Forty Under 40: Julie Joyce

Positivity and a passion for community service have set in motion Julie Joyce’s rapid rise at UAMS.

A Colombia native, Joyce started in 2022 as an outreach manager in UAMS’ Office of Community Health and Research (CHR), whose mission is to reduce health disparities and prevent chronic disease throughout the region.

She said supporting underrepresented communities as they navigate a new healthcare system is critical work.

“It’s a struggle, and I lived that struggle,” Joyce said.

In her current job, she represents CHR to community members and stakeholders as part of UAMS’ participatory approach to improving health and health education for the region’s growing Hispanic population.

Colleagues say she is a leader to the office’s approximately 20 Spanish-speaking CHR workers and translators. Additionally, she spearheads a collaboration between UAMS and Univision, a Spanish-language media and content company, to produce regular health-related segments broadcast throughout the state.

Joyce moved to Northwest Arkansas from Colombia 20 years ago. Before joining UAMS, she worked as a Univision reporter and anchor, a community health worker, a lawyer and an English as a second language (ESL) assistant at a local middle school.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in folklore and a law degree from The Coast University in Colombia.

Joyce’s passion for community service extends beyond UAMS. She’s a visible volunteer for several health-related nonprofits, including the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

In 2017, she was chosen by her peers as the recipient of the High Hoof award, recognizing the candidate who raises the most advocacy awareness in the ADA’s annual Kiss a Pig Gala fundraiser.