UAMS Schmieding Developmental Center in Lowell Awarded $651,000 for Program Expansion

By Benjamin Waldrum

The center, which provides state-of-the-art developmental assessment and care for children birth through 18, is part of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. The Schmieding Foundation, an independent foundation in Springdale, has long supported the center, beginning with the initial endowment to create the center in 1993.

“The Schmieding Foundation is deeply committed to supporting the talented professionals who are uniquely qualified to assess health care and behavioral needs of northwest Arkansas’ children,” said Gilda Underwood, Schmieding Foundation president. “We are pleased that Dr. Mary Ann Scott and her team are here and provide comprehensive evaluations and treatment recommendations so their families know how to help their child grow under challenging conditions.”

The center’s goal is to help children overcome developmental diagnoses and have success in school, daily life and in their family and peer relationships. Assessments address conditions including epilepsy, autism, anxiety disorders, ADHD, concussions, miscellaneous neurological conditions and pediatric cancer.

“The gift from the Schmieding Foundation will allow us to enhance our recruitment effort and I thank them for their commitment to our educational initiatives in northwest Arkansas,” said Mary Ann Scott, Ph.D., Schmieding Developmental Center section chief and professor in the Department of Pediatrics. “Education is vital to the future growth of the center, and clinical fellowships provide the best opportunity to train future faculty members. We are deeply grateful to the Schmieding Foundation for their support.”

The center sees about 350 newly diagnosed patients each year. Center staff include a psychiatrist, two neuropsychologists, psychologist, psychological examiner, social worker and speech pathologist.

“We deeply appreciate the generosity of the Schmieding Foundation and their commitment to improving the health of children in Arkansas with developmental disabilities,” said Frederick “Rick” E. Barr, M.D., MBA, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and associate dean for child health in the UAMS College of Medicine.

“This new grant will help the Schmieding Developmental Center at UAMS recruit and retrain top faculty to deliver expert care to kids with developmental challenges,” Barr said. “It is a great ongoing partnership that will benefit kids.”

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.

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