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First Medical School Building - 1879-1890 (113 West Second Street)

The University of Arkansas College of Medicine first opened its doors to twenty students in 1879. Eight founding stockholders convinced the Arkansas Industrial University (renamed the University of Arkansas in 1899) to accept the school as its Medical Department. The school was housed in a three-story remodeled building at 113 West Second Street in Little Rock. The only related practical education occurred at a free clinic located in the back of a nearby hardware store.

Second Medical School Building - 1890-1912 (Second and Sherman Street)

By 1890 a new building was complete at Second and Sherman Streets, six blocks to the east of the original site, contracted by the original stockholders. These more spacious quarters permitted the addition of laboratory studies in histology, chemistry and physiology, plus expanded activities in anatomical dissection. The stockholders also donated land to the city to build the Logan H. Roots Hospital adjacent to the new school. Although construction of the Hospital was completed in 1896, it was not used until 1898 because of insufficient funds; even then the use of the Hospital for clinical instruction was meager since emphasis was placed on the theoretical study of disease and materia medica.

Third Medical School Building - 1913-1935 (Old State Capitol)

When the state legislature and several state agencies moved to the new state capitol building in 1913, much of the old statehouse on West Markham at Louisiana Street was turned over to the Medical Department (the old statehouse became well known as the site at which then Governor Bill Clinton announced his candidacy for President of the United States, and then where he held his celebration the night of his election). In it were housed the library, the administrative offices, and some of the basic science laboratories. Several laboratories remained at the Sherman Street building connected to the Roots Hospital. In 1915 an outpatient clinic building was built next to the school specifically for the instruction of medical students, funded from the trust of Dr. Isaac Folsom, (Diplomas of all medical graduates to this day note that instruction has been received in the Isaac Folsom Clinic, and in fact, the primary care clinic of our new ambulatory care building is named the Isaac Folsom Clinic to carry on this tradition.) In 1891, the Medical Department was renamed the School of Medicine.

Fourth Medical School Building - 1935-1955 (Twelfth and McAlmont Streets)

In 1934 the Public Works Administration began construction of the fourth medical school building adjacent to the Little Rock City Hospital on the east end of MacArthur Park. The City Hospital had been built in 1927 and contributed much improved clinical teaching facilities; in 1940 it first received state support and was renamed the University Hospital.

The Legislature appropriated funds in 1951 to build the present medical complex. It is located in the West-Central section of Little Rock near the War Memorial Stadium where the Arkansas Razorback football team plays. The University Hospital of Arkansas and its related clinics were the first units occupied in 1956, In 1957 a nine story building for basic biomedical sciences instruction opened, renamed in 1981 the Winston K. Shorey Building. In 1959, the Student Residence Building and the Jeff Banks Student Union were completed. In 1960, the T.H. Barton Institute for Medical Research was dedicated. A Child Study Center was completed in 1969 as part of the Greater Little Rock Comprehensive Mental Health Program, and now serves as the headquarters for several Departments including the Department of Psychiatry. In the Fall of 1977, a new nine story Education Building (Ed II) was placed in use for student instruction. This structure also contains four floors for the Medial Library and two floors of amphitheaters, classrooms, and small conference rooms.

Part of the current hospital complex viewed from the South - 1956

A new Ambulatory Care Center opened in 1980, and was recently expanded. Other buildings which have added to the UAMS campus include the Family Medical Center (1986), the Arkansas Cancer Research Center (1989), the Biomedical Research Building (1993), and the Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute (1994). During 1995, the Arkansas Cancer Research Center expansion was completed, approximately doubling its original size, and the Education III building was occupied, expanding teaching space and providing a state-of-the-art anatomy dissection laboratory, including extensive computerization capabilities for students. A hospital bed tower (The Ward Tower) was recently opened to provide more spacious operating rooms, birthing suites, and a state of the art intensive care unit, as well as additional private hospital rooms. The Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging opened in 1997 and provides excellent healthcare to the aging population of Arkansas, as well as providing valuable instruction in geriatrics to our students and residents. Other new construction includes the UAMS CARTI radiation therapy institute on the UAMS campus and a new parking deck for our ambulatory care centers. The Stephens Spine Center is currently under construction, as is the expansion of the Biomedical Research Center. A building to house the new College of Public Health is also under construction - adding floors to the EdIII building.

In 1975, the Medical Center was renamed the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and was designated as one of the five campuses within the University of Arkansas system, including the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and the University of Arkansas at Monticello. In conjunction with this reorganization, the School of Medicine became the College of Medicine.

The Medical College utilizes the University Hospital, the Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospitals in both Little Rock and North Little Rock as primary teaching units. In addition, there are valuable educational affiliations with other hospitals and health care providers around the area. Through the 1970s, six Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) were established in selected Arkansas cities as outreach training sites for predoctoral, postdoctoral, and continuing physician education programs. These AHECs are located at El Dorado, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Fayetteville, Pine Bluff and Texarkana.

Medical College admissions policies are regulated by several Arkansas laws (for more information see Information for Applicants). The College must admit 150 students per year. While a few out-of-state students are considered, most of the students are selected from approximately 400 in-state-applicants per year. Seventy percent of the class must be made up of students equally divided from the four congressional districts of Arkansas. The make-up of the Admissions Committee is also regulated by law. The Committee is made up of fifteen members appointed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas. Six of the members are faculty from the College. Two members are appointed from each of the four congressional districts, and one member is appointed from the State-at-large. In addition to medical students, the College is responsible for the training of approximately 550 interns, residents, and fellows in postdoctoral work each year.

Read about the past COM Deans