Diversity Monthly Highlight
March 10:
Dr. Lee Lee Doyle Each month,
the UAMS Chancellor's Diversity Committee will feature a member of our
campus community and their contributions to our diverse culture. March
is Women's
History Month so we have interviewed
a special UAMS woman!
Dr. Lee Lee Doyle, PhD,
recently retired from UAMS, was faculty in the College
of Medicine Ob-Gyn Department where she did research. There
she established and managed TOPPS, the teen maternity
clinic, and on several occasions was the Clerkship
Director. She became the UAMS Associate Dean for
Continuing Medical Education (CME) at the request of
then Dean Dodd Wilson, who agreed to expand the office
to CME and Faculty Development and later to Faculty
Affairs.
Valuing diversity and women's contributions on campus
has always been important to Lee Lee. She said, "Actually,
when I came to UAMS, I represented diversity. In 1972
when I joined the faculty, practically everyone else was
from Arkansas and I felt like an outsider. As a result
when we began to enlarge our faculty and gain a bit of
diversity, I thought it made us a stronger institution."
Dr. Doyle worked to help recruit, mentor and keep good
employees - especially women faculty and staff - at
UAMS. Even though she retired a few years ago, she still
plays a role at UAMS and in Little Rock by encouraging
activities that support diversity and inclusiveness in
any way she can.
Her dedication to this effort came from an early age. "My
grandmother insisted that if you were lucky enough to
have a loving family, enough money to live on, and a
modicum of intelligence, you owed it to give back and do
for your community - so I started early. She also taught
me that every person was an individual deserving of
respect. My parents reinforced these teachings and
served as an example," she said. As a result, Lee
Lee has become a Community Agency stronghold - serving
on many local area Boards and Committees. She seems even
busier now than when she worked full-time!
Dr. Doyle can remember when she knew every woman faculty
member and most of the female medical students - as they
were few enough in number. She said, "Now we have
numerical parity, but there are still disparities that
those of us who have risen through the ranks must fight
against. So we continue to support equality for
employees who are not part of the majority or might not
have a voice in the administration."
She finds that it is very rewarding to be able to mentor
and support others and she gains self-respect -and
honors her family's values - in doing so.
UAMS Diversity Committee
4301 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR 72205
