COPH News

Dean Raczynski and Dr. Phillips pledge $1 million to establish endowed chair

C O P H Dean James Raczynski P h D, F A H A and Associate Professor Martha Phillips P h D, M P H, M B A, E d S along with Chancellor Dan Rahn, M D and inaugural Dean, Thomas A. Bruce, M D

Jim Raczynski, Ph.D., Dean of the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, and his wife, Martha Phillips, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Epidemiology, have pledged a planned estate gift of $1 million to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to establish the Raczynski Phillips Bruce Chair in Social Determinants of Health.

Dr. Raczynski and Dr. Phillips made the gift in honor of the College’s inaugural Dean, Thomas A. Bruce, M.D., and his late wife, Dolores.

The gift was recognized at a reception Nov. 20 hosted by UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., at the College of Public Health.

“We chose to make this gift in honor of Dr. Bruce, whose vision has helped guide our work in education, research and service to public health statewide, and Dolores, who stood by his side and supported these changes,” said Dr. Raczynski, who became Dean of the College in 2002. “It has been my great pleasure to serve as founding Dean of the College of Public Health, and my wife and I could not be more pleased to offer this gift to help make the people of Arkansas a healthier people in the years to come.”

Dr. Bruce was the college’s inaugural Dean from 2001 to 2002 and the Dean of the UAMS College of Medicine from 1974 to 1985. At an earlier point in his career, he served at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Michigan, helping start new initiatives in rural development, health and international leadership.

“Dr. Bruce, although born in Arkansas, could have lived anywhere in the world when he completed his role working for the Kellogg Foundation,” Dr. Phillips said. “He and Dolores chose to come back home, and Arkansas has been richer in ways that affect the state’s health, education, and cultural opportunities. He continues to be a tremendous asset to UAMS and the state and is our friend and mentor. His vision for a healthier state by promoting health and reducing the social determinants of poor health continues to shape what we do at the College.”

The gift will enable UAMS, and specifically the College of Public Health, to continue to focus on the social determinants of health, which are factors in people’s lives that affect their health. They include place of residence, education, employment, income, sex, race, and poverty, as well as access to health care. The College of Public Health provides hands-on education and research opportunities that have created leaders across the state in health policy, health behavior, and public health practice.

“Since both of us have focused much of our careers on the social determinants of health, the naming of this chair ensures for us this enduring focus in efforts to improve the health and well-being of all Arkansans,” Dr. Raczynski said.

“Thanks to the leadership of Dean Raczynski and Dr. Phillips over the last 13 years, the College of Public Health has become an integral part of the role UAMS plays as a statewide leader in health care, particularly as it relates to approaches to public health issues,” Dr. Rahn said. “We appreciate their generous contribution to the university and hope it inspires others to consider doing the same. Gifts such as these allow us to carry on and expand the work we are doing.”

In November 2000, the voters of Arkansas approved the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act that set aside 100 percent of the national tobacco settlement for health initiatives, including the creation of the College of Public Health. The College held its first day of classes in January 2002. Dr. Bruce’s leadership and vision guided the effort to establish the College and the adoption of its community-oriented approach to public health. Over the years, the College has partnered with more than 50 community organizations, agencies, and institutions. They include the Tri-County Rural Health Network in Helena, the Boys, Girls, Adults Community Development Center in Marvell, Hendrix College in Conway, Philander Smith College in Little Rock, University of Arkansas at Little Rock and its William H. Bowen School of Law, Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock, and the Arkansas Department of Health.

“Since its inception in 2001, the College has touched communities, individuals and families across Arkansas and has had an unrelenting focus on better health for all, which is the College’s vision and in fact that of UAMS,” Dr. Rahn said. “No college expresses it better than the College of Public Health, but none of the activities of the College of Public Health can be accomplished without its collaborations and partnerships.”

EOH faculty awarded $1.26 million contract from FDA

C O P H Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Alison Harrill, P h D

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently awarded the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences a $1.26 million, three-year contract to study new approaches to testing drug safety. Alison Harrill, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, is lead investigator of the project, entitled “The Diversity Outbred: a Tool to Improve Preclinical Safety Testing and Pharmacogenomics Analysis.”

Currently, it costs more than $1 billion to develop, test and get a new drug on the market. Fewer drugs are being approved in recent years, in part because of safety concerns. Of those approved, some still carry rare safety risks because different people respond differently to the same drug.

