University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Employee ... · PDF fileUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Employee Service Awards 2016 ... enhancing career satisfaction and increasing

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Employee Service Awards 2016

“Celebrating Service and Dedication”

20+ Ceremony & Reception Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016

12:30 check-in, 1:00 ceremony - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - -

5, 10, & 15 Years Employee Reception Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016

1:00 PM Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute - 12th Floor

UAMS will recognize a total of 1348 employees this year at the 2016 Employee Service Award

Receptions. Of this total, one very special employee will be celebrating 50 years, two employees will

celebrate 45 years, and fourteen employees will be celebrating 40 years. It is with great pride that we

celebrate these significant milestones!

Employee services anniversaries will be celebrated at special events in November. Invitations will be

mailed to the recipients in October. For more information visit the HR Website at

http://hr.uams.edu/other/employee-recognition/employee-service-awards/

50 years

Mr. Willie A Thomas Jr.

http://inside.uams.edu/2015/10/nov-3-5-receptions-to-recognize-employee-service-and-commitment/

http://hr.uams.edu/other/employee-recognition/employee-service-awards/

Our 50 year employee is Mr. Willie A. Thomas Jr., a former band member who played guitar, was

bringing a friend to a job interview, at UAMS, when he was hired into a position here on campus. That

was February 1966. Since then he has worked with numerous doctors and in various departments

(Surgery, Animal Lab Research etc.) holding multiple positions. Currently he is working as a Laboratory

Assistant in the Myeloma Institute. A homeowner, Mr. Thomas spends his free time relaxing at home.

CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU for your COMMITMENT and SERVICE to UAMS.

45 years

Dr. Howard H. Conaway

Dr. Conaway was born in Fairmont, West Virginia and received his Ph. D. from the University of Missouri

at Columbia. Dr. Conaway was originally hired in September 1971, with UAMS being the school to

respond to his letters of interest. Dr. Conaway was drawn to Little Rock for the size of the city and the

opportunity to take part in outdoor activities, such as hunting and fishing. He was originally hired in as

an assistant professor in the department of Physiology. With a strong belief in academics, he takes great

pride in his ability to teach a new generation of caregivers, educators and researchers. Over the years he

has taught many students and has stayed in touch with several of his former students. Dr. Conaway is

currently enjoying a more relaxed schedule, teaching part time.


Ms. Jo Ann Scott

Ms. Joann Scott began her career here, in June 1971, as a high school graduate looking for a job.

Nutritional services was her calling because of the impact she would have on patients. In her leisure

time she enjoys spending the time with her family and friends. They keep her young! She lives by

integrity and character. Joann is a very caring person and has a want to attitude to fulfill the patient’s

needs. Joann is a people's person that enjoys meeting all the new patients. She never thought she would

end up at the same job right out of high school but UAMS kept her here. The patients have molded her

spirit and touch her life. One of her proudest moments was just getting to interact with a patient who

was very ill and being able to make an impact on their life in a small way. The small things make Joann

the woman she is. Dignity and strength show her true colors and if anything in her imagination would

come true she would say she is living her dream now.


40 years

Dr. Claudia Beverly

Ms. Claudia Beverly was originally hired in the College of Nursing, by then Dean Elois Fields, as an

Instructor, after completing her Master’s Degree, here at UAMS, in August 1976. While holding a

multitude of positions, here at UAMS, she has been instrumental in successfully securing licensure for

Advanced Practice Nurses in the state of Arkansas. Another milestone in her career was having an

endowed lectureship in her name. Ms. Beverly sees nursing as a vital leading part of the every changing

health care system. She enjoys all outdoor activities and playing with her grandchildren. Having her

priorities in order, have allowed her to be focused on God and family, creating a person of integrity with

a genuine concern for mankind. She continues educating the health care professionals of tomorrow with

her role as a Professor in the College of Nursing.


Ms. Deenamma Chacko

Ms. Deenamma Chacko was first recruited and hired by UAMS from a hospital in England in December

1976, as a Nurse II. A native of Kerala, India, Ms. Chacko was a Head Nurse in ICU at Newcastle on Tyne,

England, but fell in love with Arkansas her first spring here. She received her Master’s Degree in Nursing

Science, after 20+ years of practicing her craft, to become an Advanced Practice Nurse and currently

works in Multiple Myeloma. A self-admitted casual addict of Candy Crush, who also enjoys cooking,

international travel and reading, she is in awe of the advances that have been made in Multiple

Myeloma by the UAMS team to which she is a part. Her patients have grown to trust her word as her

honesty, integrity and love for God are the three things she brings into conversations with them. She

envisions nurses of the future being more consultative in their future role as we incorporate additional

technology into day to day patient care.


Dr. Joan Cranmer

Dr. Joan Cranmer was recruited by UAMS from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. Dr.

