JUNE 2001

Table of Contents

College of Medicine

Kids First
Biomedical Biotechnological Center
Arkansas Center for Addictions Research, Education and Services
FATE
Office of Minority Affairs
Community Match Program
Rural Loan and Scholarship Program
Continuing Medical and Health Education
Partners in Health Science
Substance Abuse Treatment

Kids First

From 1984 to 1989, the Department of Pediatrics of the UAMS College of Medicine participated in an eight-site national research project entitled the Infant Health and Development Projects (IHDP). An intervention group of children received both in-home and center-based services in pediatric care. Those that participated from age 12 months to 36 months demonstrated a significant positive difference on intelligence, behavior and test scores. These outcomes resulted in the Kids First program designed to serve any child with medical conditions that were known to place the child at risk for developmental delays.

Clinics are located throughout the state. Each serves up to 87 children and their families. The daily program of pediatric care provides individualized developmental programming, speech, occupation and physical therapy, medical monitoring, nursing care, nutrition consultation, and hearing screenings. A Program Operations Center in Little Rock provides technical assistance, patient evaluation, staff training, and oversight to assure a consistent level of quality programming at all centers.

Pediatric Outreach Clinics extend the reach of health care even further afield. (See Table 2.)

Table 2. Pediatric Outreach Clinics of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Biomedical Biotechnology Center

UAMS established the Biomedical Biotechnology Center (BBC) within the College of Medicine to identify and bring together Arkansas's varied biotechnology resources, companies and agencies. As the technology transfer office for the college and the entire campus, the BBC receives disclosures of new products from the faculty, presents selected projects to the U.S. Patent Office for consideration, and administers approved items afterward. The BBC is the umbrella organization for Arkansas BioVentures, a technology business incubator program that supports the commercialization of UAMS technologies and diversifies the state's economy.

To date, the intellectual property portfolio of UAMS contains 51 patents (issued or allowed) and 80 patents pending. This list is growing at the rate of about 25 new invention disclosures per year. UAMS has started nine new start-up companies and negotiated 26 biotechnology license agreements.

The BBC is the driving force behind the Arkansas Biotechnology Association as an engine of economic development for the state.

Arkansas Cares

Operated by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of the College of Medicine, the Arkansas Center for Addictions Research, Education and Services (Arkansas CARES) applies a multidisciplinary, residential approach to providing comprehensive services to women with substance addictions and to their children. Programs and services include prevention, early intervention, substance abuse and mental health treatment, family and residential support, community and life skills development, job preparedness, prenatal care, child health and family planning services, and health promotion for all family members. Begun in November 1992, the program has averaged 125 residents per year, with this year's number expected to reach 160.

FATE

FATE is a volunteer group of second-year medical students of the college. They are committed to serving Arkansas's communities through educating youth about the risks concerning HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases. The goal is to share up-to-date medical and social facts to junior and senior high school students and to address these health issues with information on prevention. Jointly sponsored by the UAMS College of Medicine and the AHEC Program, it has been recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) as one of the leading programs of its kind in the country. In the past 12 years since FATE has been active, over 75,000 Arkansas youth have been educated with the most current information on AIDS and HIV.

Office of Minority Affairs

To increase the number of minorities and disadvantaged individuals in all health-care professions and to present educational opportunities at UAMS to students during their formative years, this office of the UAMS College of Medicine conducts year-round programs for students in junior high, senior high and college. These three programs have four basic objectives:

• Familiarize students about careers in all health-care professions: medicine, pharmacy, nursing, allied health, and research science.

• Inform students about academic requirements for admission to UAMS and other professional

colleges/schools

• Enhance academic skills of and improve learning by the students

• Through counseling, nurture the ambitions of students and provide updated information

I. The Health Science Career Outreach Program

The first level of the program is presented to junior high students in seventh to ninth grades who are recommended to UAMS by their teachers. During a one-week summer camp, the students attend seminars, participate in demonstrations, and learn how to improve their study habits, manage stress, and resolve conflicts.

This program was established in 1992, and as of August 2000, about 1,045 “graduates” of the summer camp are now attending undergraduate colleges or have graduation as members of the class of 2001. Five “graduates” of this program have applied for admission to the College of Medicine at UAMS.

II. Bridging the Gap

The next level of the program is offered to senior high students in grades 10 and 11. Students tour the UAMS campus, attend career conferences, and receive staff presentations at their high school. They learn about the types of health care careers, the academic requirements for each, and the advantages in pursuing a career in health-care fields.

During a six-week summer program, students attend classes designed to enhance overall academic performance. As of August 2000, 192 students have participated in this program; of which 95 are still in high school and 65 have enrolled in colleges and universities including: University of Memphis, Tennessee State, Harvard, MIT, University of Oklahoma, Howard University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Xavier, and the University of California. One student is in graduate school and another has applied for admission to medical school in the fall of 2001.

III. Undergraduate Summer Sciences and Enrichment Program

Recognizing the need for an academic stimulus that would enhance the prospects of Arkansas students being accepted into medical school at UAMS and elsewhere, the dean of the College of Medicine founded this pinnacle program in 1989. A highly structured academic program, it's compatible with the rigorous undergraduate educational experience.

