College of Health Professions

HEALTH PROFESSIONS

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES

Our Programs The College of Health Professions (CHP) boasts 16 programs, making it the most comprehensive allied health college in Arkansas. All programs offer degrees at the bachelor’s level or higher.

AUDIOLOGY Doctoral degree CLINICAL NUTRITION Master’s degree COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS Master’s and Doctoral degrees CYTOTECHNOLOGY Bachelor’s degree DENTAL HYGIENE Bachelor’s degree DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHY Bachelor’s degree DIETETIC INTERNSHIP Post-bachelor’s certificate GENETIC COUNSELING Master’s degree MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES Bachelor’s degree NUCLEAR MEDICINE IMAGING SCIENCES Bachelor’s degree OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Doctoral degree OPHTHALMIC MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY Bachelor’s degree PHYSICAL THERAPY Doctoral degree PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES Master’s degree RADIOLOGIC IMAGING SCIENCES Bachelor’s degree

RESPIRATORY CARE Bachelor’s Degree

LEARNING THROUGH RESEARCH Research is an important part of education for our students in our graduate-level programs. Students in our Audiology, Clinical Nutrition, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Genetic Counseling, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant Studies programs explore questions about their fields through research projects.

One Communication Sciences and Disorders student, Alexis Weber, is researching Hispanics with autism.

She had several questions she wanted to answer — how many Hispanic individuals with autism are receiving services in Arkansas; whether the speech language pathologists treating those individuals take into account cultural considerations when developing treatment plans; and whether there are areas in the state where speech language pathologists are treating a high percentage of Hispanic children with autism.

Weber said she has learned a lot from this project.

“I’ve learned so much about the research process.

Research is messy. I planned every detail imaginable, and there were some events that happened that were out of my control. I just had to learn to roll with it.

I also believe this process has prepared me to better serve individuals who are Hispanic and have autism. No person with autism is like the other, but seeing what strategies practicing clinicians are using to serve this population has been very helpful, and I’ve learned so much from their responses and previous research that has been conducted.”

By the Numbers 28 Faculty are CHP Alumni

Welcomed 27 students in January 2020 into the new Occupational Therapy program

135 Students at the Northwest Regional Campus — the largest presence of any college

56,400 in Scholarships Awarded to 40 Students $

Three patient-care clinics open to the public: Audiology, Speech Pathology and Dental Hygiene

Largest Number of Graduates Among UAMS Colleges (May 2019)

Most comprehensive allied health college in Arkansas with 16 programs

657 Students — 24% of total UAMS student enrollment

Only college in Arkansas that offers these degrees -- Audiology, Genetic Counseling, Cytotechnology and Ophthalmic Medical Technology

277

Faculty and Staff Members

More than 600 clinical affiliation agreements around the state and nation

Eight bachelor’s degree programs; One post-bachelor certificate program; Four master’s degree programs; Four doctoral degree programs;

A HEART FOR SERVICE Service is at the heart of the allied health professions.

The College of Health Professions (CHP) believes it is important to encourage our students to serve their communities. Our students embrace that call to service in a myriad of ways.

The UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Clinic is a free student-run clinic in Little Rock in which students from all five colleges and the Graduate School participate. There is even a dental clinic for cleanings and minor dental extractions. Preceptors from the various colleges supervise the students, and Melissa Clark, Pharm.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Studies program, serves as director of the clinic.

For Clayton Whitfield, a student in the Audiology program, working at the 12th Street clinic allows him to give back to the community.

“There is something really magical about serving, especially those who may not be able to get the services they need,” he said as he performed free hearing screenings for patients at the clinic.

In Northwest Arkansas, students participate in the North Street Clinic, which provides free care to the local Marshallese community.

CHP students volunteer their time in other ways. Every year, the students in the Physician Assistant Studies program host the Heroes Against Hunger 5K, a race that serves to increase awareness about the PA profession and benefit the Arkansas Foodbank’s Food for Kids program. This year, the students raised $11,023, bringing their fundraising total since 2014 to more than $43,000.

Dental Hygiene students hold dental screenings at various community events.

Students in the UAMS/ CAVHS Dietetic Internship program worked at the Arkansas Foodbank during the week of Thanksgiving, sorting and packaging more than 2,000 pounds of pinto beans. Also this year, the CHP Student Advisory Council worked with students, faculty and staff to collect more than 1,000 winter hats, gloves, underwear and socks for children in the UAMS Head Start and Early Head Start program.

SCHOLARSHIPS HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED Attending college is an expensive endeavor. Scholarships play an important role in helping students focus on their studies rather than worrying about paying their bills.

