OCT. 18, 2001 | The UAMS Foundation Fund Board (FFB) has awarded nine internal research grants to faculty scientists, using the annual income from the UAMS Medical Research Endowment Fund.

The award winners will conduct research projects on multiple myeloma, public health demographics, and laser cancer therapy, among other areas. The 2002 Medical Research Endowment Awards are worth $116,146.

Faculty members competed for the UAMS Medical Research Endowment Awards. During the first round of the competition, applicants made proposals to a panel of scientists at UAMS. The scientific panel selected finalists who then explained their projects to the FFB.

Choosing from four to 12 research projects each year, the UAMS Foundation Fund Board has used the MRE Fund to make 170 awards worth a total of $1,275,853 since 1982.

The Medical Research Endowment Awards have been valuable seed grants at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences since 1982. These awards have allowed individual researchers or teams to collect preliminary data and form hypotheses before seeking major research grants. In this way, the awards are vital bridges between the researchers' initial ideas and major discoveries.

Left to right: Larry D. Milne, Ph.D., interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of the College of Pharmacy, greeted investigators Michael Jennings, Ph.D., and Richard Dix, Ph.D., at  the recent meeting of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board. (Photos by Amy Theriac, UAMS Media Services)

Charles Winter, Ph.D., associate dean for research of the College of Medicine (second from right), joins (from left) Dean Ron Winters, Ph.D., of the College of Health Related Professions; John Schlereth of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board; Sherrel Johnson, interim vice chancellor for institutional advancement; and Max Baker, Ph.D., who chaired the review of 2002 MRE Award proposals.