From Business and Politics Talk:
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) announced Tuesday (February 27) that it will establish its eighth institute, the UAMS Regional Medical Innovation Institute, effective March 1.
The institute collaborates with communities across Arkansas to conduct community-based research to help communities improve health outcomes in rural and underserved areas of the state, according to a news release. It is said that they plan to develop a program led by the government.
The institute will be based in northwest Arkansas with staff and offices throughout the state, including Batesville, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Helena-West Helena, Jonesboro, Lake Village, Little Rock, Magnolia, Pine Bluff and Texarkana. . A UAMS spokesperson said the institute has 170 employees.
UAMS is the only academic medical campus in the state. The main campus is located in Little Rock and a satellite campus is located in Fayetteville. The existing laboratories are:
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
- Jackson T. Stevens Spine Neuroscience Institute
- Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute
- Institute of Psychiatry
- Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging
- Translational Research Institute
- Digital Health & Innovation Institute
UAMS President Cam Patterson said, “This groundbreaking designation builds on our Institute's tradition of creating institutes as centers of gravity where clinical, academic, and research activities are organized around a specific condition or mission. “The aim is to reduce health disparities, in this case through community-driven innovation.” In a statement.
Pearl McElfish is the institute's founding director. She has over 20 years of experience implementing innovative community health programs and community-based research.
“The vision of the Institute for Community Health Innovation is to partner with people and organizations across the state to conduct innovative research, clinical care, and community-based programs outside of UAMS’ traditional academic walls. “It's about meeting the needs of some of the most rural and underserved communities in the state,” McElfish said. “If we want to move forward with our transformation and improve the health of all Arkansans, we need to have innovative solutions that address where people live, work and play.”
McElfish, a highly regarded professor in the UAMS School of Medicine, has been with UAMS since 2010. She has more than 280 peer-reviewed manuscripts and extramural grants totaling more than $200 million, according to her release. She has led changes in health policy and practice to improve health and health care in rural and underserved communities.
Her work, and that of the Office of Community Health Research, which she directed, integrates translational research, community engagement, clinical care, and population health in the areas of maternal and child health and chronic disease prevention and management. I've been doing it. McElfish and her team have also worked to train and advocate for community health workers and doulas.
“Achieving research institute status within UAMS is a testament to the work our team and community partners have accomplished together over the past decade,” McElfish said. “We are working to improve the health outcomes of all Arkansans, and as a public agency, we are committed to aligning our efforts while continuing our shared mission to create better health outcomes for all. We look forward to spreading the word even further.”
