UAMS PARTNERS IN HEALTH SCIENCES PROGRAM
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STATEWIDE FOR PreK-12 TEACHERS IN HEALTH
SCIENCE CONTENT USING A “TRAIN AND EQUIP” APPROACH
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, Health Related Professions and the Graduate School
Twenty five years experience

In late 1990, I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., then Dean of the UAMS College of Medicine made the decision to get UAMS involved in science education for PreK-12 teachers statewide. Robert Burns, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Department of Anatomy (now the Dept. of Neurobiology & Developmental Sciences) was selected to head this effort. A “train the trainer” approach was adopted, but with an important twist and that was the inclusion of the gift of an appropriate resource kit containing supplies, materials and even items of equipment to every workshop participant. In this way the program used a “train them and equip” them theme. This effort was named the UAMS-Partners in Health Sciences (PIHS) program. The first edition of the PIHS program occurred in the summer of 1991 with 13 local teachers taking a 3-day workshop in medical embryology with each using their own new Medical Embryology textbook and a CD of accompanying images provided by the program in each participant’s “resource kit”.

From this small beginning the PIHS program grew and offered 1, 2 or 3-day workshops at UAMS during the summer months. Each workshop included face-to-face interactive training, hands-on laboratory activities and the gift of a resource kit. Faculty members from all UAMS colleges and the Graduate School volunteered to organize and teach in these workshops. The items in the resource kit were used during the workshop and this promoted use of these resource kit items by the newly trained participant to initiate new student learning opportunities in the participant’s home school. For example, in the “Healthy Hearts” workshop, taught by volunteer faculty member from the Departments of Anatomy and Physiology) the resource kit contains a profusely illustrated, text-rich syllabus, a CD of all of the health science images used during the workshop, a stethoscope, a model of the development of atherosclerosis in blood vessels, a dissectible plastic model of the heart, a cow heart that each participant dissected during the workshop and 6 hours of continuing education/professional development credit approved by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Obviously, the content of the resource kits varies with the workshop topic. For example, in the “Sickle Cell Anemia” workshop, taught by faculty members from Anatomy, Biochemistry and Pediatrics, the resource kit contained two blood smears, one normal and one from a sickle cell patient, a gel electrophoresis apparatus and several different types of human hemoglobin molecules (HbA, HbS) to be used by the teacher in the home community classroom setting to visualize the different electrical properties of normal and abnormal hemoglobins such as the abnormal hemoglobin characteristic of sickle cell anemia.

In this way one trained and equipped participant offering new learning opportunities in a hometown classroom would be able to replicate that curricular events for her/his professional lifetime. This translates into hundred to thousands of children being impacted by each newly trained and equipped PIHS workshop participant for as long as she/he teaches. The average value of a resource kit is about $300.
2016 was the 25th year of the UAMS-PIHS program. During that time 202 different UAMS faculty from each of the UAMS Colleges and the Graduate school volunteered to teach workshops in 102 different health science topics. Many of these workshops were held on the UAMS campus, but a significant number were held in local community settings throughout the state, such as at an Educational Cooperative, Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Math & Science center, college, church, community center, etc. In summary, in the PIHS program a total of 22,576 participants have consumed 82,558 hours of professional development (with resource kits). Participants have attended from all 75 counties in the state represented.

The UAMS PIHS program received national recognition when it was awarded 7 years of federal funding in the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program of the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health. With that federal support most workshops were held on the UAMS campus and grant funds paid participant travel costs. In several instances when participants were taking a 2 or 3-day workshop, federal grant funds also provided room and board for participants at the UAMS student union. Before and after the receipt of the NIH SEPA grant, intramural funding was received from the Dean of the College of Medicine and the UAMS Chancellor. These initial or startup funds allowed data to be collected and used for grants from the Department of Higher Education – Eisenhower Mathematics & Science fund, the American Physiological Society, AR Department of Health, AR Cancer Coalition, AR Head Start, AR Prostate Cancer Foundation, Bank of America, BankCorp South, Jennings Osborn (local philanthropist), The Kellogg Foundation, Merk Co., Pfizer Co., National Science Foundation, Arkansas Better Chance (ABC), and the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education-AR Department of Human Services. The total extramural funding amounts to $3,413,716.

With the loss of the federal SEPA funding and, therefore, the inability to pay participant travel and room and board costs, Dr. Burns “took the PIHS program on the road” and presented workshops in 39 different community locations in the state reaching local teachers/school nurses in hundreds of towns nearby the training site. He carried all workshop and resource kit materials in his vehicle to each of the distant locations. The workshops presented in this component of the PIHS were: “Healthy Hearts”, “Healthy Lungs”, “Healthy Skin” and “Biology of Cancer”. These health science topics were selected because health education of children provides them with a solid and correct information base from which they can make healthy lifestyle choices especially in relation to cardiovascular disease, emphysema, lung and oral cancer, and skin cancer – all of which have beginnings in the childhood years.