Cranmer was initially hired as an Associate Professor in Pharmacology in July 1976. With a strong sense

of paying it forward, Dr. Cranmer believes that mentoring of the Junior Faculty leads to success by

enhancing career satisfaction and increasing productivity. Allowing junior faculty to feel welcomed and

supported translates into a winning outcome for the institution and the faculty. To further promote her

belief, Dr. Cranmer was key in initiating a formal “Mentor-the-Mentors” program. As the recipient of the

“UAMS Phenomenal Woman Award” and having the “Mentor of the Year Award” named for her, Dr.

Cranmer, who is now a Professor in Pediatrics, continues to touch lives beyond the class room. When

not teaching Dr. Cranmer enjoys the beautiful outdoors and spending time with family and friends as

well as road trips and adventures.


Mr. Charles E. Cunningham

Mr. Charles Cunningham was hired by UAMS in March 1976, as a Groundskeeper. Prior to working for

UAMS, Mr. Cunningham had worked for Central Manufacturing Co. as a spray painter and was self-

employed landscaper. Mr. Cunningham takes great pride in helping others. During his employment with

UAMS he has worked on the decontamination team. In his free time he enjoys fishing and traveling.

While currently working as a General Maintenance Repairman, Mr. Cunningham would like to get more

people interested in maintenance, as a career.


Ms. Andrea K. Easom

Ms. Andrea Easom, originally hired in October 1976, in the nursing department, currently works as

Advance Practice Registered Nurse in Nephrology. Since starting her career with UAMS, Ms. Easom has

obtained 3 additional degrees including becoming a Nurse Practitioner and started the UAMS Home

Dialysis Programs in 1980. Currently she is working to set up a state-wide comprehensive,

multidisciplinary chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient education both on campus and via telemedicine.

In her leisure time she enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, crafting, reading, and actively

participates with her church family. As an educator of healthcare professionals and a caregiver her

principles of love, respect while throwing in a little humor and not taking yourself to seriously. Ms.

Easom envisions a future where UAMS can become a center of excellence for CKD and a model for the

country.


Mr. Derrick Haggins

Mr. Derrick Haggins was originally hired, by Joe Duncan, in September 1976, as a carpenter’s helper.

Originally from Forrest City, AR, Mr. Haggins moved to Little Rock seeking employment advancement

opportunity. Currently working as a General Maintenance Repairman, Mr. Haggins enjoys sports, yard

work, movies, family and church in his spare time. His family and church have acted as a compass for his

life and how he treats others. Over the years he has been amazed at the diversity both at UAMS. He

would like to see more people interested in this type of work and see more opportunities to make a new

generation aware of general maintenance repairman as a career field. Pride in working at UAMS is how

Mr. Haggins sums up his employment with UAMS.


Ms. Neila Hobby

Ms. Hobby came to UAMS because she had experienced a major health problem and wanted to help patients through the health care process. She believes all people should be placed first without discriminating on the basis of race, religion, or financial status. Her goal while working at UAMS is to help the patients through the healthcare process. She’s had the privilege to watch so many patients with difficult health problems succeed and regain their health with the help of the medical faculty, nurses, social workers and financial teams, and it has been a wonderful experience for her. She’s proud of the teamwork that has evolved at UAMS. With so many new and innovative medical procedures, it is not an easy process to make sure the patients are insured or referred for medical assistance but she has full confidence that UAMS will succeed with the new procedures in healthcare. Her dream is that every patient that is referred to UAMS or chooses UAMS for their healthcare will have the best medical care and financial assistance.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and church. She also enjoy cooking, reading, and sewing.


Mr. Joey Horton

Mr. Horton started working at UAMS as a Public Safety Officer in 1976 and transferred to Physical Plant Central Control in 1978. He never imagined himself working for UAMS for forty years, but he’s proud of the growth they’ve experienced, how they have met challenges over the years and how they have thrived in doing so.

When he started working at UAMS, Central Control didn’t exist but was in the process of being developed. In 1977, they had one computer that was dedicated to monitoring the fire alarm system, HVAC system, and animal research temperatures. They now monitor ten computer systems, which includes the Code Black Active Shooter system and the pneumatic tube station system. In addition to what they monitored in the beginning, they now monitor equipment and systems too numerous to mention. They are now called the Campus Operations Call Center.

Mr. Horton lives by the golden rule and believes you should treat people the way you want to be treated, take responsibility for your own actions and doing the right thing, no matter what. His vision for UAMS would be for the employees of the Call Center to be truly appreciated for the contributions they make to the doctors, nurses, employees, patients and family members, of this great Hospital and campus.

He enjoys spending time with his two beautiful granddaughters and also playing golf.


