Arkansas medical college receives $31 million grant to continue health research

Laura James, director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute, details what research programs will continue under a new $31.7 million grant during a July 10, 2024 press conference. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

A $31.7 million grant will allow clinical trials to develop treatments for diseases like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s and a program to address health disparities among rural and minority communities to continue at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson announced the funding from the National Institutes of Health in a hospital lobby in Little Rock on Wednesday. He said the funding will allow UAMS to improve health outcomes in Arkansas and “pave the way for other rural states across the country.”

About 60 research institutions nationwide receive the Clinical and Translational Science Award , which is funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Services at the National Institutes of Health.

The $31.7 million allocation will help fund training and research programs at UAMS for the next seven years. UAMS in 2019 received a $24.2 million grant through the same award; it spanned five years.

Laura James, director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute and the leader of the grant, said she’s prioritizing rural and equitable health care.

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“We as physicians — and it’s not just in Arkansas, it’s everywhere — have not always set up our systems in a way that everybody benefits,” James said. “Some of that’s due to things like poverty and rurality, but just making sure that every single patient that comes in our doors is viewed the exact same way and treated in the same way … making sure those pathways are consistently followed.”

The Translational Research Institute at UAMS focuses on developing new knowledge and novel approaches to address health challenges in underrepresented communities. As part of its work, staff members connect with community volunteers to participate in clinical studies, which aids in the research process to find cures and treatments.

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Many of the programs that UAMS will continue under the current grant began using funding in 2019, such as the Rural Research Network .

A partnership among many UAMS groups across the state, the Rural Research Networks creates opportunities for residents in small communities to participate in research opportunities like ones available in Central Arkansas’ urban areas, James said.

“We want to have more teams of people that are going out into the rural areas and allowing those people to participate in research,” James said. “Whoever’s participating, those benefits of research should be unique to them. It should apply to their lives. We don’t want it to just apply to people living in Little Rock.”

A portion of the money will also be used to fund artificial intelligence services that can be used to identify patterns in patients’ diagnoses.

“We’re going to develop better ways and quicker ways to diagnose patients, and to be quicker and smarter at what we do as physicians,” James said.

Most of the AI work would be on the back end by compiling electronic patient reports and identifying similar patterns of diagnoses, she said. The resource could analyze data and point to symptoms that may lead to identifying diseases years earlier.

Benefits of the grant research will also extend beyond the bounds of UAMS’ campus. James said staff would continue to work closely with Veterans Affairs and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She also noted solutions would be broadly shared outside of state lines.

Patterson thanked Arkansas’ U.S. Sen. John Boozman during his speech Wednesday and said he was a strong supporter of UAMS and improving health care in Arkansas.

“This award attests to the unique capabilities of UAMS researchers in advancing discoveries and treatments,” Boozman said in a statement. “The institute has helped put UAMS in position to conduct exceptional, innovative science that’s on par with the best research institutions in the country. We can be proud this outstanding work is occurring right here in our state to improve the lives of Arkansans and all Americans.”

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