Sophomores concentrate on preparing library-based research reports and physician shadowing. Juniors and seniors focus on the MCAT review course. All students attend at least 96 hours of classes in medical terminology, interviewing skills, mock interview, test-taking, basic science lectures with labs, stress management, and the AMACASA application process. A total of 364 college students have participated in this program, and of those:

• 44 are now attending medical school.

• 29 have finished medical school and are in residency training.

• Five are attending pharmacy school – four of which have earned a Pharm.D. degree.

• One has completed dental school and one is now enrolled in dental school.

• Two have completed nursing school and two have earned the Ph.D. degree in nursing at UAMS

Of the 136 students who participated in this program from 1997 to 2000, 75 are now in college, 28 are now in medical school, two are in chiropractor school, and one each is in pharmacy or nursing school. The others are now productively engaged in the work force as health-related professionals, science teachers, or in non-health-related fields.

In 1999 and 2000, 11 of the18 minority graduates of the College of Medicine were former program participants, including Torrence Walker of Pine Bluff out of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Five others graduated from the colleges of pharmacy, nursing, and health-related professions.

Community Match Program

Participating medical students receive tuition and other financial assistance from a community and a matching allocation from the state. In return, the student agrees to practice in that community for a period of time – usually four years. Currently, 83 students are enrolled in the program matched to 46 rural communities. Last year, 22 students applied, but there was only enough state funding to admit 13.

Rural Loan and Scholarship Program

Many medical students seek and some receive state financial aid without a link to a specific rural community. After graduation, participating students agree to establish their medical practice in a rural community with less than 15,000 population for a period of time equal to the period of financial assistance. Thirty-nine students are presently participating in the program.

Continuing Medical and Health Education

It is often not possible for rural-based health-care providers to attend educational programs that require travel and time away from their office or clinic. UAMS provides – through each AHEC site – a slate of continuing education courses and special conferences for area health professionals in various locations throughout the region. Last year, UAMS offered nearly 1,600 continuing education programs statewide with combined attendance in excess of 30,000. Because the need for this form of education is continuous, future program priorities include:

• expanding affiliations with the Veterans Administration
• improving access to primary health care in under-served rural communities
• increasing participation of minorities in AHEC undergraduate and graduate training programs to help build a pool of primary care health providers
• developing centers of excellence in aging within each AHEC with linkages to the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging at UAMS

Partners in Health Science

UAMS is the home to a nationally recognized program for science teachers and students in grades K-12. Called Partners in Health Science (PIHS) and initiated in 1991, the primary goal is to improve the quality of health science education in local schools by utilizing UAMS faculty and facilities. As a natural byproduct of improving health science education, the quality and quantity of young people interested in pursuing a career in medical and health fields may be improved.

Based on 10 years of success with the PIHS program, UAMS has received federal funding to renew and extend this program and add a new component – Partners in Behavioral Health Science (PIBHS). This will permit development of educational materials about the growing problem of youth depression and other concerns.

Although students are the ultimate targets of PIHS, the program began by “teaching the teachers.” One retrained teacher may reach thousands of students during his/her professional career. This program is free to all health science teachers in Arkansas. Round trip travel and lodging are provided to teachers outside Pulaski County. Courses with laboratory components provide teachers with take home supplies usually not provided in local school budgets. About 60 percent of participating teachers come from towns with populations of less than 25,000. Results over the life of the program have been impressive:

• more than 200 course days have been taught
• nearly 900 Arkansas teachers have attended
• 110 different UAMS faculty have participated
• 72 different topics have been covered
• 26,354 continuing education credits have been provided

PIHS created in 1994 a telecommunications outreach component that has since evolved into weekly, highly interactive video programs presented live to an average of five distant sites across the state. During these broadcasts, high school students receive instruction on health science topics, have the opportunity to ask questions, and participate in “real time” discussions with a UAMS faculty scientist. Since its inception, more than 6,000 students from virtually every county in the state have participated in these lively educational opportunities.

The newest PIHS activity is a field trip to UAMS for PIHS alumni and their students. Three programs have been offered to date:

• Kids and Drugs

• Kids and Depression

• Inside the Dark Side

The number of statewide student contacts now stands at just over 1,300.

Methadone Clinic

Administered by the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the UAMS College of Medicine, the Substance Abuse Treatment Clinic recently received a prestigious national award for excellence in this field. Located near the UAMS campus, the clinic serves about 60 patients a day who are successfully turning their lives around with treatment by methadone maintenance, individual and group counseling, and close monitoring in a no-nonsense program. Nearly all the patients are self-admitted (not court-designated), so personal motivation for success is high. Most have jobs, live with their family, and are responsible citizens. All are on the road to recovery from their former abuse of prescription drugs – painkillers, usually – not “street drugs.”

© 2001 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Division of Institutional Advancement
4301 W. Markham St., Slot 716
Little Rock, AR 72205
501-686-5685

06/27/01