The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences was founded in 1879 by eight physicians. Today UAMS is the state’s only academic health center, part of a statewide network of postsecondary education institutions of the University of Arkansas System governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees.
UAMS Mission
To improve the health and health care of Arkansans
UAMS Mission Statement
The mission of UAMS is to improve the health, health care and well-being of Arkansans and of others in the region, nation and the world by:
- Educating current and future health professionals and the public
- Providing high-quality, innovative, patient- and family–centered health care and specialty expertise not routinely available in community settings
- Advancing knowledge in areas of human health and disease and translating and accelerating discoveries into health improvements
Core Values
Integrity, Respect, Diversity and Health Equity, Teamwork, Creativity, Excellence, Safety
Vision 2029
By 2029 — UAMS’ 150th anniversary as the first medical school in Arkansas — UAMS will lead Arkansas to be the healthiest state in the region through its synergies of education, clinical care, research and purposeful leadership.
As Arkansas’ only academic health system, UAMS resolves to deliver dramatic and lasting health and health care improvements. Aiding in this are its statewide health system — UAMS Health; statewide network of campuses for public education and clinical outreach; and expertise in medical specialties, population health, digital health, health informatics and translational research.
Education
- 3,209 students
- 913 medical residents
- 5 dental residents
- College of Nursing – 481 students*
- College of Medicine – 698 students*
- College of Health Professions – 1321 students*
- College of Pharmacy – 305 students*
- College of Public Health – 156 students*
- Graduate School – 246 students*
* Fall 2022 - 2,010 faculty members
- UAMS Northwest Regional Campus total enrollment 329
- College of Medicine – 73
- College of Pharmacy – 32
- College of Nursing – 43
- College of Health Professions – 181
- Number of Residents – 71 (not included in total enrollment)
Patient Care
- Family Medical Centers at six Regional Campuses – 151,198 outpatient visits in FY 2022
- Hospital capacity – 535 beds, including: 431 adult beds, 64 newborn bassinets and 40 psychiatry beds
- Only adult Level One Trauma Center in Arkansas
- Primary Care at three off-campus locations in Little Rock and one in Maumelle
- 912 College of Medicine clinicians staff UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
- UAMS provides vascular surgery, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and physical and rehabilitative medicine at Baptist Health
- UAMS provides orthopaedic services at Baptist Health in Conway
- Faculty physicians at eight Family Medical Centers provide care and supervise residents at UAMS Regional Campuses outside of central Arkansas
- The Myeloma Center has treated more than 17,000 patients from every state and more than 50 countries.
- The Myeloma Center has performed more peripheral blood stem cell transplants for multiple myeloma than any center in the world.
- UAMS has partnered to create the Myeloma Genome Project, a global initiative to compile the largest set of high-quality myeloma genetic data to improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.
- The expected five-year survival rate for newly diagnosed myeloma patients treated at the Myeloma Center is 74%, versus 43% for a comparable patient population in the NCI cancer statistics (SEER) database.
- Only adult sickle cell clinic in Arkansas
- Only adult spina bifida clinic in Arkansas
- Only facility to offer CAR T-Cell Therapy for myeloma, certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Arkansas
- Only ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) treatment center in Arkansas
- Only cord blood bank and adult blood stem cell collection unit in Arkansas
- Only liver and kidney transplant programs in Arkansas
- First bone marrow transplant in Arkansas
- Liver and kidney transplant survival rates higher than national average
- First accredited echocardiography lab for careful cardiac diagnosis
- Only high-risk pregnancy program in Arkansas with board-certified maternal-fetal specialists
- The Institute for Digital Health & Innovation is home to more than 30 digital health programs that use high-definition video and other technology to improve access to physicians with expertise in a diverse range of specialties from stroke care to maternal fetal medicine to spine surgery and trauma.
Institutes
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
- Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute
- Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging
- Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute
- Psychiatric Research Institute
- Translational Research Institute
- Institute for Digital Health and Innovation
Research
- Brought in $203.1 million in total research funding across UAMS and UAMS researchers working in the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
- Ranks in top 14% of all U.S. Colleges & Universities in research funding from federal government
- More than 500,000 sq. ft. devoted to research on UAMS campus
- The BioVentures business incubator has created 42 companies since its beginning
- Contributing to expand scientific knowledge: 2,533 articles in scientific journals included UAMS-affiliated authors in FY 2022.
- Home to Arkansas Biosciences Institute
- – A research consortium of Arkansas institutions using funds from the state’s tobacco settlement on work to reduce or prevent smoking-related illness
- Translational Research Institute provides research support as part of a national effort to speed the pace of discovery and health improvement.
- UAMS has nine faculty members named either ARA Scholars or ARA Fellows by the Arkansas Research Alliance, which recruits highly respected researchers to Arkansas
- Research Data Warehouse that facilitates clinical and translational research and houses clinical data on more than 600,000 patients
- J. Thomas May Center for ALS Research – only research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Arkansas
Statewide Reach
- Eight Regional Campuses and a comprehensive Rural Hospital Program
- 11 KIDS FIRST Program Sites
- Regional campus in Northwest Arkansas
- UAMS students participate in delivering care to residents in the Arkansas State Veterans Home
- Has education programs for the Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions
- Physical therapy clinic opened in 2014
- Doctor of Physical Therapy program began in 2015
- Doctor of Occupational Therapy program began in 2020
- Expanded access to medical and mental health care with new psychiatric medical residencies
- 50 Pediatric Subspecialty Clinics
- Head Start – 14 sites in Pulaski County serve 840 children ages 3-5, and three sites serve 88 infants and toddlers
- Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center takes 28,000 high acuity calls each year
- Seven Centers on Aging, a part of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging
- Digital Health Stroke Program connecting 54 rural Arkansas hospitals with stroke neurologists
- Digital Health High-Risk Pregnancy Program provides diagnosis and consultation through real-time virtual visits with 36 sites across Arkansas
- Arkansas e-Link – linking health, education, research and public safety by connecting 454 sites across the state to a 5,600-mile high-speed optical network making Arkansas one of the most well-connected states in the country
- Eight Schmieding Home Caregiver Training Program sites across the state
- The Psychiatric Research Institute’s Psych TLC program provides Arkansas’ primary care physicians with access by telephone to child and adolescent mental health expertise
Philanthropy
- Private philanthropy essential for critical growth and support of:
- Groundbreaking research in cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases affecting our state
- New and enhanced facilities
- State-of-the-art equipment
- Student scholarships
- Population health
- Statewide clinics
- Expansion of the Regional Campuses program and its health care curriculum
- Community outreach programs
- Recruitment and retention of national leaders in various medical specialties of need in Arkansas
- Technology and digital health to focus on health care in rural areas
- Childhood obesity
- Innovations in health care and health care education
- Fundraising for FY 2022 totaled more than $36.8 million from 3,717 donors
- UAMS receives donations from each of Arkansas’ 75 counties — an achievement that demonstrates statewide support for UAMS’ mission and its value to the people of Arkansas. Contributions are also received from donors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 20 other countries
- Members of the 1879 Society, which recognizes legacy donors, committed more than $13.7 million in gifts through their estates during FY22.
- More than 1,500 volunteers donate their time, energies and talents each year
Visit www.giving@uams.edu for more information
Economic Impact*
- $ 4.5 billion/year economic impact – UAMS and affiliates Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
- The eight regional centers generate 657 jobs and $87 million annually in economic impact across the state.
* TEConomy Partners LLC, 2015