Although most of the training in the PIHS program targeted teachers and school nurses, some PIHS outreach efforts directly involved middle and high school students. These students were exposed to 1.5 hr. seminars presented by a variety of UAMS faculty members using live, two-way audio/video telecommunication technology. For instance, a local school was present in the UAMS telecommunication classroom and an additional 3-4 schools in the state also participated online. The number of participating schools per session was kept to a manageable number so there was ample time for Q&A between the students and the faculty presenter and even between the students themselves located at distant sites from each other. In this way each UAMS faculty member presented his/her 1.5 hr. session a total of 4 times to a total of about 12-16 different schools. Because telecommunication technology literally is connected worldwide, PIHS used this technology to involve high school students in NY, FL, MT, CA, LA, WVa, TX and Taiwan simultaneously with Arkansas students. On one occasion a clinician (Sam Shacks, M.D., Ph.D. and a graduate of the UA at Pine Bluff) Department of Pediatrics at the King-Drew medical center in Los Angeles, CA presented a workshop on “Asthma” to both CA and AR students. Dr. Burns used telecommunication technology to teach the Functional Anatomy of the Heart to the same students in CA and AR.

The PIHS program spawned another outreach program focused on behavioral science/mental health (Partners in Behavioral Health Sciences – PIBHS) that was funded by a separate NIH SEPA grant for $1,571,747 for 5 yrs. (Drs. Kirchner and Kramer, Department of Psychiatry). When the PIBHS funding arrived the UAMS College of Medicine was the only medical school in the nation to simultaneously hold two SEPA grants.
In the PreK arena several of the participants attending the “Health Hearts and Lungs” workshop have volunteered to work with their students and have them put on a “HH/HL Play” for their parents and family members – teaching their parents health science concepts related to heart and respiratory diseases such as atherosclerosis, emphysema and lung cancer. HH/HL plays have been very well received by parents in Beebe, Berryville, Farmington, Norfork, Little Rock and Jonesboro. Arkansas.
As a research enterprise in education the PIHS obtained short and long term evaluation data from hundreds of participants. This information was shared with educators in the USA and the world by publishing the results in peer-reviewed, scientific journals. In this way the PIHS program has produced 8 publications in scientific journals that have national and international readership, thus capturing national and international recognition of the PIHS program. These publications contain more details about each of these PIHS programs including participant evaluations.

PUBLICATIONS (from SEPA and post-SEPA Funding)

Kirchner, JE, Yoder, MC, Kramer, TL, Lindsey, MS and Thrush, CR. 2000
Development of an Educational Program to Increase School Personnel’s Awareness
About Child and Adolescent Depression. Education 121:235-246.

Burns, E. R. 2002 Anatomy of a Successful K-12 Educational Outreach Program in the Health Sciences–Eleven Years Experience at one Medical Sciences Campus. Anatomical Record (New Anatomist) 269:181-193.

Burns, E. R. and M. S. Lindsey 2004 Cancer education and cancer prevention education for K-12 teachers and students. J. Cancer Education 19:105-110.

Burns, E. R. 2008 Use of the Published Lance Armstrong Cancer Story to Teach Health Science Content to High School Students. The American Biology Teacher 70:17-22.

Burns, E. R. 2008 Functional Anatomy of the Cardiovascular System: Professional Development for PreK-3 Teachers Using a “Train and Equip” Method Results in Learning Opportunities for Students. Journal of Anatomical Science Education 1:119-125.

Burns, E. R. 2012 Healthy Lungs: Cancer Education for Middle School Teachers
Using a “Train and Equip” Method. J. Cancer Education 27(1):179-185.

Burns, E. R. 2014 Cancer Prevention and Control: Where are the Kids? J. Cancer Education. 29 (2): 209-210.

Burns, E.R. 2017 Healthy Skin: Cancer Education for School Teachers and Nurses Using a “Train and Equip” Method. J. Cancer Education. 32:72-78.

FUNDING HISTORY (specifics)

Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) – Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Improvement Program grant for “Partners in Health Sciences Program” at UAMS: $45,200: 11/1/93-10/31/94 (PIHS 1994), Principal Investigator.

ADHE-Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Improvement Program grant for “Partners in Health Sciences Program” at UAMS: $21,600 new award plus $13,383 carry forward from FY 93-94, $34,983: 11/1/94-10/31/95 (PIHS 1995), Principal Investigator.

