About the Award
The Department of Internal Medicine Committee of Access and Opportunity has established the Dr. Ray Miller Award to recognize and celebrate exemplary leadership efforts that support the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion within our community. A key requirement for the granting of this award is that leadership in this area is associated with a clear, positive, and measurable impact in the community at large.
The honor will be awarded at the discretion of the Internal Medicine Committee of Access and Belonging. The committee has elected to receive nominations at large every two years. Nominations can be submitted at any point during the two-year period.
A self-explanatory narrative that accurately describes the nominee’s impact should accompany each nomination on the impact on the department and community one has made as well as a CV with permission from the nominee. The committee will review applications every two years and choose a potential candidate who it feels exemplifies excellence and has produced a measurable impact. The committee may choose to grant no award if these criteria are not met, one award or multiple awards. Team nominations will be considered as well. A Dr. Ray Miller Award is intended to be a rare recognition.
About Raymond Miller, M.D.
Dr. Miller, born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, began college at Arkansas AM&N (now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ) to study agriculture in 1956. He changed his major to pre-medicine during his sophomore year and went on to graduate at AM&N. He obtained his medical degree at UAMS in 1963 and served his internship and residency in internal medicine, as well as a fellowship in pulmonary disease, at UAMS. He was then called on by the United States Army to serve at the Pulmonary Disease Service at Walter Reed General Hospital for two years. Dr. Miller returned to Little Rock in 1970, and established the Little Rock Internal Medicine Clinic, the state’s first racially integrated medical practice. Two years later, his outstanding reputation led to his appointment as the first African-American to serve on the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, where he served for 10 years, including a term as chairman from 1981 to 1982.
He was also involved with the boards of Boatmen’s Bank of Arkansas, Entergy Corporation and the Razorback Foundation. Dr. Miller became active with the athletic programs at the University of Arkansas to boost minority enrollment and participation. The Razorback Foundation recognized his efforts in 1995 with the Distinguished Service Award, which included a $100,000 scholarship endowed in his name. Dr. Miller received the National Humanitarian Award at the National Conference of Community and Justice for the Arkansas region in May 2004. He later served as staff emeritus at the St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center and trustee emeritus of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees. Dr. Miller died in 2005.
Nomination Requirements
- Must be affiliated and/or employed with the UAMS Internal Medicine Department directly and/or reason for nomination has significant impact to the Internal Medicine Department and its faculty, residents, staff, etc.
- Nominations must contain sufficient information to inform the selection process without additional research.
- Complete nominations must include the nominee’s (or team members’) contact information
- Nominations must clearly document why the candidate or team should be considered, above all others, for this distinguished award
- After reviewing the initial nomination submissions, the committee may request references to assist in the evaluation of the nominees under consideration
- Nominees may be involved in the CAO, but may not nominate themselves and must fully recuse themselves from the review and voting process.
Each nominee or team will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Leadership of impactful health equity-related initiatives, including but not limited to process change policy development and change, raising awareness, outreach efforts within the institution r community in which they serve that aligns with the University’s core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Demonstrates and fosters respect for and inclusion of underrepresented groups through actions that extends beyond the individuals normal scope of work
- Nominees should include demonstration of initiative in areas that promote and increase in health equality which results in advancements for underrepresented groups
The Nomination Form will be available soon!
Recognition
Individual and or group award recipients will be recognized at the Internal Medicine Town Hall. Recognition will be noted by honorable mention in the IMPACT Newsletter, recognition in the dean’s newsletter, on the Internal Medicine CAO website, and other relevant opportunities.