The College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has graduated 11,170 physicians since 1879 and trained thousands of resident and fellow physicians across the spectrum of medical specialties. As part of the state’s only health sciences university and UAMS Health, the college prepares physicians and scientists to transform health in Arkansas and make their mark around the world.
Our Mission
To improve health and increase knowledge through innovative teaching, groundbreaking research, state-of-the-art patient care and outstanding service to Arkansas, the nation and the world.
Core Values
Integrity | Respect | Teamwork | Creativity | Excellence | Safety
Clinical Departments
- Anesthesiology
- Dermatology
- Geriatrics
- Emergency Medicine
- Family & Preventive Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Medical Humanities and Bioethics
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
- Pathology
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Radiation Oncology
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Urology
Many departments have multiple divisions for clinical subspecialties, research activities and academic programs.
Basic Science Departments
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Biomedical Informatics
- Biostatistics
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Physiology and Cell Biology
Education
- Arkansas’ only comprehensive health sciences university.
- Approximately 700 medical students on two campuses – Little Rock and Fayetteville. Freshman enrollment is 175.
- Consistently in the top 10% of medical schools for retaining graduates in state and producing physicians who choose to practice primary care and in rural and underserved areas.
- In addition to the traditional four-year degree, a three-year accelerated M.D. degree track is available at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus for highly qualified students who plan to practice primary care.
- Student-centered active-learning curriculum fosters critical thinking.
- Seven Academic Houses provide academic and career advising and support, peer mentoring and a greater sense of community for students.
- More than 65 ACGME-accredited residency and fellowship programs with about 700 residents/fellows within the COM. Approximately 150 additional family medicine residents and two sports medicine fellows train at seven of the UAMS Regional Campuses, where the faculty have COM appointments.
- Medical Scholars in Public Health post-baccalaureate program, a partnership of the UAMS colleges of Medicine, Public Health and Pharmacy, launched in 2021. Students work toward a Masters in Public Health while preparing for future application and admission to medical school.
Patient Care
At UAMS in FY 2024, faculty physicians oversaw:
21,061 inpatients
512,335 clinic visits
22,091 surgical cases
61,719 Emergency Department cases
135,793 patients at UAMS Regional Centers
We are part of UAMS Health, a statewide health system. Faculty physicians provide care to patients at UAMS’ main and regional campuses and clinics, Arkansas Children’s, Arkansas State Hospital, Baptist Health and much of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.
Research
- Faculty researchers are recognized for excellence in many areas including cancer, cardiovascular disease, muscle and bone health, infectious disease, mental health illnesses and biomedical informatics.
- $174.2 million in external grant funding was awarded to UAMS (more than two-thirds to the College of Medicine) in FY 2024.
- The UAMS Translational Research Institute, supported by a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Institutes of Health, accelerates research that improves health and health care.
- With more than 25 years of integrated clinical and research excellence, the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute offers novel therapy approaches that are continually improving survival rates.
- Arkansas INBRE (IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence), funded by the NIH, supports mentorship-focused biomedical research for undergraduate college students and faculty in Arkansas.
- UAMS is the institutional member and administrative home of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, a research consortium dedicated to improving the health of Arkansans.
Statewide Reach
- UAMS has provided outstanding primary care and education around the state since 1973, and with continuous federal grant funding since 1986, at what were originally Area Health Education Centers. Today, 9 Regional Campuses are integral to our clinical, educatin and research missions.
- UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation is working to eliminate health disparities in Arkansas and beyond. Using digital health and health care innovations that embrace technology, the institute is improving access to and the quality of clinical care,education and research
- UAMS is home to Arkansas’ only adult Level 1 Trauma Center. Our faculty were leaders in developing the statewide trauma system.
- UAMS was the first certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in the state. The UAMS Stroke Program connects rural emergency departments with trained neurologists via telemedicine for life-saving diagnosis and treatment.
- Seven regional Centers on Aging, overseen by the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, provide education, specialized care and other services for older Arkansans and their families.
Number of graduates updated June 2025