June 20, 2023

First Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence Presented to Five Faculty Members

Five UAMS faculty members received the first Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence during the monthly UAMS Town Hall in May.

The awards replace the Chancellor’s Teaching Awards that previously were presented during UAMS Commencement. An awards committee developed the new awards program, expanding the awards to recognize faculty excellence in five categories:  Educational Innovation, Clinical Innovation, Faculty Mentorship, Community or Institutional Service, and Scholarship. The 2022 honorees were chosen from nominations received from all five UAMS colleges and the Graduate School. An internal committee with representatives from all of the colleges made recommendations in each category to the Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, and Provost Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D.

From left: Chanccellor Cam Patterson with the Chancellor's Awards for Excellence recipients Wayne Wahls, Clare Brown, Joan Cranmer, Analiz Rodriguez and Lawrence Greiten.

From left: Chanccellor Cam Patterson with the Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence recipients Wayne Wahls, Clare Brown, Joan Cranmer, Analiz Rodriguez and Lawrence Greiten.

The 2022 honorees, and the category they received an award for, are:

  • Lawrence E. Greiten, M.D. — Educational Innovation
  • Analiz Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D. — Clinical Innovation
  • Joan Marie Cranmer, Ph.D. — Faculty Mentorship
  • Clare Brown, Ph.D., MPH — Community or Institutional Service
  • Wayne P. Wahls, Ph.D. — Scholarship

Greiten, an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine (COM) Department of Surgery, received praise for outstanding teaching evaluations and for being an exceptional mentor. He developed a highly effective curriculum for cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgical fellows and medical students, while also providing oral boards for surgical residents.

Rodriguez, associate professor in the COM Department of Neurosurgery, used next-generation sequencing on brain tumors that were surgically receptive, accelerating diagnosis and treatment for patients. Rodriguez has given grand rounds presentations at Johns Hopkins University and Indiana University to discuss the precision medicine platform she developed. Her nominator said that she’s recognized as an emerging leader in the field of functional precision medicine for brain tumors.

Cranmer, professor in the COM Department of Pediatrics, led development of the promotion and tenure program used by the department. Cranmer was also named the department’s mentor of the year. Cranmer’s nominator referenced her success as a faculty mentor and how she regularly provides counsel to faculty members in other colleges.

Brown, assistant professor in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, provided important analytics work for UAMS’ COVID-19 reports. Brown’s nominator stated that she’s dedicated to serving UAMS, the state, her colleagues and her field as a whole. Brown is on numerous UAMS committees and occupies roles as a teacher and mentor.

Wahls, a professor in the COM Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has completed direct research on biotic chromosome dynamics, conducted educational research fulfilled mentorship duties. He regularly displays a strong commitment to preparing and mentoring the next generation of scientists. His nominator said that Wahls is a meticulous scientist with world-class creativity and intellectual ability.

“I want to congratulate each of our honorees on a job very well done,” Patterson said.

Award recipients receive $5,000 and a crystal award recognizing their achievement.