UAMS, Lyon College to collaborate on state dental school
by November 7, 2022 9:37 am 2,151 views
A new veterinary and dental school will be located in Heifer International's current headquarters.
Lyon College, in collaboration with OneHealth Education Group, announced its plans in April 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 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 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.”