These initiatives, led by UAMS Regional Campuses’ Vice Chancellor, Dr. Richard Turnage, and Senior Program Director, Dr. Marcia Byers, represent a collaborative effort between UAMS Regional Campuses and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). These efforts are partially supported through federal grants, including the Arkansas AHEC Point of Service Maintenance & Enhancement Program (POSME), Medical Student Education (MSE), Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE), Teaching Health Centers (THC), and Rural Residency Planning & Development (RRPD). The views expressed in this statement are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official perspectives of, or an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.
Message from the Vice Chancellor
Dr. Richard H. Turnage, M.D. Vice Chancellor for Regional Campuses Executive Associate Dean, College of Medicine Professor of Surgery
I am delighted to present you with our 2022-2023 annual report.
UAMS Regional Campuses provide clinical and experiential learning opportunities for students and family medicine resident physicians to prepare them for practice in Arkansas’ rural and underserved communities. In 2022- 2023, our educational programs provided state-of-the-art, interprofessional, team-based training for 153 family medicine residents and 262 UAMS students across the health professions.
With an eye to future generations, our pipeline programs encouraged and supported more than 10,000 high school and college students toward health careers last year. Regional Campuses have successfully competed for millions of dollars in federal grants to help support our long-term workforce pipeline programs. These programs span from middle- and high- school programs, like CHAMPS and MAS*H, through post-graduate primary care training and, ultimately, rural practice.
We continue collaboration with the UAMS College of Medicine to support multiple family medicine and primary care initiatives. New family medicine residencies have been launched in Berryville, Eureka Springs, and Crossett, with another coming soon in El Dorado. With one-third of Arkansas’ primary care physicians in rural communities nearing retirement age, it is imperative that we remain strategic and intentional in our commitments to recruit students from rural areas, and then train, equip, and encourage them to return to those areas where they are most needed.
Our family medicine clinics provide outstanding primary care services to thousands of Arkansans annually. Dedicated faculty, trainees and staff provide community leadership and outreach through health screenings, rural research, mobile clinics, telehealth services, and many other health-related activities.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude for our affiliated hospitals, community partners and supporters, as well for the nearly 550 UAMS Regional Programs team members doing excellent work across our state. We look forward to working with you in the years ahead.
Richard H. Turnage, M.D Vice Chancellor for Regional Campuses Executive Associate Dean, College of Medicine Professor of Surgery
Program History
UAMS Regional Campuses, formerly Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), was founded in 1973, through combined efforts of the Governor, the State Legislature, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), as a means to encourage UAMS medical school graduates to remain in Arkansas, and help address the state’s shortage and uneven distribution of primary care physicians. Over time, our mission has expanded to include other disciplines such as pharmacy, nursing, physician assistants and behavioral health professionals.
UAMS Regional Campuses serves as an educational outreach network for UAMS and the principal means to decentralize medical and other health professions education throughout the state. Eight teaching centers in Batesville, Fayetteville/Springdale, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, Magnolia, and Helena- West Helena expose future health professionals to underserved communities and provide more varied hands-on experiences than they might receive in a traditional urban, academic environment. Each center serves a multiple county region
Mission
To improve the health of Arkansans, through community and academic partnerships, by training
health professionals and delivering quality patient-centered primary care.
Training Approach & Overview
Quality training experiences in settings away from the academic medical center expose trainees to clinical opportunities in underserved communities, helping encourage rural practice choices.
Our interprofessional team-based teaching atmosphere enhances the rural professional environment, aids in provider retention, and ultimately strengthens the participating community health care systems.
2022 – 2023 Trainee Overview
This year, we provided training for
262 health professions students
153 family medicine residents
1849 high school and college students in structured health career programs, and 8461 others in group presentations/events
Recruiting Students into Health Careers
Academic preparations for some healthcare professions begin as early as middle school. Physicians, for example, must select advanced math and science courses starting as early as 9th grade in order to prepare them for future success in medical school. Thus, a long-term investment in our health career pipeline is vital in order to ensure an adequate supply of healthcare providers for the future.
UAMS Regional Campuses offer a variety of programs, starting with exposure and exploration opportunities for middle and high school students, and continuing through college to support and equip students to successfully advance toward their chosen health careers. These programs include:
High School Students – A Day in the Life, MASH (Medical Application of Science for Health), CHAMPS (Community Health Applied in Medical Public Service), Find Your Future in Healthcare, Hands-on Health Care, Club Scrub, ACT prep, and Medical Interpreting (NW campus only).
College Students – Individual advising sessions, MCAT prep, mock interviews, professional application review, assistance with writing personal statements, job shadowing, and volunteer/community service.
