• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Choose which site to search.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College of Medicine
  • UAMS Health
  • Jobs
  • Giving
  • About Us
    • Fast Facts
    • Leadership
    • Features
    • COMmunication Newsletter
    • Maps and Directions
    • College of Medicine History
    • Professionalism Guidelines
  • Departments
  • Admissions
    • New Admissions Standards 2026
    • Applicant Guide and Timeline
    • One Medical School, Two Campuses
    • Freshman Scholarships
    • AMCAS Choose Your Medical School Tool Dates
    • Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students
    • Three-Year M.D. Program
    • M.D./MPH Program
    • M.D./Ph.D. Program
    • M.D./MBA Program
    • Rural Practice Programs
      • Community Match Rural Physician Recruitment Program
      • Rural Practice Scholarship Program
      • Rural Recruitment and Job Opportunities
    • Postbaccalaureate Pre-Med Program
    • Transfer Students Policy
  • Students
    • Academic Calendar
    • Academic Houses
    • Career Advising
    • Financial Aid and Scholarships
    • Visiting Students
    • Mentor Spotlight Podcast
    • Preparing for Residency
    • Non-Discrimination Statement
    • Outstanding Teacher Nominations
    • Parents Club
    • Student Links
    • Honors in Research
    • UAMS Campus Security
    • Undergraduate Medical Education Competencies
  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Alumni
  • Faculty Affairs
  • Research
  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. College of Medicine
  3. Annual College of Medicine Tour Draws Potential Future Doctors to UAMS

Annual College of Medicine Tour Draws Potential Future Doctors to UAMS

The 120 premedical students from colleges across Arkansas who came to UAMS for tours and information sessions on March 8 were asked a vital question by Richard P. Wheeler, M.D., executive vice chancellor for academic affairs in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine.

“Why do you want to become a physician?”

Wheeler’s aim during the opening session in the I. Dodd Wilson Education Building was for the students to dig deeper than the often-heard declaration of “wanting to help people.” Being a doctor, he explained, is about more than diagnosing diseases and conducting procedures to treat conditions.

Group of med students and college students eating lunch
Visiting college students and UAMS medical students talk about medical school and their experiences at UAMS over lunch.

“The answer should be that you want to take away their fear,” Wheeler said. “I’m talking about the deep, visceral fear that comes when there is something wrong with you that you don’t understand.”

Doctors, he explained, alleviate fear by providing answers when possible – and by being unfailingly compassionate.

Wheeler discussed benefits of attending medical school at UAMS, where the College of Medicine has been educating the vast majority of the state’s physicians since 1879. He noted the campus’ topnotch clinical, research and education facilities, robust research enterprise and dedicated educators. He also discussed opportunities for medical students to participate in research and even pursue dual medical and doctorate degrees.

The day-long annual event is organized by the College of Medicine Admissions Office. The team includes Tom South, assistant dean for medical student admissions, Jeanne McLachlin, Ph.D., director of admissions and recruitment, and Tammy Henson, admissions specialist/Rural Practice Program administrator.

About a dozen visitors with 2 medical students
Visiting premed students and advisers embark on one of 14 tours with medical student volunteer tour guides. Almost 30 faculty and staff members met with students on the tours.

“Our goal is to recruit the very best students to UAMS and the College of Medicine,” said McLachlin. “We want the best doctors for our state, and great doctors start out as great students. The annual premed tour gives many of Arkansas’ most promising college students their first on-the-ground look at UAMS and some of the many educational, research and clinical opportunities we offer.”

It was also an opportunity for the visiting students to ask questions – and nearly 30 faculty and staff members and 40-plus medical students were on hand to supply answers. College of Medicine students met with visiting students in small groups during lunch, which concluded with a panel discussion. Students met faculty physicians and researchers on 14 small-group tours:

Biomedical Research Buildings

Center for Clinical Skills Education

Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute

Main Operating Room and Outpatient Surgery

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Neurology Research

Pat Tank Anatomy Teaching Complex

Psychiatric Research Institute

Brain Imaging Research Center

Center for Addiction Research

Perinatal Psychiatry

Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

Radiation Oncology Center

Simulation Center

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

On the Center for Addiction Research tour, three University of Arkansas Fayetteville students and two from Central Baptist College in Conway visited with Department of Psychiatry faculty physicians John Spollen, M.D., and Michael Mancino, M.D. Third-year medical student Morgan Tripod was their tour guide. Conversation ranged from addiction treatment and the opioid crisis to what to expect during the medical student interview process.

The visiting students also gained assurance from their hosts that medical school at UAMS is much more collegial than cutthroat. Spollen and Mancino emphasized that the faculty and staff are dedicated to making sure students succeed.

The visitors also heard that medical students also look out for one another. “We’re all in this together,” said Tripod.

Visiting students said they appreciated the tours and information sessions. “The conversations with medical students were open and engaging,” a Williams Baptist University (Walnut Ridge) student commented on a post-event survey.

“I loved hearing about research opportunities at UAMS,” wrote a University of Arkansas Fayetteville student.

“I enjoyed learning so much about UAMS and the different departments,” said another visiting student.

Posted by Chris Lesher on March 25, 2019

Filed Under: News

UAMS College of Medicine LogoUAMS College of MedicineUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 296-1100
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

© 2025 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences