The Stephens Institute at UAMS is made possible by a major gift by Mr. Stephens of $40 million for construction. The building is 214,996 square feet. It will contain the Center for the Athletic and Aging Spine, which will focus on spine and back problems for patients of all ages, and it will include facilities for "pre-habilitation" programs that prepare surgery patients for post-operative success and recovery. The departments of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery of the UAMS College of Medicine will be located on three of the planned 12 floors along with interdisciplinary programs related to problems of the spine and in the neurosciences. Basic and clinical research labs, outpatient clinical facilities, information technology support systems, and conference facilities for educational seminars and symposia will be incorporated into the building.

The building is marked by twin towers on both east and west façades – a design feature derived from the anatomy of the human spine. According to Eugene P. Levy, CEO and Project Designer for Cromwell Architects Engineers, Inc. in Little Rock, the towers contain the "nerve- like supporting pathways" of the building – its electrical and mechanical systems. Vertebrae-like motifs, 24 of them, are incorporated into the brickwork of the twin towers on the front side of the building along Elm Street. The pattern subtly replicates the number of vertebrae in the human spine. CDI Contractors Inc. of Little Rock began construction in June 2000. The institute is scheduled for completion in January 2003 with full occupancy shortly thereafter.

This new six-story building is now at the initial stage of raising its steel superstructure. When completed in late fall or early winter of 2003, it will enclose 142,923 square feet and contain laboratories and offices. This $31 million building is considered an extension of the Biomedical Research Center (BRC) located at the junction of Elm and 4th Streets on the campus. It will house the Arkansas Biosciences Institute and other programs. This new addition will be physically attached to the existing UAMS Biomedical Research Center and the two structures will be known informally as Bio I and Bio II. The architect for Bio II is Polk, Stanley, Yeary. The general contractor is Baldwin and Shell of Little Rock.

The steel superstructure for this $18 million building was recently "topped out." When completed in the late fall or early winter of 2003, it will contain 120,000 square feet. Funded in part by the Tobacco Settlement, the building's primary occupant will be the new UAMS College of Public Health. It is a vertical extension of an existing two-story education building near the Markham Street entry to the campus. When the foundation and initial two floors were constructed, the architect planned for future expansion and pre-stressed the structure to accept the weight load of additional floors. The building will contain classrooms, dry labs, faculty offices, and – contingent on additional funding – a large auditorium with complete A-V facilities. The building is adjacent to the existing Education II Building on campus and will be connected to it at most floors. The architect is The Wilcox Group, and the general contractor is Nabholz, Inc. of Conway.

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