Dean’s Honor Day Honors College’s Faculty, Institution Icons
May 9, 2012 | UAMS College of Medicine faculty members were honored for their outstanding contributions in teaching, leadership and service at the second annual Dean’s Honor Day ceremony on April 17. The celebration also included the induction of four new members of the College of Medicine Hall of Fame. “Our faculty members are central to everything we do in the College of Medicine,” Dean Debra H. Fiser, M.D., told the crowd gathered in the Fred W. Smith Auditorium on the UAMS campus. “Your innovative teaching and dedication to students is preparing the next generation of physicians and medical researchers for Arkansas. You’re providing world-class care at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA and our clinical facilities throughout the state. And you are translating biomedical discoveries into better medical care.” Two faculty members – each with more than 30 years of service in the College of Medicine – received the Distinguished Faculty Service Award, which honors current faculty who have provided extraordinary, broad-based and long-term service to the college. Patrick H. Casey, M.D., a professor in the Department of Pediatrics, was recognized for his outstanding work on behalf of high-risk infants and children. Patrick W. Tank, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, was honored for his profound impact on College of Medicine students. As a clinician scientist, Casey published groundbreaking findings on failure to thrive in infancy, the importance of well-child visits and nutrition, and the development of healthy and pre-term infants. He led the seminal multi-site Infant Health and Development Program in Arkansas, which led to the KIDS FIRST therapeutic day care program that now serves children at 11 sites across the state and is a model for the entire country. Casey also established the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE), which has provided a supportive environment for many pediatrics faculty members and the development of other nationally recognized research programs such as the Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention and the Injury Prevention Center. Casey has directed the Growth and Development Clinic at ACH since joining the faculty in 1979. In 2006, he and colleagues initiated the very successful Medical Home Clinic for children with medical complexity. As vice-chairman for faculty affairs in the department since 2005, Casey also organized a strong faculty mentorship program. Tank has been a pillar in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences since joining the faculty in 1978. He directed the Medical Gross Anatomy course and the Anatomical Gift Program from 1985 to 2011. He also has served as director of education and director of anatomical education. Tank held the Charles H. and Charles M. Lutterloh Medical Excellence Professorship from 1998 to 2001, and served as interim chairman of the department in 1999-2000. More recently, he oversaw the crucial expansion of UAMS’ Gross Anatomy Laboratory. Tank has taught gross anatomy to more than 4,000 freshman medical students, in addition to vast numbers of graduate students, through the years and is a highly respected educator. He is internationally known as the author of the last three editions of “Grant’s Dissector.” Among many accolades, Tank has received five Golden Apple awards, 23 Red Sash awards and two Gold Sashes. He has received the Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award, the College of Medicine Educational Innovation Award and Master Teacher Award, and the Chancellor’s Faculty Teaching Award. Later in the ceremony, four alumni and former faculty members were inducted into the College of Medicine Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals from throughout the college’s history who have achieved special distinction as physicians, scientists and leaders. They included: • Glen F. Baker, M.D. ’59 Read more about the Hall of Fame inductees |
