UAMS Department of Medical Humanities & Bioethics

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UAMS Department of Medical Humanities & Bioethics

The official page of the UAMS College of Medicine's Department of Medical Humanities & Bioethics.

To provide education in humanities and ethics across the health professions,

To develop insightful, useful humanities and ethics scholarship for the academic community and lay public, and

To provide clinical services across the UAMS system and Arkansas Children’s Hospital that brings to bear the insights of the humanities in order to impact positively patient care and help develop a culture of ethics across the enterprise. In a world of rapid scientific and technological advances, medicine faces increasingly complex human problems and possibilities not foreseen by or included in traditional medical education. Since its establishment in the early 1980s the Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics has addressed these complexities through: Education - Clinical Support -- Scholarship & Research Support and Service.

09/11/2026

Smile, you're on camera!

The semester is in full swing, and we are excited for all the Humanities electives offered this fall. Among them is a fully online History of Medicine course taught by Dr. Trish Starks from U of A.

In this course, students have the chance to explore the intersection between science, medicine, race, and gender throughout the history of western biomedicine. We are very grateful to have such a great teacher and such wonderful students!

08/28/2026

Dr. Fox and Dr. Hester represented our department at a research fair yesterday, sharing with others how to responsibly conduct research by considering all ethical concerns involved.

If you have any questions or would like to request a consultation, please reach out - [email protected]

07/24/2026

On Thursday, the faculty and Humanities Honors Track students got to meet together to talk about readings and enjoy being together. It was a great turnout, and we're excited for when we can do it again!

06/09/2026

As the UAMS PA program draws near to the end of its ethics course, Dr. Angela Scott led students through a session on Arts and Medicine.

Using visual works as a starting point, Dr. Scott emphasized the value of slowing down and describing what is seen before jumping to interpretation. The discussion and activities highlighted how this practice mirrors clinical encounters, reminding future PAs that careful observation should come before assigning meaning or making a diagnosis.

05/14/2026

To assist with the UAMS Physician Assistant Studies program, the Medical Humanities & Bioethics Department leads PA students through six weeks of ethics training covering different clinical topics, such as Palliative Care, Surgery, and Transplants.

On Wednesday of this week, Dr. Micah Hester presented students with different clinical cases where they were challenged to consider some of the ethical implications that healthcare workers may have to face.

We're glad to be a part of educating determined and compassionate students who will make a huge impact in the future of healthcare wherever they go.

04/22/2026

Don't miss out on the opportunity to join us in person or online for the Harvey and Bernice Jones Lecture in Pediatrics on Thursday at 12:00pm.

The speaker will be Brian Carter, MD from UKMC Children's Mercy Hospital, presenting "The Physician's Privilege."

See more details in image below.

04/17/2026

On Wednesday, the Death and Dying students ended their course by taking their annual trip to visit Mt. Holly Cemetery. The day’s guide, Matilda Buchanan, led our students on a tour of the cemetery, illuminating not only characteristics of cemeteries in general, but also some unique stories that intersect with the history of Little Rock and Central Arkansas over the years.

Thank you so much to those who made this possible, especially our guide and those who maintain Mt. Holly Cemetery.

04/14/2026

Last Thursday was our annual Art from the Heart reception, highlighting the artistic talent across various disciplines and recognizing UAMS community members with the presentation of awards.

In addition to the beautiful visual art represented, the Paulette and Jay Mehta Creative Writing Awards were given in the following categories.

Fiction: Samrat Roy Choudhury with “The Time of the Stopped Clock”
Creative Nonfiction: Dana Garrison with “The Rally”
Poetry: Safi Alsebai with “Here in the Clinic in America”

Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to all who made this a memorable event.

Photo credits: Bryan Clifton

04/07/2026

Students have been hard at work last week and this week during our two-week block course elective, Ethics of Clinical Practice.

Among other things, they are learning about the Clinical Ethics Consult Service (CECS) at UAMS. Anyone involved in a case my request a consult through Epic, by paging us at 501-405-8134, or by emailing [email protected].

The ethics consultation is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

03/20/2026

Congratulations to all our students who matched into residency programs! 🎉

We’re so proud of you and all the work you have put into becoming the best doctors possible!

Address

4301 W. Markham
Little Rock, AR
72205

Website

https://humanities.uams.edu/

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