Academic Achievements

• The University of Mississippi Medical Center received a stellar review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. A committee of peers reviewed the campus and issued a report of “no recommendations,” demonstrating UMMC’s commitment to excellence in educational programs. Once every 10 years, peer reviewers on behalf of the organization visit UMMC to evaluate its adherence to important educational standards.
• UMMC became one of the first academic medical centers to fully implement the Workday module for Students, which brings together student recruiting and admissions, student records, curriculum management, academic advising, student finance and financial aid into one system. 
• The Lanier (High School) Teen Wellness Clinic operated by the UMMC School of Nursing received the 2021 Governor’s Award through the Mississippi Association of Partners in Education, honoring the care provided at Lanier since the clinic’s 2015 opening. 
• Dr. Rob Rockhold, professor emeritus of pharmacology and toxicology, was the 2022 SEC Faculty Achievement Award winner for the University of Mississippi. 
• A $1 million gift established the Patricia Dyre Kimble Endowed Chair in Nursing and will supplement the nursing professor who will be chosen to hold the chair. It is the second endowed chair in the School of Nursing.
• The School of Nursing increased its number of publications by 108 percent from the previous year and saw a 58 percent increase in funding for nursing research and scholarship. 
• The School of Medicine was acknowledged by U.S. News and World Report as one of the leading U.S. medical schools for producing graduates who serve areas where physicians are needed the most. 
• Partnerships for school-based clinics in Jackson and Rolling Fork earned the School of Nursing an Exemplary Academic-Practice Partnership Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. UMMC SON CHAMP, an acronym for Underserved Mississippi Communities: School of Nursing Coordinated Healthcare through an Authentic Model of Partnership, received the honor at the AACN’s Academic Nursing Leadership Conference. 
• The School of Medicine was one of 11 institutions nationally selected by the American Society of Clinical Oncology as a host site for the 2022 Oncology Summer Internship. 
• The Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences united to enhance student education and faculty development in the School of Medicine under the newly-named Department of Advanced Biomedical Education.
• The School of Medicine arranged the state’s first health care careers recruitment event for Native Americans. 
• The School of Medicine implemented three summer enrichment programs targeting diverse students – Promoting Recruitment Opportunities in Medicine with Individual Study Experiences or PROMISE, Insight Summer Enrichment Program and Black Men in Healthcare Empowerment Summit. 
• Dr. Norma Ojeda, chair of the Department of Advanced Biomedical Education, was honored by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning as UMMC’s nominee for the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award. 
• The School of Nursing received $55 million from the Mississippi Legislature for a new school building.
• AY22 saw increased enrollment in the Accelerated BSN program: 126 total
  • 66 Jackson/60 Oxford 
• The John D. Bower School of Population Health hooded six PhD graduates from two departments – population health science and data science – demonstrating the growth of the school since its creation in 2016. 

Leading in Education 

• Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, was named chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 
• Dr. Julie Sanford, dean of the School of Nursing and professor of nursing, was selected to serve as secretary of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Board of Directors. 
• New academic leadership was announced:
  • Dr. Joey Granger, dean of the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences, also named associate vice chancellor for research;
  • Dr. Scott Rodgers, named associate vice chancellor for academic affairs;
  • Dr. Natalie Gaughf, named assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs; 
  • Dr. Thomas Dobbs, former state health officer, named dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health; 
  • Dr. Angela Burrell named interim dean of the School of Health Related Professions; 
  • Dr. Norma Ojeda named chair of the Department of Advanced Biomedical Education; 
  • Dr. Babbette LaMarca named chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.