View Larger Image Cam Patterson and 2021 MVPs
Chancellor Cam Patterson, back row center, at a luncheon handed out awards at to 2020-2021 MVPs Keira Webb, left, Camille Hart, Deb Hutts, Alex Morris, Rose Fahrquhar, Adam Carter, Sharon Martin, Shaun Jenkins and Joseph Woodall. Image by Evan Lewis

UAMS Celebrates MVP Awardees at Second Annual Luncheon

By Ben Boulden

| Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, at a July 28 luncheon thanked and praised UAMS employees who in the last 12 months won an MVP award and whose contributions in earlier years might have gone largely unsung.

“When we started this program two years ago, we wanted a way to recognize those employees that truly went above and beyond their job duties, but our MVPs this year have completely blown us away,” Patterson said.

Cam Patterson at the awards luncheon

Chancellor Cam Patterson speaks at the MVP Awards luncheon.Image by Evan Lewis

This year, some of the awardees excelled in temporary positions they held during the early months of the pandemic and for which they weren’t originally hired.

Patterson named each awardee, described each of their contributions and then presented them with a framed award certificate.

Listed by name, month of award, department and job, the honorees for 2020-2021 were:

  • Alex Morris, August 2020, Northeast Regional Campus, access coordinator.
  • Adam Carter, September 2020, temporarily redeployed to UAMS/Little Rock School District Day Camp, Fitness Center, manager.
  • Shaun Jenkins, October 2020, temporarily redeployed to a screening station, nuclear medicine technologist.
  • Keira Webb, November 2020, temporarily Environmental Services, housekeeper, Hospitality Services.
  • Deb Hutts, December 2020, COVID Triage Unit, clinical service manager.
  • Sharon Martin, January 2021, Translational Research Institute and UAMS East Regional Campus, research coordinator.
  • Joseph Woodall, March 2021, Unified Communication Department, senior systems administrator.
  • Rose Farquhar, April 2021, Internal Medicine Clinic, social worker.
  • Lisa Lack, May 2021, Medical College Physicians Group, Medicare specialty billing manager.
  • Camille Hart, June 2021, College of Public Health Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, program manager.

          *List includes employees who still are at UAMS.

Awardees are nominated for the honor by their co-workers. The MVP award recognizes an employee who is polite, friendly, respectful, considerate, positive, kind and demonstrates outstanding service in support of UAMS’ mission.

A seven-member selection committee reviews the nominations and selects each month’s MVP independently of university leadership. Every month, the committee reads the nominations and selects one awardee who exceeds their job duties and in the course of their work displays the values of UAMS.

Each MVP has their photo displayed on the employee appreciation wall near the chancellor’s office, enjoys free parking for a month, is featured in the chancellor’s monthly video, is given a monetary award, recognized at the Chancellor’s Cabinet Meeting, receives a bag of small gifts and is honored at a year-end luncheon. This year at the luncheon each awardee was presented with a glass trophy.

“I want to thank each of you one more time for your hard work and dedication to UAMS, our patients and your co-workers,” Patterson said. “You are an inspiration, and I am so glad you are a part of Team UAMS.”

Do you know someone that should be our next MVP? Nominate them here.