The primary goal of Harrill’s study is help predict adverse reactions to a drug before it is on the market and to do so more quickly, so that people needing medications can get them sooner and those with a genetic predisposition to an adverse reaction will not be put at risk.

Typical drug safety testing uses animal models that have a very limited degree of diversity. In Harrill’s study, a stock of laboratory mice will be used that have been specially bred to reflect human population diversity. Using genomic tools and bioinformatics, the genetic makeup of each mouse will be known. A second goal of the project is to use that genetic information to identify biomarkers, or risk factors, for drug toxicity. That knowledge will contribute to the growing field of personalized medicine for humans with specific genetic mutations.

“This model represents a significant departure from classical drug safety assessment, which is performed in animals with limited genetic diversity that may miss relevant safety risks that occur in uniquely sensitive people,” Dr. Harrill said.

Harrill will use a diverse mouse population, the Diversity Outbred, which was developed by The Jackson Laboratory. Gary Churchill, Ph.D., professor at The Jackson Laboratory, has been a key collaborator with Harrill on this research.

HPM Chair and PhD program alumni team up to talk about racial health disparities

Doctors J. Mick Tilford, P h D, Michael Preston, P h D, M P H, and Sharla Smith, P h D at 2013 White Coat Ceremony

In September, J. Mick Tilford, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) at the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, and Michael Preston, Ph.D., from the UAMS Cancer Control Outreach Center and a recent graduate of the Ph.D. program in Health Systems and Services Research at UAMS, co-presented research findings on racial disparities to two different groups in Arkansas.

On Sept. 9, Drs. Tilford and Preston presented at the Delta Leadership Institute’s Leadership Network meeting, sponsored by the Delta Regional Authority where they discussed the economic cost of health disparities and interventions to reduce disparities. The Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership that is congressionally mandated to help create jobs, build communities, and improve lives in 252 counties and parishes in the eight states of the Delta region. Through the Rural Communities Advancement Program, the DRA has provided leadership development to more than 350 community leaders over nine years and strengthened regional collaboration with its Delta Leadership Institute. The Delta Leadership Institute is a cooperative effort between the University of Mississippi, Arkansas State University-Jonesboro and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Drs. Tilford and Preston also presented Sept. 18 at Public Health Grand Rounds at the Arkansas Department of Health where again Dr. Tilford presented findings on the economic cost of disparities in Arkansas, and Dr. Preston presented research on policy analysis of interventions to reduce disparities. The Arkansas Department of Health, the Fay Boozman College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement jointly sponsor Public Health Grand Rounds.

On Sept. 25, Dr. Tilford and Sharla Smith, Ph.D., Instructor in HPM and a recent graduate of the Ph.D. program in Health Systems and Services Research at UAMS, presented findings to the Public Health Committees of the Arkansas State Legislature concerning their report on the economic cost of disparities in Arkansas. The Arkansas Minority Health Commission funded the study that was also co-authored by Chenghui Li, Ph.D., in the College of Pharmacy.

Events and Reminders

Oct. 28. All-College Meeting. 12 noon-1 pm. COPH 8240 (8^th Floor Auditorium).

Oct. 29. Farewell Party for Lydia McDonald. 1 pm-3 pm. COPH Room 2280.

Oct. 30. A Celebration of Women in Research Poster Showcase. 4:30 pm-6:30 pm. Jack T. Stephens Spine Institute, 12^th Floor. Celebration of 25^th Anniversary of the UAMS Women’s Faculty Development Caucus, highlighting the research by women from all UAMS colleges.

Oct. 31. Farewell Party for Sharla Smith. 2:30 pm-4 pm. COPH 2280.

Oct. 31. Application Deadline – Population Health Scholarship Program to attend the 2015 National Health Policy Conference. Applicants who identify with one of the following underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups are encouraged to apply: Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaskan Native.

Jan. 19. Abstract Submission Deadline – International Conference on Transport and Health.

COPH students assist with survey to learn more about community health needs

In August, the Translational Research Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences joined a national collaborative effort which will help the TRI assess and better understand to the health needs of individuals living in Central Arkansas, as well as their interest in taking part in research.

