LITTLE ROCK – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recently named 12 Northwest Arkansas leaders in health care, education and business to serve on an advisory board as it continues development of a satellite medical sciences campus in Fayetteville.
Morriss Henry, M.D., a Fayetteville ophthalmologist, has been elected chairman of the board. The UAMS-Northwest Advisory Board will assist with philanthropy and support for the Fayetteville campus, which is expected to open to students in 2009.
“We are very fortunate to have strong leaders in Northwest Arkansas who believe in our mission and are willing to serve,” said Peter Kohler, M.D., vice chancellor of UAMS-Northwest. “Their associations, both regional and statewide, will be important as we work to establish a satellite medical sciences campus that will benefit the entire state.”
Members of the UAMS-NW Advisory Board are:
- Mary Beth Brooks, president, Bank of Fayetteville
- Joel D. Carver, M.D., cardiologist, Fayetteville
- Carl Collier, Pharm.D., Collier Drug Stores, Inc., Fayetteville
- Linda Dillman, executive vice president, Benefits and Risk Management, Wal-Mart, Rogers
- Lewis Epley, retired attorney and former University of Arkansas System trustee, Fayetteville
- Kathleen Fogarty, director, Fayetteville Veterans Administration Medical Center
- Reed Greenwood, Ph.D., dean, College of Education and Health Professions, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
- Morriss Henry, M.D., ophthalmologist, Fayetteville
- Ann Rosso, Fayetteville
- Archie Schaffer, senior vice president of external public relations, Tyson Foods Inc., Springdale
- Dick Trammel, executive vice president, Arvest Bank, Rogers
- Fred Vorsanger, manager of Bud Walton Arena and vice president emeritus of Finance and Administration, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Kohler said the intent of the Northwest Arkansas campus was to address growing health care work force shortages by allowing UAMS to further increase its enrollment.
From physicians and nurses to pharmacists and allied health professions, existing health care work force shortages are expected to worsen. Baby boomer health care professionals – the oldest of whom turned 60 in 2006 – are reaching retirement age while population growth and demand for care are outpacing production of new medical professionals.
The UAMS campus in Little Rock and UAMS programs around the state that host clinical education for students and resident physicians are not able to accommodate enough new students, Kohler said. To address the impending shortage of health professionals in Arkansas, UAMS announced plans in 2006 to establish a satellite campus.
Northwest Arkansas, the fastest growing region of the state, was identified as a prime location for the satellite campus. Kohler said the region also has enough potential clinical partners – including hospitals, clinics and pharmacies – at which students can get experience developing their skills with the latest medical technology or treating real patients in supervised settings.
The new campus, at the site of the former Washington Regional Medical Center, will provide facilities for students, resident physicians, faculty and patients. Kohler said the UAMS satellite campus will have between 250 and 300 students, including students in medical, pharmacy, nursing and allied health programs – along with resident physicians – when full enrollment is reached.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,538 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is one of the state’s largest public employers with about 9,600 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $5 billion a year. Visit www.uams.edu.
