A Service of UA Little Rock
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

UAMS Annouces $1.3 Million Grants

Dan Rahn
Carmien Penny
/
KUAR News

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced it has received a total of $1.3 million in grants from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas. The largest of the three donations is worth $1 million and will establish a chair in primary care. The position will be a UAMS-wide chair, and not fixed within a specific college.

When appointed, the chair holder will be concentrating on health system reform, with a focus including health promotion and health literacy. UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn said the grant will help allow significant growth in the area of primary care education.

"We hope to use the earnings from this chair to advance work that helps us further primary care careers, to find way to improve as a healthcare team on the funtioning of primary care and direct our energies in a way that advances the health of the population," Rahn said.

The endowment of the chair is in honor of George K Mitchell, who served as Arkansas Blue Cross president and cheif executive officer from 1975 to 1993. Mitchell is a graduate of UAMS and current board member of Arkansas Blue Cross.

Also awarded by The Blue and You foundation are two $150,000 grants benefitting the UAMS Center for Dental Education and the Office of Interprofessional Education. These grants will help strengthen the current programs and allow more opportunities for students.

Related Content