The TRI is one of seven institutions nationally taking part in the collaboration, known as the Sentinel Network for Community-based Participatory Research. The goal is to determine attitudes in the community about research, any past experiences with research studies, and what would motivate community members to participate in a research study. In an effort to collect this information, the TRI is using the Sentinel Network Survey.

The Sentinel Network Survey has been utilized by six other universities around the country. These institutions collaborated to establish a sustainable network that encourages ongoing, real-time assessments of top health and community needs, concerns and research participation.

The project is being implemented under the TRI’s Community Engagement Core. The goal is to collect at least 1,000 surveys by the end of the fall semester. Students at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at UAMS were invited to administer the survey at sites in Little Rock.

Before being deployed to their sites, the student volunteers participated in an extensive, 4-hour training preparing them for their role. The training included the history and context of the community in which they would be serving, interviewing basics and cultural awareness. As part of their training, students also complete UAMS’ HIPAA training, as well as the human subjects protection training that is required of researchers and research staff at UAMS and other academic institutions.

In September, 14 student volunteers began administering the survey. Each week, they go in pairs to predetermined sites in the community, where they use the 1-page survey to collect data from community members; it takes less than five minutes to complete. No personal information is being collected from anyone completing the survey, so their responses are anonymous.

MPH student Sharice Loftin, says the experience has built her confidence and skills – “how to approach people to get them to fill out the data, because how you approach them really plays a role in whether they are going to do it or not.”

More than that, the connection with people out in the community has made public health and what she is learning in the classroom much more meaningful.

I really, really love this program, because a lot of time you see what the need is in the community, but when you actually get that dialogue between community members and learn the history of the community itself, I feel like that approach to learning is very beneficial and really hits home more versus just reading it in black and white,” Ms. Loftin said.

Data collection is taking place in and around the 12th Street Corridor in Little Rock. Among the sites participating in the program are Harmony Health Clinic, Shepherd’s Hope Neighborhood Health Center, the UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center, and the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library & Learning Center. In addition to weekly volunteer opportunities, students will administer surveys at local community fairs and events.

The semester won’t end with when the goal of 1,000 completed surveys is met. The plan for future semesters is to involve student volunteers from the other colleges at UAMS and to have the activity qualify as a project of the Inter-professional Education Program.

For more information about the Sentinel Network, contact Program Coordinator Nicki Spencer at 501-526-6629 or via email at ndspencder@uams.edu.

About Faculty and Staff

Ashley Bachelder has New Role in the Office of Community-Based Public Health

Community Program Manager for the Office of Community Based Public Health Ashley Bachelder, M P S, M P H

Ashley Bachelder, MPS, MPH, has been promoted to the position of Community Program Manager for the Office of Community Based Public Health. She will serve as the primary contact in the OCBPH for faculty, students and community partners who are interested in learning more about OCBPH and community-based public health.

Ms. Bachelder is available to consult with faculty or staff about integrating community engagement into research, teaching or other activities. She can help students define a community-based preceptorship or culminating experience project and connect them with community organizations of interest. For community organizations or current COPH partners with an interest in getting more involved with the College, she can help make connections within the College or with ongoing projects.

Ms. Bachelder will apply her expertise in service learning coordination and teaching in ongoing efforts by OCBPH to increase capacity for service learning in our college. She will also continue to work closely with the staff, researchers, and community partners involved in the community engagement efforts of the Translational Research Institute.

Ms. Bachelder, who joined OCBPH in 2012, “has been a great asset to the many projects she has worked on, most notably the Community-Linked Research Infrastructure project in Jefferson County and the Community Engagement Core of our Arkansas Center for Health Disparities (ARCHD),” said OCBPH Director Kate Stewart, M.D., MPH. “She has been instrumental in developing several of our new community partnerships here in Little Rock and will continue to be the point person for our community engagement efforts through the ARCHD.”

Ms. Bachelder is a 2012 alumna of the UAMS MPH program and also holds a Master of Public Service degree from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

New Publications by Alex Marshall

C O P H Assistant Professor Alexandra Marshall, P h D, M P H, C P H, C H E S

Alex Marshall, Ph.D., MPH, CPH, CHES, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, has these two new publications:

Marshall, A., Gray, M., Yarber, W., Sherwood-Laughlin, C. & Estell, D. (In Press) Coping and Survival Skills: The Role School Personnel Play Regarding Support for Bullied Sexual Minority Oriented Youth. Journal of School Health.

