In April, Lyon College – in collaboration with OneHealth Education Group—announced its plans to develop Arkansas’s first dental and veterinary medicine schools. Recently, Lyon College and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining a scope of collaboration.
“We are thrilled to work with the state's only academic medical center, UAMS, on collaborative efforts for our Institute of Health Sciences and the founding of Arkansas’s first and only college of dentistry,” said Dr. Melissa Taverner, president of Lyon College. “This collaboration represents a partnership between two historic institutions dedicated to the health and education of Arkansas.”
The MOU will work to foster joint efforts in both entities’ respective missions and identify opportunities for joint teaching, research, graduate education and professional development to benefit students and faculty. This collaboration will bring the best and brightest together to support oral health outreach and outcomes throughout Arkansas, specifically with regards to its most vulnerable communities.
The main campus of the Lyon College School of Oral Health and Dental Medicine will reside in the Heifer Project International Campus located in Little Rock. The facility boasts approximately 94,000 square feet of office space, situated on more than 20 acres in the vibrant East Village area of Little Rock.
UAMS is part of the University of Arkansas System and consists of five colleges, a graduate school, seven institutes, several research centers, a statewide network of regional campuses, and the UAMS Medical Center. UAMS also offers a dental General Practice Residency, which is a postdoctoral educational program designed to provide essential skills, attitudes, and abilities related to the contemporary practice of advanced general dentistry, with emphasis on total patient-centered care.
"With the signing of this MOU, UAMS and Lyon College are paving the way for health improvement in Arkansas" said Dr. Stephanie Gardner, UAMS senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost. “This partnership will ensure the highest-level programmatic achievement for the new Lyon College Institute of Health Sciences and fulfill UAMS’ mission to improve the health and health care of Arkansas.”
Additional information may be found by visiting https://www.lyon.edu/institute.
About Lyon College
Lyon College is a private, liberal arts institution founded in 1872. Located in Batesville, Arkansas, Lyon is the oldest college in the state with its original charter. Ranked by US News & World Report as a 2022 "Best College," Lyon currently enrolls approximately 500 students from more than 30 states and 18 countries. Students can tailor their education, selecting from 21 majors as well as pre-professional and individualized options. Learn more at lyon.edu.
About UAMS
UAMS is the state's only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS' clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,047 students, 873 medical residents and fellows, and six dental residents. It is the state's largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children's, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.