For more information and a full description of programs, visit the Health Careers page.
UAMS Regional Education Coordinators attending Arkansas Farm Bureau’s convention, which included a celebration of 35 years of our M*A*S*H partnership. L-R: Destiny Carter, SW, Danielle Harris, SC, Ursula Redmond, WE, and Janet Ligon, EA.
Regional Education Coordinators
Our Education Coordinators serve as mentors and academic advisors to connect students with opportunities and resources in their respective regions. Students, parents, teachers, or guidance counselors can find and reach their education coordinator through link below.
Medical Applications of Science for Health (MASH) and Community Health Applied in Medical Public Service (CHAMPS) returned to almost full force in Summer 2023, after COVID-associated reductions in 2020–22. Hosting facilities now have a choice of one- or two-week MASH programs for 11th and 12th grade students, and three- to five-day CHAMPS camps for 9th and 10th grade students, while also continuing a two-day virtual Find Your Futures option. These programs are FREE to participating students, which is made possible thanks to our long-term partners at Arkansas Farm Bureau, as well as federal HRSA AHEC grant funding.
In 2023, 338 students attended 29 different camps. Students interacted with a wide variety of local healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, physician assistants, medical/radiologic technologists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and dietitians, among others.
UAMS Southwest MASH students participating in infant CPR training
MASH Participants learn to identify various health disciplines, what they do, how they relate to one another, and how fundamentals of basic science apply to each discipline. Programs offer a variety of topics and hands-on experiences, depending on location, which may include CPR & First Aid training, dissections, suturing, casting, mental/ behavioral health, opioid/substance abuse awareness, social media safety, telemedicine, blood typing, tours of local hospitals, provider shadowing, and mock trauma scenarios.
Finally, students learn about available jobs in healthcare and the education and training options in Arkansas, as well as admissions processes and potential scholarships offered through area colleges and universities.
UAMS South Central surgery activityUAMS Northwest MASH. Dr. Wayne Hudec, general surgeon, teaching suture techniquesUAMS East A Day in the Life
AHEC Grant Renewed!
A five-year renewal of funding (2022-27) was received under the HRSA AHEC POSME grant. This funding will support expanded promotion of health careers to students across Arkansas and will fund outreach programs that benefit hundreds of youths and health professional students each year, emphasizing primary care in rural and underserved areas.
Health Career Student Activities
UAMS South Central MASH – Casting activityUAMS Southwest MASH – CPR trainingUAMS East Mini MASH – Intubation activityUAMS East West Memphis- Laparoscopic Surgery activity
Educating Arkansas’ Future Healthcare Providers
Federal Grants Support Many Important Rural & Primary Care Initiatives
Regional Campuses central staff have a long history of successfully securing federal grant funds to help support and expand education and training programs that would not otherwise be possible. In 2023, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded supplemental funding under our Value-Based Medical Student Education Grant, bringing UAMS’ fiscal-year award to $6.6 million and raising the overall grant award to nearly $19.6 million over four years.
This funding has been transformative through its support of multiple projects across the state intended to increase the number of primary care providers practicing in rural and medically underserved communities in Arkansas. Grant funds have helped to support student and faculty training, equipment, facility upgrades, student stipends, and programmatic support.
UAMS NW Campus students training on Simulated Manikins, purchased with MSE funds
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a tool that helps doctors diagnose patients more efficiently, reducing the need for return visits. Ultrasound devices have potential to improve diagnosis in rural areas that have less access to specialty care. While well known for its use in obstetrics, ultrasound can also detect gallbladder or pulmonary conditions, guide procedures such as joint injections, and evaluate cardiac function. POCUS devices are now in place at our regional clinics in Batesville, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, and in Little Rock.
Training on POCUS technology purchased with MSE funds
Medical Students
Reflecting our focus on training more primary care providers in rural and medically underserved areas of Arkansas, UAMS has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as among the best graduate schools in the country. The College of Medicine earned 17th place overall in primary care, up from 36th last year. They also placed 4ᵗʰ in serving medically needy areas, 18th in serving rural areas (up from 20th), and 24th in producing the most primary care graduates (up from 36th).
UAMS medical students can participate in a Family Medicine Preceptorship and/or a Service Learning Project between their first and second year of medical school, shadowing a family physician or working with our faculty. This year, 23 students engaged in preceptorships and/or service projects.
In 2022-23, 147 UAMS medical students performed family medicine clerkships at our regional campuses. This 4-week experience, at a time when medical students are starting to make decisions regarding specialty and practice location, is an important recruitment tool for our residency programs.
