Sept. 23, 2022 | Students and employees gathered in front of UAMS Medical Center to oppose disparities and structural racism in health care that adversely affect Black communities and to hear about efforts by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to provide equitable care for everyone.

The White Coats for Black Lives event was first held in 2020. Brian Gittens, Ed.D., noted that at the time of the inaugural gathering, the nation was grappling with high-profile killings of several Black men and women, and people from every corner of the country were protesting for social justice.

“It’s been two years, and there still remains a need for us to gather and talk about this important issue,” said Gittens, vice chancellor of the UAMS Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DDEI). “The global pandemic continues to provide examples of the lack of access to quality health care and of the structural racism experienced by many Black Americans who seek medical attention.”

Gloria Richard-Davis, M.D., MBA, executive director of DDEI, said the pandemic also highlighted that medical conditions such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes disproportionately affect Black Americans.

“This means that when COVID-19 hits them, it hits them harder,” she said. “COVID attacked a point of vulnerability in our society and placed all of us at risk. We are one community, and we must remember that health disparities continue to ravage our Black communities.”

Richard-Davis said historical experience has caused many Black Americans to mistrust the health care system, and it’s vital that medical providers work to gain that trust while pursuing equity for all.

“Let us not lose the lessons learned from COVID and all that 2020 has taught us,” she said. “May we all stand up and do better. We stand against racism. We must advocate for equity for all.”

Michelle Krause, M.D., MPH, interim CEO of the UAMS Medical Center and interim senior vice chancellor for UAMS Health, said many of UAMS’ key institutional and strategic initiatives focus on improving health outcomes for Black Arkansans, particularly where disparities exist.

One area of focus is on reducing maternal and infant mortality. Black women account for about 20% of births but are nearly twice as likely to die during childbirth or in the following year, Krause said. UAMS and its partners are taking steps to reduce the risk for these women, emphasizing the prevention and treatment of severe bleeding after childbirth, educating women on signs and symptoms of preeclampsia, and highlighting the importance of prenatal care.

Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief strategy officer, cited a 2020 declaration by the Association of American Medical Colleges that racism is antithetical to the oaths and responsibilities accepted by health professionals.

“As the state’s only health sciences university, we bear a responsibility to those we serve to acknowledge and speak out against racism, discrimination and bias,” she said.

UAMS’ strategic plan includes goals for enrollment reflecting the diversity of the state. Gardner said UAMS is committed to being an employer of choice for a diverse workforce, and it is engaging its academic, clinical and research enterprises to reduce disparities and break down barriers to health care in communities of color.

Rawle A. “Tony” Seupaul, M.D., chair of emergency medicine and vice dean for clinical affairs in the College of Medicine, said the state has immense disparities in health outcomes that hurt Arkansans in rural areas and those from underserved populations. “Access to health care shouldn’t depend on where you live or whether you fall into any of these groups,” he said.

Quincy Gragg, president of the Edith Irby Jones chapter of the Student National Medical Association, praised UAMS for providing the resources to connect minority students and make them feel comfortable, but he urged the university not to become complacent.

“Instead, I want UAMS to stay at the forefront of progressive thinking and to truly earn the claim of diversity being its superpower in both the hospital and the academic setting,” said Gragg, who is in his second year in the College of Medicine.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the pandemic revealed health care and financial disparities, but it also showed that Black lives matter. “We understand that during this time, in our city and our nation, that there are injustices,” he said. “And every industry, every community has a role to play to ensure that representation matters.

“I’m so grateful for the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts of UAMS, for you all truly leaning in where it matters,” Scott said.

Co-chairs of the committee that organized the event were Rebekah Thacker, MNSc., director of nursing research, excellence and magnet programs at UAMS; and Edward Williams, DMSc., M.Ed., chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and assistant professor in the College of Health Professions.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) ranks fourth among educational organizations nationally on an annual list of Best Employers for Diversity created by Forbes magazine. UAMS was also the highest ranked Arkansas company on the list, and the only one in the Top 100.

This is the second year UAMS has been selected for the list.

“One of the things I love most about UAMS is our diversity,” said Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA. “Diversity and inclusion aren’t just a catchphrase at UAMS – they are an integral part of our core values and are essential to our mission.”