Marshall, A., Morris, D. & Rainey, J. (2014) Linking exercise and sexual satisfaction among healthy adults. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, 17. http://www.ejhs.org/volume17/exercise.html.

Michael Morris earns Ph.D.

C O P H Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management Michael E. Morris, P h D, M P H, M P A

Congratulations to Michael Morris, MBA, MPH, Ph.D.. Dr. Morris’s Ph.D., which was recently awarded by the University of Florida, was in the area of health care finance and management. His dissertation was entitled, “Expenditures and Performance of Florida Public Health Agencies.”

Morris joined the faculty of the COPH Department of Health Policy and Management in 2011 as an Instructor for the Health Services Administration division of the department. On Oct. 1, he took a position as Assistant Professor with the department.

Dr. Morris has a bachelor’s degree in political science and an MPH from Emory University, as well as an MBA from Georgia State University. Among his academic honors was his selection as a University of Florida Alumni Fellow from 2007-2011, which is the highest graduate student award given by UF.

Dr. Morris’s research interests include public health finance, public health systems and services research, healthcare management and health information systems. He has been actively involved in policy development for the American Public Health Association on topics related to his interest in local and state health department finance and workforce issues. In 2010, the Health Administration Section of the APHA presented him with a Service Award in recognition of his service as the lead author on a policy proposal about health department funding which has since then become official APHA policy.

Dr. Morris teaches the courses Fundamentals of Healthcare Finance and Advanced Healthcare Finance.

Student and Alumni News

Ph.D. Student is Lead Author on Top Poster

C O P H Student Leah Dawson, M S, C H E S, C C R P

Leah Dawson, MS, CHES, CCRP, and colleagues of hers at UAMS and in the community, had a poster accepted for the annual conference of the Society of Clinical Research Associates in Orlando, Sept. 18-21. At the conference, Ms. Dawson, who was first author on the poster entitled, “Listening to Community Voices: What Can We Learn about Research?” was chosen as a one of five finalists in her poster category.

Ms. Dawson is a student in the Health Promotion and Prevention Research Ph.D. program at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at UAMS. She works as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the College. Other authors on the poster were M. Kate Stewart, M.D., MPH; Holly Felix, Ph.D., MBA, Naomi Cottoms, MA; Johnny Smith, Jr., BA; Ashley Bachelder, MPH, MPS; Tanesha Ford, MA: and Paul Greene, Ph.D..

Farewells

Angie Choi becomes Director of Admissions for College of Pharmacy

College Director of Admissions, Angie Choi, M A

The College’s Director of Admissions, Angie Choi, MA, recently accepted a new position at the UAMS College of Pharmacy as Director of Admissions, effective Oct. 20. Ms. Choi joined the COPH’s then Office of Student Services (later renamed Office of Student Affairs) in April 2012. We wish her the very best in her new role!

Lydia McDonald accepts position at new state college

Don’t miss the chance to congratulate and wish Lydia McDonald, EdD, farewell before she leaves UAMS to take a new job as Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the new Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, which is being developed in Fort Smith.

In her new position, Dr. McDonald will be responsible for administration of student affairs, including student health insurance, financial aid, recruitment, admissions, student orientation, registrar functions, student activities, student counseling and discipline.

Dr. McDonald joined COPH in October 2008 as the Director of the Office of Student Services (later renamed Office of Student Affairs). When she was awarded her EdD in September 2011, she became an Instructor in the COPH Department of Health Behavior and Health Education and the Assistant for Student Affairs.

A farewell party for Dr. McDonald is planned for Oct. 29 from 1 pm to 3 pm in COPH Room 2280.

Sharla Smith accepts position at University of Kansas

Congratulations to Sharla Smith, Ph.D., MPH, Instructor in the COPH Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM), who has accepted a position, beginning Nov. 10, at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. She will be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. She also has been selected as a Public Health Practitioner Fellow.

Dr. Smith is truly “one of our own” who earned her MPH and then doctoral degree at UAMS as she moved up the professional ranks as research staff at UAMS. She has worked at UAMS for more than 10 years, starting in 2003 as a Research Technician II at the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy.