This year, 38 UAMS senior medical students completed multiple regional rotations, as did five students from other medical schools. Senior rotations focus on clinical skills and preparation for residency, allowing students to design a program of elective rotations to meet personal career goals.
NWA Medical Students observing patient encounter
Honors Program in Underserved Primary Care
The Honors in Underserved Primary Care (HUPC) program enrolls students in their first and second year of medical school, with three core goals: 1) To train medical students by offering a comprehensive, longitudinal extra-curricular experience in rural and urban underserved medicine; 2) to sustain medical student interest in practicing primary care in such areas; and 3) to retain these medical students in our state once they graduate. To date, 27 students have engaged in the Honors program.
Family Medicine Trivia Night
AHEC Scholars
The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars program is a national initiative engaging students from various health disciplines through clinical, didactic, and community-based activities during the last two years of their professional school curriculum.
UAMS Regional Campuses/Arkansas AHECs administer the program and facilitate student connections at the national AHEC level. Medical students in the HUPC honors program become AHEC Scholars in their 3rd and 4th years. The 2023 AHEC Scholars’ cohort represents 131 medical, physician assistant, pharmacy, and public health students.
Joint Injection Workshop
Michael Downs, MD, faculty from the UAMS Southwest Family Medicine Residency program, was the guest speaker at a Joint Injection Workshop that was held for medical students in the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG). The presentation portion covered the Dos and Don’ts of joint injections, techniques and complications. The hands-on workshop that followed involved Dr. Downs and UAMS SW residents working with students to practice injections on high tech models of the knee, shoulder, and wrist/hand.
Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Nursing, & Behavioral Health
During 2022-2023, 22 physician assistant students and nine pharmacy students from the UAMS Little Rock campus completed rotations at one of our regional sites. The Northwest Campus also offers programs in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, genetic counseling, and radiologic imaging sciences. Regional pharmacy and behavioral health faculty enjoy integral roles in the complex care committees in their family medicine clinics, and in their centers’ scholarly and academic leadership initiatives.
Regional Campuses offer UAMS students opportunities for interprofessional education and hands-on training at our regional locations across the state, including medical, pharmacy, nursing, and behavioral health faculty teams.
UAMS Northwest interprofessional students serving patients at the Marshallese Clinic
Rural Residency Programs
UAMS is committed to addressing Arkansas’ persistent shortage of family physicians, especially in rural areas, by launching new rural residency training programs. A rural track program (RTP), as termed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), is a separately accredited program that collaborates with an existing ‘urban’ residency program, where residents spend greater than 50% of their time at rural sites. These programs are specifically designed to train and equip residents in clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and providing the full-scope of family medicine services with minimal resources to meet the primary healthcare needs of rural communities.
Our first RTP at UAMS Northwest achieved accreditation in fall 2022 and accepted its first RTP cohort of two residents in 2023. Ronald Brimberry, MD, long-term UAMS faculty member and previous residency director at UAMS Northwest, is serving as the RTP program director. The UAMS Northwest Family Medicine RTP is based in Fayetteville for the first post-graduate year (PGY-1), and then residents are immersed in nearby rural clinical settings in Carroll, Madison, and Boone Counties for PGY-2 and PGY-3.
Ron Brimberry, MD, Program Director for the UAMS Northwest RTP.
This new community-based program is made possible through a partnership between UAMS, Washington Regional Medical Center, and Mercy. By 2025, the program plans to accept four PGY-1 residents, with the goal of expanding to a full complement of residents by 2027.
Jonathan Fausett, DO, NWA RTP Associate Program Director and Site Director for the Mercy Family Medicine Clinic in Berryville.Mercy Hospital in Berryville Jon Loudermilk, MD, Site Director for the Washington Regional Eureka Springs Family Clinic, conducting a patient examJon Loudermilk, MD, Site Director for the Washington Regional Eureka Springs Family Clinic, visiting with medical students during the rural field trip tour. Dr. Loudermilk is a 2015 graduate of our UAMS South Central residency program in Pine Bluff.
Crossett Rural Training Program
UAMS also serves as the sponsoring institution (SI) for the Crossett RTP, which achieved accreditation in 2023 and will enroll its first resident cohort in 2024. The Crossett RTP is also designed to give residents an in-depth experience practicing family medicine in a rural setting, with the first year based at the UAMS Department of Family & Preventive Medicine (DFPM) and Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, and the second and third years based in rural hospital and clinic sites in Crossett.
Brad Walsh, MD, Program Director (PD) for new Crossett RTP. Dr. Walsh is a 2009 graduate of our UAMS South Central residency program in Pine Bluff.
