The UAMS College of Medicine has held a vital role in Arkansas since it opened its doors as the state’s first medical school in 1879. Since then, the college has graduated more than 11,000 aspiring physicians and has served as the state’s leader in the clinical training of resident and fellow physicians. The college is a key driver of the state’s only academic medical center and health sciences university. The College of Medicine is led by Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean Steven A. Webber, MBChB, MRCP, who joined UAMS in March 2024.
Mission
To improve health and increase knowledge through innovative teaching, groundbreaking research, state-of-the-art patient care and outstanding service to Arkansas and beyond.
Composition
The College of Medicine has more than 1,400 primary faculty members, with approximately 1,200 on clinical tracks and more than 200 on basic science tracks. More than 1,200 staff provide support for the college’s work in education, research, clinical care and community outreach across the state.
The college is comprised of:
- 20 clinical departments: Anesthesia, Dermatology, Geriatrics, Emergency Medicine, Family and Preventive Medicine, Internal Medicine, Medical Humanities and Bioethics, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Pathology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Surgery and Urology.
- 5 basic science departments: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Physiology and Cell Biology
- The departments of Biostatistics and Biomedical Informatics
- 5 Institutes: Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health and Innovation, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, and the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.
Three other UAMS Institutes are led by College of Medicine faculty: Translational Research Institute, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and Institute for Community Health Innovation.
The college enjoys support from a range of partners in carrying out its mission, including close cooperation with Arkansas Children’s Hospital along with the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), Baptist Health and other key health partners across the state.
Undergraduate Medical Education (UME)
The College of Medicine received a full eight-year reaccreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in October 2023. For the 2024-2025 academic year, the college has 706 medical students across four classes, with a freshman enrollment of 175 students. With a mission and mandate to generate physicians for Arkansas, all but 15 of this year’s freshmen are from Arkansas. Additionally, 74% of the Arkansas students are from medically underserved areas.
Seventy-three medical students are based at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, including three who are participating in an accelerated, three-year M.D. degree program designed for students who plan to pursue careers in primary care. The program aims to move much-needed primary care physicians into practice sooner while lowering medical school debt.
Among current students, 53 are pursuing a dual Master of Public Health degree in addition to a Doctor of Medicine; 23 are also pursuing a research-focused doctorate (Ph.D.); and one student is the inaugural candidate in a dual M.D./MBA program launched in partnership with the University of Arkansas Walton School of Business.
Graduate Medical Education (GME)
The College of Medicine is the ‘Sponsoring Institution’ for 69 residency and fellowship programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), with 720 residents currently in training. UAMS Regional Centers is the Sponsoring Institution for an additional 10 ACGME-accredited programs and is currently training 173 residents and fellows across the state (with focus on primary care). A third GME program, the UAMS-Baptist Health Medical Education Consortium is the Sponsoring Institution for four programs currently training 104 residents. Thus, in total, UAMS is engaged in the training of approximately 1,000 GME trainees across the state, making it a key driver of physician workforce development for the state of Arkansas.
Research
The College of Medicine is the major contributor to biomedical research at UAMS with robust basic, translational and clinical research programs. There is also great strength in community-engaged research, with research programs active across the state. Faculty researchers are also active in the research initiatives of partnering institutions including the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. Many of the college’s basic science faculty teach and provide academic leadership in the UAMS Graduate School.
The college’s extramural funding totaled $114.9 million in FY 2024, with funding of more than $52 million in the first quarter of FY 2025. The college has a robust plan to continue research growth over the coming decade, focusing on investment in current areas of strength and those programs that best support the health care concerns of Arkansans. Investment in cancer research is a significant priority, as UAMS moves towards NCI designation.
Clinical
As part of UAMS Health, College of Medicine faculty physicians provide world-class care and clinical training at the UAMS Medical Center, the UAMS Regional Campuses and numerous other clinics and facilities throughout the state. Faculty physicians also provide care to patients at Arkansas Children’s, the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans’ Hospital and Baptist Health. The college’s faculty physicians provide leadership for UAMS Health and provide clinical expertise, continued medical education, consultation and other outreach for health care providers across the state.