Susan Long, Ed.D., Named Dean of UAMS College of Health Professions
| June 7, 2018 | Longtime educator and administrator Susan Long, Ed.D., has been named dean of the College of Health Professions at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
Long, a UAMS faculty member since 1992, had been serving as interim dean since the retirement of Douglas L. Murphy, Ph.D., on Dec. 31, 2017. She has also been associate dean for academic affairs since 2012, which she continued while serving as interim dean.
“Susan has proved herself a dedicated leader in the College of Health Professions, and I believe she will accomplish great things as dean of the college,” said Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost.
“UAMS is incredibly important to me and to Arkansas,” said Long. “I am honored to be selected as dean of the College of Health Professions, and I look forward to leading the college as we educate the allied health professionals of tomorrow.”
The college offers programs that provide education, service and research in the allied health professions. Educational programs include Audiology and Speech Pathology, Dental-General Practice Residency, Dental Hygiene, Dietetics and Nutrition, Emergency Medical Sciences, Genetic Counseling, Health Information Management, Imaging and Radiation Sciences (Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences, Radiologic Imaging Sciences), Laboratory Sciences (Cytotechnology, Medical Laboratory Sciences), Occupational Therapy, Ophthalmic Technologies, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, and Respiratory and Surgical Technologies.
Long joined the UAMS faculty in 1992 as an assistant professor in the college’s dental hygiene program, where she is now a professor. In addition to associate dean for academic affairs in the college, she has been serving as associate director of clinical programs in the UAMS Center for Dental Education. She was appointed an inaugural professor in the Clinton School of Public Service for her contribution to the development of the curriculum for the Master of Public Service degree.
She completed her undergraduate training at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, in 1986. She received a master’s degree from the University of North Florida in 1992, and in 1997 earned a doctoral degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
As associate dean, she has been responsible for the administrative leadership of the college’s academic affairs, including curriculum, new program development and approval, educational methods and technology, interprofessional education, regional and specialty accreditation, faculty development, and policy development and implementation. During her tenure, she has received nearly a total of $1.4 million for service projects in which she has collaborated, mostly in the area of oral health. In 2008, she was named a Public Health Hero by the Arkansas Department of Health in recognition of her work to increase access to oral health for the underserved.
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 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 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.
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