In 2006, she joined HPM as a Research Assistant and then served as a Research Associate and Project Manager for Dr. Glen Mays, who at the time was HPM Chair. She joined HPM faculty in November 2013, after completion of her Ph.D. in Health Systems Research at UAMS in spring 2013. She earned an MPH from UAMS in 2004 and a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2000.

Dr. Smith will be able to make good use of her expertise in public health services and systems research and practice-based research networks. In her new position as faculty and a fellow, she will assist and collaborate with investigators in the medical school departments and residency programs with the design and analysis of basic, behavioral and clinical research projects. She will also serve as a consultant on grants, manuscripts, and proposals and establish partnerships with local health departments in Kansas, working with the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments, with a goal of enhancing capacity for accreditation among local health departments.

An Oct. 31 farewell celebration is planned for our long-time colleague, who will be missed!

Obesity report finds no improvement for Arkansas, almost no bright spots for other states either

2014 State of Obesity Report: Better Policies for a Healthier America

In its latest annual report on obesity, released this month, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has little good news to report. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, although the rate of increase appears to be stabilizing. The average American adult is 24 pounds heavier today than in 1960.

According to the report findings (based on 2013 telephone survey results), Arkansas is again ranked 3^rd nationally for its adult obesity rate, the same as last year, with 34.6% of all adults obese. Arkansas has the highest percentage (69.9%) of overweight or obese adults. Minorities fare the worst: 32% of whites are obese, whereas 34.3% of Latinos and 42.2% of blacks are obese.

In 2001, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation issued its first call to action to the nation to address the obesity epidemic and has done so every year since. This year’s report, RWJ State of Obesity 2014: Better Policies for a Healthier America, provides more in-depth information on policies and interventions that are working to prevent and reduce obesity, as well as a greater focus on disparities among vulnerable populations.

As in past years, the new report shines a light on the associated health and economic burdens of obesity. Diabetes rates have tripled in the past 20 years, and 75% of hypertension cases and 33% of cancer deaths are linked to obesity. If the current trajectory in obesity rates continues, by 2030 the associated costs in health care and lost productivity for the country could top $600 billion annually.

Besides dire warnings and disheartening statistics, the report devotes considerable attention to policies and programs that are making a difference in the battle of the bulge. If adopted more widely, these strategies have the potential to vastly improve the health of our nation and save billions of dollars. The recommendations touch on new approaches to patient care; relevant provisions in the Farm Bill and Affordable Care Act; strategies to increase access to healthy, affordable foods such as financing to bring grocery stores to food deserts; effective measures and insights into obesity in minority populations; and updates on marketing, nutrition standards, and other facets of the fight against early childhood obesity.

Arkansas’ rates for adult diabetes, physical inactivity, and hypertension all trended upward in the past year, but the rate of physical inactivity among adults was the only change that was statistically significant. Findings for Arkansas high school students also showed worsening trends for obesity, overweight, and inactivity. The report did not provide new data on younger children.

Arkansas now ranks 7^th nationally for its adult diabetes rate (was 10^th in 2013), 7th for adult hypertension (was 8^th in 2013), and 3^rd for physical inactivity among adults (was 1^st in 2013).

Besides Arkansas, 39 other states showed statistically significant worsening rates for physical inactivity among adults. Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 32 had non-significant increases in the rate of adult overweight and obesity, 14 had non-significant decreases in the rate, two had significant increases in the rate, and only one state, Minnesota, had a statistically significant improvement in the rate. In fact, that was the only statistically significant improvement on any health indicator across the states addressed in the report.

The Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health (COPH) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has played a role in efforts to combat childhood obesity that garnered national attention. COPH Dean Jim Raczynski, Ph.D. was the principal investigator for the evaluation of the state-legislated measure of children’s body mass index (BMI) and related efforts to make changes in the school environment to reduce obesity. That project was funded by the RWJ Foundation over more than 10 years.

“The work that has been done by COPH faculty and staff in evaluating Act 1220 of 2003, designed to combat childhood obesity though school physical activity and nutrition policies, suggests that schools can have a positive impact on childhood obesity levels,” Dr. Raczynski said. “However, to be effective, those efforts in the schools must be “intensified and broadened to cover the gamut of both nutrition and physical activity to effect broad-scale changes to decrease child obesity rates.” In addition, “strategies need to be developed to work with parents so that they are able to make changes in the home to complement the efforts in the schools.”