The rankings are based on independent surveys of more than 60,000 people in workplaces of more than 1,000 employees. They include both direct and indirect recommendations and consider both diversity in executive leadership and institutional efforts to promote diversity in the workplace.

“I am proud to work at a place that truly values diversity,” said Brian Gittens, Ed.D., MPA, vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion. “A national ranking like this is a team effort, and UAMS’ commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident at all levels of our institution.”

Employees were asked to give their opinion on their employer’s general diversity as well as questions regarding age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability and LGBTQ+ issues.

“It is incredibly gratifying to be recognized for our commitment to employing a workforce that represents the people we serve,” said Danielle Lombard-Sims, Ph.D., vice chancellor and chief human resources officer.

The complete listing of Forbes Best Employers for Diversity and a full explanation of the methodology are available at forbes.com/lists/best-employers-diversity/.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) was named a 2022 Top Performer in the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index.

The survey is used to evaluate health care facilities and measure their support for the needs of LGBTQ+ patients and employees. UAMS, which was named a Top Performer in 2020 as well, currently holds a rating of 95 out of 100 in the index. That score indicates that UAMS goes beyond the basics in its policies and practices in LGBTQ+ care.

Five criteria are measured to determine how inclusive a health care facility is: nondiscrimination and staff training; patient services and support; employee benefits and policies; patient and community engagement; and responsible citizenship.

Brian Gittens, Ed.D, MPA, vice chancellor of the UAMS Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said his employees work hard to ensure all Arkansans receive quality care, regardless of a patient’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

“UAMS is committed to creating an environment that exemplifies diversity — in our classrooms, in our workforce and in our clinical spaces,” Gittens said. “We believe that diversity goes hand-in-hand with health equity and by committing to diversity we can help reduce health disparities in Arkansas.”

The UAMS LGBTQ+ Subcommittee advocates for equitable health care services for students, employees and patients. It promotes a welcoming campus climate by increasing inclusion, awareness and education for the LGBTQ+ community. The group has worked to add pronoun placards to nametags and advocated for unisex bathrooms across the campus.

The campus is also home to a Gender Clinic, which provides surgical and hormonal treatment to transgender and gender-nonconforming patients. Additionally, the UAMS 12^th Street Health and Wellness Clinic hosts Rainbow Night monthly to provide safe, free, nonjudgmental care for LGBTQ+ patients.

“Our recognition speaks to the quality of care we provide at UAMS,” Gittens said. “We always strive to do our best and will continue to push for equality and inclusivity.”

Oct. 18, 2021 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has received the 2021 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

As a recipient of the annual award, UAMS will be featured along with 50 other recipients in the December 2021 issue of the magazine. The national honor recognizes health colleges and universities in the United States that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“It is the mandate of UAMS to care for the entire state, and it is likewise the mandate of equity that we offer our programs to all Arkansans,” said Brian Gittens, Ed.D., MPA, UAMS vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion.

“I’ve been pleased to see the tremendous geographic expansion of so many of our efforts,” Gittens said. “Our work to improve the climate and culture within UAMS continues to thrive, with grassroots subcommittees that include employees from throughout the institution who advise us on policy decisions that will create more equitable hiring, offer more opportunity for mentoring and research for minority scholars, and create a more welcoming environment that respects the identity of all individuals.”

UAMS was also named a Diversity Champion, which means it scored in the top tier of all HEED Award institutions.

In selecting recipients of the Health Professions HEED Award, the magazine rigorously reviews answers to questions about the recruitment and retention of students and employees, and best practices for both. It also considers answers related to continued leadership support for diversity and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion.

“We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a Health Professions HEED Award recipient,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of the magazine. “Our standards are high, and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across the campus.”

“Our work has earned us recognition as a 2021 Health Professions HEED award recipient and Diversity Champion, but work remains as we continue our efforts in accordance with the chancellor’s 2029 strategic plan,” Gittens said.

A list of all of the 2021 award recipients is available on the magazine’s website. 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 seven 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 and Institute for Digital 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 3,047 students, 873 medical residents and fellows, and six 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, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

Aug. 31, 2021 | FAYETTEVILLE – The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recently bestowed its top honor for community engagement to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement is presented annually to an AAMC-member medical school or teaching hospital with a long-standing, major institutional commitment to partnering with the community it serves to identify and address community needs. The Foreman Award highlights community engagement as an important element of the academic mission and singles out institutions that serve as exemplars of social responsiveness on the part of the academic medical community.

