Psychiatric Research Institute

G. Richard Smith, M.D. Chair of the Department of Psychiatry

With the new Psychiatric Research Institute at UAMS, we are creating a facility where the interaction of patient care (both inpatient and outpatient), education and research can all take place in adjacent space. It's the ideal patient care, learning and research environment.

We are pulling together programs and services that have been spread across the campus and across the area, allowing for much better focus and efficiency. We are also excited to be returning inpatient psychiatry services to the campus for the first time in 30 years.

There are only nine other such institutes in the nation of more than 125 academic health science centers such as UAMS. Seven of those are among the top 20 programs in the U.S. We are working hard to join those ranks.
It is estimated that the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI) will bring approximately 60,000 visits annually, which is similar to the other institutes and centers on campus. This means the UAMS PRI will bring many more visitors to campus than was originally expected, which has important implications in planning for parking, foot traffic, and also important in the recognition of the impact the institute will have on campus. We anticipate that visible work will begin on the site summer 2005.

Thank you for your help in making the UAMS Psychiatry Research Institute a reality.

- G. Richard Smith, M.D.
Marie Wilson Howells Professor and Chair
Department of Psychiatry
UAMS College of Medicine

Project Description:
The UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute will allow UAMS to focus on patient care by consolidating all psychiatric clinicians, researchers and educators in one building. Currently, the department is scattered among 13 locations in central Arkansas, serving about 8,700 patients monthly.

The facility will include an outpatient facility and an inpatient facility. The building will be five stories, approximately 100,000 square feet and incorporate 40 inpatient beds, research, clinical, educational and administrative space. The Dierks Research Laboratories will honor the gift of Fred and Louise Dierks, while the Walker Family Clinic will honor the gift from the Pat and Willard Walker Charitable Foundation.

The institute is expected to open in 2008.

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