El Dorado Rural Training Program
Our latest innovative RTP program in El Dorado seeks to receive ACGME accreditation in 2025 and enroll its first cohort of residents in July 2026. The curriculum will emphasize experiences unique to rural practice, full-service obstetrics, maternal health, digital health, and substance and opioid use disorder.
Donya Watson, MD, Program Director for the new El Dorado RTP. Dr. Watson graduated from our original UAMS El Dorado residency program in 1997.
Training Family Physicians
Family Medicine Residency Programs
Regional Campuses provided training for 153 residents in 2022-2023, including 54 who completed their three-year residency to become board-eligible in family medicine (FM).
In 2023, UAMS has 69 first-year family medicine residency slots available. This includes 51 at Regional Campuses and a new UAMS Northwest rural track program (RTP) in Berryville and Eureka Springs. UAMS also sponsors the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) program in Little Rock, and the joint DFPM and Baptist Health program in North Little Rock.
Starting in fall 2024, a new RTP in Crossett will accept its first three residents, increasing the total first-year FM slots to 72.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound Resident Skills Training with Dr Bryan Clardy, UAMS West Faculty
Sports Medicine Fellowship
UAMS Northwest offers advanced training on diagnosis and treatment of sports-related illness and injury. This one-year fellowship trains two fellows per year and covers a wide array of sports experiences, including comprehensive care of the University of Arkansas Razorback athletes.
UAMS West Resident Skills Session on Injection Technique & Glucometer Training
Rural Student Summit & Field Trip
In Spring 2023, the Student Rural Health Summit and rural student fieldtrip were again combined to accommodate the academic calendars of Arkansas’ three medical schools. This annual event is a collaboration of UAMS, ARCOM, NYIT, and the Rural Health Association of Arkansas; this year bringing together nearly 60 MD and DO students from the three schools. They convened at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, situated at the scenic pinnacle of Petit Jean Mountain, to discuss their shared visions of a future in rural practice, to participate in panel discussions with practicing rural providers, and to hear from their schools’ leadership.
Dr Scott Dickson, UAMS Northeast FM Residency PD, engaging in small group conversation with students.Dr Leslie Stone, UAMS DFPM Junior FM Clerkship Director, leads discussion.Leadership from the three medical schools present their perspectives and approaches to the rural practice mission
I really enjoyed getting to talk to doctors with experience working in rural settings. Even though I’m from a rural area, it’s been difficult to find mentors willing to take the time to answer my questions, so I appreciated facilitated time to do that. Their stories were very impactful and inspirational.
field trip participant
Rural Practice Spotlight – It’s a Family Affair
Drs. Shane & Meghan Lyerly
Meghan and Shane Lyerly grew up in small towns in northeastern Arkansas. They met and married while attending Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and together decided to pursue medicine, with the shared desire to eventually return to that area of the state. Once accepted into the UAMS College of Medicine (COM), their education was partially supported by the COM Rural Practice Program, as well as the Dorothy Snider Foundation (another rural Arkansas native). After graduation, they both matched with and completed their family medicine residency training at UAMS Northeast in Jonesboro.
Just as planned, they returned to the small northeast Arkansas community of Brookland in 2014, where they joined the practice of Meghan’s aunt and uncle, Drs. Sandra and Scott Stubblefield (also UAMS graduates). The Lyerlys now continue to engage with and encourage more northeast Arkansas students to consider rural family medicine by volunteering their time at UAMS Northeast.
The Lyerlys as medical students in 2010Dr. Meghan Lyerly assists high school students with a suturing activity during UAMS Northeast A Day in the Life event.Dr. Shane Lyerly assists high school students with a suturing activity during UAMS Northeast A Day in the Life event.
Dr. Anna Mears & Dr. Cameron Duke
Anna and Cameron grew up in a tiny town in the East Arkansas Delta, and Cameron first engaged with UAMS regional pre-professional programs while in college at ASU. After becoming UAMS medical students, both were very active in rural primary care causes and interest groups. They both were AHEC Scholars, MD Mentors, and Rural Student Ambassadors, and attended the Rural Student Summit and field trip and the AAFP National Conference. They also both served as officers in the Rural Medical Student Leadership Association (RMSLA) and Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG).
2023 UAMS College of Medicine graduates Anna Mears, MD, and husband, Cameron Duke, MD, are currently in family medicine residency training at Conway Regional and plan to eventually practice in a small community in Arkansas.Cameron (left) and Anna (front right), with other RMSLA members.
