Annual Donation to UAMS Breast Cancer Program Brings Ashley County Cares Total to $358,000
| LITTLE ROCK — Members of the grassroots group Ashley County Cares visited the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) on Nov. 16 to present a donation of $35,000 for breast cancer research and outreach.
Since 2005, Ashley County Cares has worked in its community to raise $358,000 for breast cancer programs at UAMS. Representatives of the group traveled to the UAMS Cancer Institute to present their most recent donation — $35,000 to be used for breast cancer research and statewide outreach and education efforts.
Ashley County Cares President Donna Shields presented the check to UAMS Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D.
“Ashley County Cares is a remarkable group that has truly made an impact on breast cancer research and awareness in Arkansas. We are honored to accept their donation and to support their work on behalf of the women in our state,” said Emanuel, who also serves as a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine.
Joining them were Issam Makhoul, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Medical Oncology; Ronda Henry-Tillman, M.D., professor in the Department of Surgery; and V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Breast and Surgical Oncology, all in the UAMS College of Medicine.
“We have all been touched by breast cancer and know how important it is to keep fighting for a cure,” Shields said. “We are happy to support UAMS’ research and outreach efforts across the state, as well as honor our own breast cancer survivors in Ashley County.”
Accompanying Shields were her fellow Ashley County Cares members Bernice Nelms and Kay Hartshorn.
The group’s donation was raised through their annual events, including two T-shirt sales, a dinner and auction, and the Armadillo Festival 5K run/1K walk.
Learn more about Ashley County Cares here.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###