ADHE-Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Improvement Program grant for “Partners in Health Sciences Program” at UAMS: $39,900 new + $9,096.41 carry forward $48,996.41: 11/1/95-10/31/96 (PIHS 1996), Principal Investigator.

ADHE, Human Capital Development Grant, “Partners in Health Sciences: Distance Learning for Science,” $49,000: July 1, 1996-June 30, 1997, Principal Investigator.

ADHE-Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Improvement Program Grant for “Partners in Health Science Program” at UAMS: $38,100: 11/1/96 – 10/312/97 (PIHS 1997), Principal Investigator
NIH-Science Education Partnership Award, “Partners in Health Sciences: Teachers, Students, Public – Phase I”, $710,694: 9/1/97 – 10/31/2000, Principal Investigator (50%) salary).

American Physiological Society Local Outreach Team grant for K-12 teacher training from 9/1/98-10/31/99, $4320, co-investigator with Mike Soulsby, Ph.D., Dept. of Physiology.

Miscellaneous support from pharmaceutical companies, local philanthropists and local community outreach organizations, January 1998 – December 2006, $8,900.

NIH-NCRR Science Education Partnership Award, “Partners in Health Sciences: Teachers, Students, Public – Phase II” (#R25RR12346), $754,810: 9/30/00-8/31/04 (no cost extension), 8% indirect, Principal Investigator (50% effort and salary recovery).

NIH-NCRR Science Education Partnership Award, “Partners in Behavioral Health Science” (#R25RR15976), $1,571,747, 10/01/00 – 9/30/05, 8% indirect, Co-I with Teresa Kramer, Ph.D. and JoAnn Kirchner, M.D., joint PIs, (ERB = 25% salary year 1, 20% salary 02, 15% effort and salary recovery 03-05).

NIH-NCI-R25E “Student Partners in Cancer Research and Education”, $1,112,102, 7/01/00 – 6/30/05, Co-I with Richard Nicholas, MD, PI. (ERB = annual 5% effort and salary recovery).

Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Cancer Education for K-12 Teachers and the Public”, July 2001 – June 2002, $5,000, Principle Investigator.

Bank of American, “Making Educational Technology Work for Teachers”, June 2002, $5000, Principal Investigator.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Cancer Education for K-12 Teachers and the Public”, July 2002 – June 2003, $8,500, Principle Investigator.

Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation, “Cancer Education of the Male Reproductive System for K-12 Teachers and Grade 7-14 Students” July 2003 – June 2004, $10,000, Principle Investigator.

NSF-SBIR (#DMI-0340214) “Interactive Human Anatomy for Grade 7-14 Students and Teachers – Phase I”, January 1, 2004 – June 30, 2004, ERB = Co-PI with Mr. Thomas McCracken, Vice President for Research and Development, Visible Productions, Inc., Fort Collins, CO. Total grant amount = $98,140, UAMS-PIHS amount = $20,520 direct with no indirect; ERB at 25% effort and salary recovery.

(36) Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Cancer Education for K-12 Teachers and the Public”, July 2004 – June 2005, $50,000, 15% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services – Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, “Healthy Hearts: Health Science and Literacy Professional Development for ALL PreK Teachers in the State of Arkansas”, July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2007, $269,790, ERB as PI with 28% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Cancer Scholar Program – Healthy Lungs”, July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007, $32,515, ERB as PI with 5% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services – Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, “Healthy Hearts – Healthy Lungs: Professional Development for for PreK Teachers in the State of Arkansas”, July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008, $64,447.50, ERB as PI with 25% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Cancer Scholar Program – Healthy Lungs”, July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008, $15,000, ERB as PI with 2% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Cancer Scholar Program – Healthy Lungs”, July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009, $15,000, ERB as PI with 3% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Department of Human Services – Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, “Healthy Hearts: Professional Development for for PreK through Grade 3 Teachers in the State of Arkansas”, July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2010, $121,407, ERB as PI with 22% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Tobacco Control Branch – Healthy Lungs”, July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010, $35,000, ERB as PI with 6% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Cancer Scholar Program – Healthy Lungs”, July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010, $15,000, ERB as PI with 2% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition, “Healthy Skin”, February 1, 2010 – June 30, 2010, $48,823, ERB as PI with 10% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Department of Human Services – Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, “Healthy Hearts: Professional Development for for PreK through Grade 3 Teachers in the State of Arkansas”, July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011, $42,492, ERB as PI with 17% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition (CDC-AR Dept. of Health), “Cancer Scholar Program – Healthy Lungs”, July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011, $20,000, ERB as PI with 2.5% effort and salary recovery.

Arkansas Cancer Coalition, “Healthy Skin”, July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011, $71,014, ERB as PI with 13.5% effort and salary recovery.