Mr. William Johnson

Mr. Johnson was hired to head what at the time was called the Instrumentation Lab. This lab was primarily involved in making equipment for the research area. “We had 2 machinists and 3 electronic technicians”, he said. As technology changed and became more visible in the clinical setting, this morphed into what is now called clinical engineering. From there, he stepped into a role in physical plant where he was responsible for building design review as well as managing the creature comforts such as the power plant, HVAC, and electrical shops. As technology changed, he became responsible for computer systems in Campus Operations and keeping technology in the maintenance workplace on the leading edge. He believes in personal integrity; authenticity, and honesty and that you should be the same person in every situation, whether at work, at home, or at church. He just tries to live a Christian life.

He’s had many achievements while at UAMS. He’s written and implemented the first CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) including PM program for UAMS. This was implemented many years before larger universities on the east and west coast began to move from paper systems. He’s also worked closely with IT to develop the first Local Area Network (LAN) for personal computers on this campus. If he could change one thing, he would have UAMS achieve an integrated system where departments were not solo and worked for the betterment of the patients, students, and researchers, instead of working for themselves. In his spare time, he likes spending time with family, taking walks, photography, music, travel, and outside landscape work.


Ms. Linda Linkous

Ms. Linkous started her career in Human Resources. She did that for about six months and then transferred to Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery until about a year and a half ago when she was changed to the Bogie Team at FGP. Her integrity is the most important principle that she has. She is extremely proud of the fact that she was able to work in a department for so many years and that she had a small part in making that department run well because she learned what was needed and worked to make it succeed. She has made many lifelong friends over the years. Ms. Linkous stated that if she could change one thing about UAMS, it would involve anything dealing with our insurance carriers. In her spare time, she loves to read and spend time with her friends.

Ms. Dorothy Montgomery

Ms. Montgomery began her career at UAMS as a Unit Secretary in the Operating room four decades ago. Less than a year later, she was interviewed for a Social Worker position in the Social Work Department, “took the position, and the rest is history,” she said. She lives by a biblical principle known as the “Golden Rule”. Luke 6:31 “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” When we pause to think how we might like to be treated in a certain situation, we build empathy for those

living in that situation. Doing her tenure here at UAMS, She has witnessed the respect, cooperation, trust, built lifelong friendships, and the genuine love displayed never ceases to amaze her. She has two families now, her immediate family and her UAMS Family, the people she works closely with on a daily basis. Each day she enters UAMS, her focus is on the patient population that she case manages, and how and if she will be able to meet their needs as well as their expectations as it relates to discharge planning. Each time this is accomplished, it makes her very proud. During her spare time, she enjoys working in her yard and reading, but the most important is time being spent with her family.

Ms. Eddie Phillips

Ms. Phillips was fortunate enough to get her degree as a Medical Technologist here at UAMS. She enjoyed the blood banking portion of her training the most. The instructor seemed very knowledgeable and dedicated. So, after school she applied for a job in the blood bank. She stated “I never expected this hospital to be known and respected all over the world”, but it is. I am so proud that we have a stellar reputation here. She believes that every human being is valuable and deserving of healthcare. In her spare time, she can be found gardening or reading.

Mr. Carl Porter

Mr. Porter started out as a Technician, and the job has just evolved over the years. He is overall pleased with UAMS and through the years has seen several dignitaries come to UAMS and passed them in the hallways. He has had a hand in making UAMS a more unified company for patient care, which gives better customer service and gives a better relationship. He believes in treating others fairly and always looking at the good first. His vision for UAMS is that their shops would be listed as the top 10 in the state and the technicians would receive next level education and that managers would welcome and encourage the techs to do it. In his downtime, he can be found traveling. He has been to Cancun, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and has a travel bucket list that includes Dubai, China, Hong King and Africa.

Ms. Patricia Wright

Ms. Wright began her employment at UAMS as a student at Philander Smith College and remained here.

During her employment at UAMS she has educated 2 daughters as well as help put 1 sister and 3 brothers through College. She has been able to buy 4 new cars, have a decent place to live and just

enjoy life. She’s very thankful to have a job and to be able to do all the things that she enjoys. Now, she’s looking forward to the future, because that’s where her retirement resides. Ms. Wright believes that you should always treat people the way you would want to be treated.

One of her greatest pleasures is spending time with her TAPS family, which stands for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, people who have lost love ones during or after their service in Military. I have enjoyed voluntary work with Fallen Heroes of our men and women in the Military. During her leisure time, she enjoys traveling. During her tenure at UAMS, she has traveled all over the United States; as far as Hawaii, Alaska Washington, D.C. as well as traveling to different locations on cruise ships. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends.

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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Employee ... · PDF fileUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Employee Service Awards 2016 ... enhancing career satisfaction and increasing