tomorrow,” said the letter from the ASHE.


 


The ASHE represents more than 8,400 facilities managers, engineers, clinical engineering/medical equipment managers, and professionals in the fields of health care design, construction and safety. Members provide expert opinions on proposed revisions to existing codes and formation of new codes and work for repeal of obsolete standards and the adoption of evidence-based standards.


 


A member of ASHE since 1987, Gehring has served on several committees, including facilities management, planning, design and construction, advocacy, and editorial and publications. In 2003 he achieved Senior Member Status (SASHE) and in 2001 he became a Certified Healthcare Facility Manger (CHFM). He also served as an ASHE board member from 2001 to 2003.


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,538 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is one of the state’s largest public employers with about 9,600 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $5 billion a year. For more information, visit www.uams.edu.