“Healthy Hearts”: Professional Development for PreK through Grade 3 Teachers in the State of Arkansas, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care & Early Childhood Education. Total cost $42,537 (total direct cost $39,386; total indirect cost $3,151 at 8%). Funding period 7/1/11 – 6/30/12. E.R. Burns (PI) 17% effort.

Cancer Scholars Program “Healthy Lungs”, Center for Disease Control (CDC), Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Cancer Coalition. Total cost $25,000 (total direct cost $22,422; total indirect cost $2,578 at 11.5%). Funding period 7/1/011 – 6/30/12. E.R. Burns (PI) 8% effort.

“Healthy Hearts and Lungs: Professional Development in Health Science for Teachers and their Students with Parental Involvement”. Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care & Early Childhood Education. Funding period 7/1/12 – 6/30/13 (renewable for 6 years). Total cost $100,000 (total direct cost $92,593; total indirect cost $7,407) E.R. Burns (PI) 28% effort.

“Healthy Skin”. Arkansas Cancer Coalition. Funding period 7/1/12 – 6/30/13. Total cost $55,378 (total direct cost $50,344; total indirect cost $5,034). E.R. Burns (PI) 10% effort.

Cancer Scholars Program “Healthy Lungs”, Center for Disease Control (CDC), Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Cancer Coalition. Total cost $25,000 (total direct cost $22,422; total indirect cost $2,578 at 11.5%). Funding period 7/1/012 – 6/30/13. E.R. Burns (PI) 2% effort.

Healthy Hearts and Lungs: Professional Development in Health Science for Teachers and their Students with Parental Involvement”, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care & Early Childhood Education. Funding period 7/1/13 – 6/30/14. Total cost $100,000 (total direct cost $92,593; total indirect cost $7,407) E.R. Burns (PI) 28% effort and R. Cornett 36% effort.

“Healthy Lungs and Gums”, Center for Disease Control (CDC), Arkansas Department of Health, Comprehensive Cancer Control Section and Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program. Funding period 7/1/013 – 6/30/14. Total cost $35,000 (total direct cost $31,392; total indirect cost $3,608 at 11.5%) E.R. Burns (PI) 3% effort and R. Cornett 14% effort.

Healthy Hearts and Lungs: Professional Development in Health Science for Teachers and their Students with Parental Involvement”, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care & Early Childhood Education. Funding period 7/1/14 – 6/30/15. Total cost $100,000 (total direct cost $92,593; total indirect cost $7,407 at 8%) E.R. Burns (PI) 32% effort and R. Cornett 86% effort.

Healthy Hearts and Lungs: Professional Development in Health Science for Teachers and their Students with Parental Involvement”, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care & Early Childhood Education. Funding period 7/1/15 – 6/30/16. Total cost $100,000 (total direct cost $92,593; total indirect cost $7,407 at 8%) E.R. Burns (PI) 48% effort and R. Cornett 100% effort.

“Cancer Biology”, Construction of enduring materials for CNE (Continuing Nurse Education). Center for Disease Control (CDC), Arkansas Department of Health, Comprehensive Cancer Control Section. Funding period 7/1/015 – 6/30/16. Total cost $25,000 (total direct cost $22,422; total indirect cost $2,578 at 11.5%) E.R. Burns (PI) 20% effort.

Healthy Hearts and Lungs: Professional Development in Health Science for Teachers and their Students with Parental Involvement”, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care & Early Childhood Education. Funding period 7/1/16 – 6/30/19. Total cost $300,000 (total direct cost $277,779; total indirect cost $22,221 at 8%) E.R. Burns (PI) 45% effort and R. Cornett 100% effort.

SUMMARY OF EXTAMURAL GRANT ORGANIZATIONS (alphabetical)
• American Physiological Society
• Arkansas Cancer Coalition
• Arkansas Department of Health
• Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education
• Arkansas Department of Higher Education: Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Award
• Arkansas Head Start – State Collaboration Project
• Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation, Inc.
• Bank of America
• BankCorp South
• Charles Hartzell Luttlerloh & Charles M. Lutterloh Professor of Medical Education Excellence Award
• Jennings Osborne
• Kellogg Foundation
• Merck Company
• National Center for Research Resources – National Institutes of Health, Science Education Partnership Award (R25RR12346)
• National Science Foundation
• Pfizer Company

Associated SEPA Project(s)

• Partners in Health: Teachers, Students, Public — Phase I
  R25RR012346-1 : 09/01/1997 - 08/31/2000
• Partners in Health—Teachers, Students, Public — Phase II
  R25RR012346-2 : 09/01/2000 - 08/31/2004