“We are honored and humbled to receive this prestigious recognition,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “For more than 140 years, UAMS has promoted a better state of health for all Arkansans. Community engagement is central to our mission of patient- and family-centered care, education and research.”

The Foreman Award honors institutions and their community partners that engage in bidirectional collaboration and shared leadership to advance the health and vitality of the community, its residents and the academic institution.

For its presentation to the AAMC, UAMS demonstrated its commitment to local communities through the development, implementation, evaluation and sustainment of educational, clinical and research programs that go well beyond the traditional service role of academic medicine. Participants in the UAMS presentation included UAMS leaders, faculty, staff and students, as well as representatives from local community organizations, including the consulate general of the Marshall Islands, which represents the largest population of Marshallese outside the Marshall Islands, the Marshallese Educational Initiative, and Rooted NWA.

“How the community experiences our intent is of the utmost importance,” said Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, vice chancellor of the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville and associate director of community outreach and engagement at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. “We value and rely on the local community’s wisdom and expertise to address community health needs.”

When asked to share his view of UAMS, Eldon Alik, consulate general for the Marshall Islands, remarked, “They don’t tell us what they are going to do; they ask us what they can do to help. UAMS, they’ve got it.”

Culturally diverse, Arkansas is home to many Latino, Marshallese and African-American families. As such, all UAMS programs seek to influence social determinants of health and reduce community-identified health disparities, such as diet and food insecurity. Community members are partners in the research and evaluation of every UAMS program.

In its evaluation of UAMS, the AAMC stated, “the impact of UAMS reverberates throughout its community and beyond.”

A community-based participatory approach is central to helping UAMS establish and maintain trusting relationships with the community. Administrators, faculty, students and community partners are collectively involved in projects to influence greater impact and service. The success of this approach is apparent through initiatives like the Gift of Sight, a student-suggested effort where the UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus and community partners volunteered their time to supply free cataract surgery for members of the Marshallese community affected by diabetes.

To train the next generation of physicians from a community-engaged lens, UAMS requires students to work on interprofessional teams in collaboration with community health workers. Students learn cultural competency and culinary medicine, and they care for patients at free student-led clinics in both Little Rock and Fayetteville. At the eight regional campuses of UAMS, multiple programs aim to meet the diverse needs of its students and communities. These include HBCU Med Track, which supports underrepresented minority students working toward careers in health care and serves to address physician shortages in Arkansas, and CHAMPS and MASH, which provide opportunities to high school and even junior high students to explore mentoring and shadowing experiences in health care while also advising them how to apply to health professional schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified UAMS’ community involvement, particularly as it became apparent that certain populations were disproportionally impacted. UAMS collaborated with multiple agencies to provide multilingual COVID-19 testing and vaccination support, contact tracing, enhanced case management, and culturally appropriate vaccination and health education. Navigators worked with community-based organizations to supply personal protective equipment kits, food boxes and rental assistance to thousands of individuals.

“UAMS’s recognition as the recipient of the Spencer Foreman Award is a tribute to its ongoing commitment to the citizens of Arkansas,” said Brian Gittens, Ed.D., MPA, UAMS vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion. “The Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a proud partner and collaborates to inclusively engage all communities across the state.”

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven 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 and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise including its hospital, regional clinics and clinics it operates or staffs in cooperation with other providers. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report recognized UAMS Medical Center as a Best Hospital for 2021-22; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide for the third year; and named five areas as high performing — colon cancer surgery, diabetes, hip replacement, knee replacement and stroke. Forbes magazine ranked UAMS as seventh in the nation on its Best Employers for Diversity list. UAMS also ranked in the top 30% nationwide on Forbes’ Best Employers for Women list and was the only Arkansas employer included. UAMS has 2,876 students, 898 medical residents and six dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 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 www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

The UAMS Northwest Regional Campus includes 290 medical, pharmacy, nursing and health professions students, 64 medical and pharmacy residents, two sports medicine fellows, and 1,000 community-based faculty. The campus has nine clinics including a student-led clinic and physical, occupational and speech therapy. Faculty conduct research to reduce health disparities. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.