This academic year, the College of Health Professions awarded $56,400 in scholarships to 40 worthy students.

Below, three of the recipients share how important these awards can be.

Shawanda McCoy, Ophthalmic Medical Technology

John Shock M.D. Endowed Scholarship, Ronald H. Winters Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship “Receiving two scholarships meant that I could focus my time and attention solely on my education rather than being bogged down with the stressful reality of college financial burdens. I am so grateful and thankful for everyone who donated.”

Syed Ammar Ahmed, Physician Assistant Studies

Ruth M. Allen, Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship “Education has always been very important to me, but with education comes a huge financial burden. Receiving this scholarship has reduced the financial stress of attending graduate school, allowing me to continue focusing on learning and pursuing my degree in hopes of graduating and achieving my goal of providing medical care in Arkansas, an underserved state.”

Catherine Power, Diagnostic Medical Sonography

College of Health Professions Scholarship “I come from a one-income family in Texas, so having some extra weight lifted off my shoulders has allowed me to focus more on my studies instead of the cost of the program. I don’t know if I could ever thank the donors enough for their generosity.”

For information on supporting scholarships, please visit giving.uams.edu/chpgiving.

SUPPORTING THE FUTURE Would you like to be more involved with the College of Health Professions? We have many ways you can help.

Do you want to volunteer your time?

Many of our programs have advisory committees made up of alumni, allied health professionals and members of the community. We value the advice and support we receive from our committee members.

Finally, our programs need preceptors who can supervise students in a clinical setting. Clinical hours are essential for our students’ education.

If you would are interested in volunteering in any of Our programs also need volunteers to mentor students. these areas, contact Deborah Taylor in the dean’s office Students often have many questions about life after at taylordeborahc@uams.edu or (501) 686-5731. college. Mentors provide much needed guidance and counsel for our students.

Do you want to support the college financially?

The Dean’s Society provides tremendous support to the college’s discretionary needs. This group of alumni, donors and special friends of the college commit an annual gift of $1,000 or more, providing additional funding to be used at the dean’s direction.

Each year, the Dean’s Society designates funding for small seed grants that are intended to promote, enhance and build on existing strengths of the college, foster and extend excellence, and encourage innovation. Since 2011, the Dean’s Society has awarded more than $87,000 to fund 22 research projects at UAMS. To become a member of the Dean’s Society, please visit giving.uams.edu/chpgiving. For more information, contact Amanda May, senior director of Alumni & Annual Giving, at (501) 686-5392 or email AGMay@uams.edu.

Message from the Dean Great things are happening in the College of Health Professions!

After two years of preparation, we welcomed 27 students into the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program in January.

The three-year program is a partnership between the College of Health Professions and the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Under the leadership of Sherry Muir, Ph.D., the program is jointly housed at UA and UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville.

Our college now has four programs on the Northwest campus — Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Radiologic Imaging Sciences and Genetic Counseling with Diagnostic Medical Sonography coming in 2021 — and the largest number of students. Because of this growth, Tina Maddox, Ph.D., previously our associate dean for academic affairs, has accepted the position of associate dean of the College of Health Professions at UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Congratulations, Tina! I know you are going to do wonderful things on the Northwest campus.

Northwest Arkansas is the fastest growing area of the state, and I am excited that our college is there to supply allied health professionals to meet the region’s needs.

I also wanted to take a moment to thank all of our amazing donors. This year, the college raised nearly $30,000 during the annual Day of Giving, a record-setting amount! We did that thanks to 76 generous donors — 13 of whom were giving to us for the first time.

A number of you gave directly to scholarships for our students. I cannot thank you enough for this. Your gifts allow students to focus on their studies rather than worrying about how they are going to pay tuition and the rent. Your gifts make a tremendous difference in our students’ lives.

We are accomplishing great things in the College of Health Professions. I thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Susan Long, Ed.D. Dean and Professor, College of Health Professions

Non Profit Organization US Postage

PAID

Permit No. 1973 Little Rock, AR

4301 W. Markham St., #619 Little Rock, AR 72205

“I support scholarships in the UAMS College of Health Professions for many reasons — the financial needs of our amazing students, the college’s outstanding faculty and staff, and the economic impact the college has on Arkansas.

Our students are bright and incredible. A number of them need the financial assistance a scholarship provides. Their enthusiasm, diligence and willingness to study, learn and achieve makes my gift worthwhile.”

Walter Nunnelly

of Little Rock Walter S. Nunnelly Scholarship, established in 2014

For information on supporting scholarships, please visit giving.uams.edu/chpgiving