Schmieding Foundation Donates to UAMS Northwest
by February 12, 2015 1:13 pm 337 views
Officials with the Northwest Arkansas regional campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) announced naming rights Thursday for a new teaching lab that’s part of its soon-to-launch physical therapy doctoral degree program.
The Schmieding Neurological Skills Lab is reflective of a $100,000 pledge by The Schmieding Foundation of Springdale.
The three-year doctoral curriculum, a $3 million startup program that’s part of the UAMS College of Health Professions, is the first UAMS program housed solely on the Fayetteville campus. The first 24 students will begin in the fall.
The Schmieding Lab will be used to teach physical therapy students skills for evaluating and treating those with neurological disorders including developmental disorders, spinal cord injuries, stroke and conditions such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.
The lab is one of five teaching labs to be used by the program. Other resources include the recently opened Outpatient Therapy Clinic on campus where students will gain therapy experience with patients under supervision of faculty and clinic staff.
“The Schmieding Neurological Skills Lab is critical to creating an academic program that will expand opportunities for careers in physical therapy and increase access to comprehensive rehabilitation therapy in the state and region,” said Peter Kohler, vice chancellor for UAMS Northwest. “We are grateful for the strong support shown us by the Schmieding Foundation and others who have helped us assemble the resources needed to establish our physical therapy program.”
John Jefferson, chair and associate professor for the department of physical therapy, said 75 students will interview Feb. 20 for the inaugural class of 24. The average grade-point average of those students, he said, is 3.5.
Renovations to the 14,000-SF space that will house the physical therapy program are nearing completion. It includes teaching and research space, administrative offices and other amenities.
Hight-Jackson Associates of Rogers handled the design work and East-Harding Inc. of Little Rock was the contractor.
Several thousand dollars of naming opportunities remain in the instructional wing ($400,000) and research wing ($300,000) of the physical therapy department.
The Schmieding Foundation has been a strong supporter and partner with UAMS through the years. In 1998, the nonprofit organization donated $15 million to UAMS to establish and construct the UAMS Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education in Springdale.
A 2009 gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to the Arkansas Aging Initiative of UAMS allowed expansion of the successful Schmieding Home Caregiver Training Program in Little Rock and seven sites around the state.
“Access to comprehensive rehabilitation services is a way to help aging Arkansans extend health and quality of life, so we are proud to support UAMS Northwest in its efforts to build a high-quality physical therapy program here,” said Gilda Underwood, president of The Schmieding Foundation.