Providing Quality Healthcare for Arkansans in Rural Areas
Practice Locations of Our Graduates
The map below shows locations of physicians trained by UAMS Regional Campuses.
904 UAMS Regional Campuses-trained physicians now practice in 68 of our 75 counties.
Increasing the number of primary care physicians in Arkansas is urgent, as one-third of those currently practicing are nearing retirement.
Clinical Patient Care
Our regional family medicine centers provide comprehensive primary care for thousands of Arkansans across the state. Our faculty, residents, and staff are very active in their communities, serving on national, state, and local advisory boards and committees. They provide a vast array of healthcare services, screenings, support groups, and other resources.
Clinic Patient Services 2022-2023
Patients Served: 44,735 Visits: 138,085
UAMS East Teddy Bear ClinicUAMS Southwest celebrates their nursing staff
Reaching out to Arkansas Communities
UAMS Regional Campuses’ faculty, staff and trainees engage in a variety of meaningful community service activities around the state throughout the year.
Good Food Rx Program
The nonprofit Well Fed and UAMS East in Helena-West Helena have partnered to combat nutritional insecurity through a food prescription program and two-year research study called Good Food Rx. The initiative takes a holistic approach to diet-intervention, empowering people to improve their health by learning to eat the right kinds of healthy foods, and receiving free groceries at an on-site food market developed by Well Fed.
Patients at the UAMS East Family Medical Center with diet-related conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity are given “prescriptions” for healthier, nutritious dietary options tailored to their health concerns. The program provides monthly nutrition education classes and quarterly checkups for blood sugar, blood pressure, weight and body mass index. Engaging patients through monthly meetings helps build confidence and accountability as they make life-changing choices to improve their health.
Funding for the program comes from a USDA Delta Health Care Services Grant, Phillips County Giving Tree grants from the Arkansas Community Foundation, and a UAMS Chancellor’s Circle Grant. Well Fed is a 501(c)(3) food access and education nonprofit with a mission to end food insecurity in underserved, low-income communities in Arkansas.
Reaching out to Arkansas Communities
UAMS Southwest takes Operation Game activity to Edward D. Rice Renaissance Elementary Magnet School Former MASH participant brings Southern Arkansas University Interactive Reptile Experience to local students Fouke Elementary School Career Day, with UAMS Southwest resident, Breanne Hunley, DOUAMS Northwest Distributes Thanksgiving TurkeysUAMS East Fitness CenterPhillips County Opioid Task Force at UAMS East for Narcan Training
Affiliated Community Hospitals & Partners
UAMS East
Crittenden Memorial Hospital Helena Regional Medical Center Chicot Memorial Hospital
UAMS North Central
White River Medical Center Baxter Regional Medical Center Woodlawn Heights Nursing Home
UAMS Northeast
St. Bernards Regional Medical Center NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital
UAMS Northwest
Washington Regional Medical Center Northwest Medical Center – Springdale Arkansas Veterans Home – Fayetteville Northwest Health Physicians’ Specialty Hospital Springdale Health and Rehabilitation Center
Key Partnership Highlights
Arkansas Farm Bureau is our long-term partner making MASH and CHAMPS summer camps possible across the state. To mark MASH’s 35ᵗʰ anniversary, Arkansas Farm Bureau established a new Fund for Excellence, pledging $500,000 over the next five years to help guarantee future sustainability of these programs.
Working with Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP), more students living in the Southeast Arkansas Delta are being engaged each year through mobile health unit activities and internships at ARHP hospitals, encouraging students to pursue health careers in this underserved region.
Through our Community Health Center partners, we continue to offer clinical and practicum experiences for UAMS students, to expose them to federally qualified health center settings across the state as potential practice locations.
Hitting the Road!
In partnership with the UAMS Simulation Center, an innovative Mobile Simulation Classroom has joined a growing fleet of mobile classrooms. This newest mobile unit is equipped with state-of-the-art resources, including simulation mannequins, providing learners with hands-on healthcare patient and clinical skills practice in the context of various health career scenarios. The unit features an Anatomage 3D virtual dissection table, which offers an unprecedented level of cutting-edge technology, providing extremely accurate and life-like anatomy exploration for a truly interactive and immersive learning experience.
This mobile classroom expands our ability to reach students in MASH and CHAMPS camps in rural communities statewide, and will also be available for other student and professional trainings and community outreach events as needed.
The unit was funded through an Arkansas Simulation Education Training (AR-SET) grant, as a competitive Area Health Education Center (AHEC) supplemental extension under our HRSA AHEC Point of Service Maintenance and Enhancement (POSME) grant.