According to COPH epidemiologist Martha Phillips, Ph.D., MPH, MBA, there is strong evidence that well-designed interventions can help adults lose weight and prevent weight gain. COPH researchers have conducted a number of community-based weight loss programs that have proven effective.

“COPH faculty have also conducted research on weight loss programs through using trained community health workers, lay leaders in churches and even web-based counseling approaches to allow both greater access to the programs and reduce the costs of delivering them,” Dr. Phillips said. “However, additional research is needed on alternative approaches, such as telephone counseling, and on the cost-effectiveness of these methods.”

To address these issues for both children and adults, the COPH is developing a Center for the Study of Obesity.

“The mission of the Center would be to answer important research questions in Arkansas related to approaches to reduce obesity and then help disseminate cost-effective, evidence-based methods,” Dr. Raczynski said.

Exciting Year Ahead for the UAMS Master of Health Administration Program

C O P H Master of Health Administration ( M H A ) students at Convocation

The 2014-15 year for the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is shaping up to be memorable. The cohort of incoming students is one of the largest in the history of the program. In addition, five of the six core faculty are relative newcomers, filling the shoes of many of the founding faculty who launched the program more than a quarter century ago at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), before its move to UAMS in 2005.

The UAMS MHA program is Arkansas’ only program accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). In fact, the program has been accredited since its inception at UALR, with its next reaccreditation coming in 2015. In preparation, the MHA Program will complete a full program review and self-study. Reaccreditation helps assure the quality of the program, and students greatly benefit from earning degrees at a CAHME-accredited institution.

The program leaders are gearing up for the challenge and have embraced a continuous quality improvement mentality – consistent with the health care industry.

“We have an opportunity with the Affordable Care Act and health care reform to reimagine what the program can be to best meet the needs of health care employers,” said Stephen Bowman, Ph.D., MHA, who is the UAMS MHA Program Director and an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.

By national standards, the program is considered one of the smaller of the 80 or so CAHME-accredited MHA programs in the country. This year’s freshman class of 14 full-time and three part-time students brings the entire enrollment count to 33, the largest in more than 20 years, according to Rick Ault, MHSA, an alumni of the program and now its Associate Director.

“What really distinguishes our program is the support we provide to students in the form of advising and one-on-one time with the faculty,” Mr. Ault said. “Our engagement with students and personal attention to them is second to none.”

That personalized attention could be one reason why the job placement rate of the program is more than 10 percent higher than the 80 percent target required by CAHME for accreditation.

“Over the years, 90 to 92 percent of our students find a job within 90 days of graduation,” Mr. Ault said.

The program prepares students for a diversity of administrative and management roles in health care, including hospital administration, medical group management, health care finance, human resource management, strategic planning and marketing, and health policy.

Classroom learning is complemented by experiential learning opportunities which help prepare students for the real world. The program has an active MHA Student Association, with Dr. Saleema Karim serving as faculty advisor. Luncheons with administrators and senior leaders provide students with opportunities to interact with the C-suite and learn directly from these influential professionals.

“Under the guidance of Dr. Karim, the MHA Student Association is on a roll with exciting plans for the coming year,” Mr. Ault said.

Also planned this year are activities to bring together students who are at different stages in the program. With the diversity of backgrounds represented, networking within the program provides plenty of benefit as students learn from one another.

“We have students from many majors, including business, science, the liberal arts and political science, as well as speech and kinesiology,” Mr. Ault said. “To make sure the students have ample opportunity to interact with one another, we have social events and professional development opportunities to enhance their experience while at UAMS.”

Health leaders at UAMS and in the community also serve as adjunct faculty, guest lecturers and preceptors for students completing summer residencies. In fact, the summer residencies have proven to be “a win-win for students and prospective employers,” Dr. Bowman said. “The students get to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world problems, and employers can test fit these individuals for potential permanent positions upon graduation.”

Mr. Ault, who took the lead last year for student recruitment, says that what’s behind this being a banner year for new recruits is “not rocket science,” but simply a matter of “getting the message out to lots of campuses and students” that the UAMS MHA program has a great deal to offer anyone interested in a career in health administration. He added that, “We also endeavor to stay engaged with potential students during the application process.” For more information, visit http://publichealth.uams.edu/academics/masters/msha/.