Arkansas Community Health and Education Foundation Awards Grant to Support UAMS Bone Fracture Laboratory
| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received a $99,990 grant from the Arkansas Community Health and Education Foundation to UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Physiology and Cell Biology.
The grant will support the department’s Bone Fracture Laboratory, which includes the purchase of a KUBTEC PARAMETER X‑ray System and software, delivering advanced high-resolution bone imaging to the musculoskeletal research community at UAMS.
“I am thankful for the generosity of the Arkansas Community Health and Education Foundation, an organization that has done so much for many communities across Arkansas,” said UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D. “I am also pleased to know that the state-of-the-art equipment purchased with these funds will support the work of multiple areas at UAMS.”
The Bone Fracture Laboratory is equipped with specialized equipment that evaluates bone strength and serves UAMS by performing research on diseases of bone, cartilage and muscle.
“To stay at the forefront of health care, UAMS needs to advance medical research and education,” said Ron D. Robertson, M.D., interim dean of the College of Medicine. “We are grateful for Arkansas Community Health and Education Foundation’s support of the College of Medicine.”
The Bone Fracture Laboratory is led by Teresita Bellido, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, and Sanja Novak, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department.
“Bone weakness due to aging, diabetes or cancer is prominent in Arkansas,” said Bellido. “The Bone Fracture Laboratory allows faculty and students to measure bone fragility in disease states and evaluate the effect of treatments on fracture healing in pre-clinical models.
“Musculoskeletal research has direct impact on patient care,” she added.
Established in 1976, the Arkansas Community Health and Education Foundation is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to creating stronger, more vibrant communities by helping individuals, families, civic groups and businesses financially support charitable causes throughout Arkansas. The organization’s mission is to engage people, inspire solutions and build Arkansas communities.
“The Arkansas Community Health and Education Foundation is dedicated to uplifting Arkansas communities through the advancement of worthwhile health care and education projects,” said Gus Blass, chair of the Arkansas Community Health and Education Foundation. “We could not do this without community and statewide partners such as UAMS, which has had a massive influence in the direction of health care and education in our state.”
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 eight 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, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation 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 1,015 medical residents and fellows. 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.###