The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences received a $200,000 gift from Pine Bluff’s Tommy and Kathryn May to elevate the J. Thomas May Endowed Chair in Department of Neurology in the UAMS College of Medicine to a distinguished chair.
The chair supports research and clinical care for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the J. Thomas May Center for ALS Research at the UAMS main campus and the UAMS Health ALS Clinic at the Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville. The fund will support ALS care to patients statewide and help train, recruit and retain ALS physician-researchers. Additionally, the fund will accelerate research and clinical trial participation and enhance the overall quality of clinical care for individuals living with ALS.
“With expanded efforts to treat ALS in Arkansas, including the recent opening of the ALS Clinic in Northwest Arkansas, UAMS is showing its commitment to providing the care that the citizens of Arkansas need to have fulfilling lives,” said C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., UAMS chancellor. “I am grateful to have known Tommy and Kathryn May for many years, and they have always exemplified what it means to be Arkansans — leading by example to uplift one’s community and giving helpful hands to those in need. UAMS is deeply thankful for their continued leadership and philanthropy.”
The distinguished chair was named in honor of Tommy May, former CEO of Simmons First National Corp., whose extensive history of civic and community service reflects his dedication to education, health care and community development in Arkansas. May, a longtime supporter of UAMS, was diagnosed with ALS in 2005. In 2008, UAMS established the J. Thomas May Center for ALS Research in honor of May.
“The UAMS Department of Neurology is committed helping those who struggle with ALS in Arkansas, which we are doing through a coordinated effort through research and clinical care,” said Rohit Dhall, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurology in the College of Medicine. “An important aspect to these efforts is philanthropy from dedicated advocates like Tommy and Kathryn May; we are humbled and thankful for their continued support.”
“Since my ALS diagnosis, I have been blessed to receive extraordinary, world-class care at UAMS. It gives me tremendous pride to know that so many Arkansans have access to this same level of compassionate, leading-edge treatment,” said Tommy May. “This endowed chair will hopefully enhance vital research and help find improved treatments for Arkansans and beyond. I am encouraged by the breakthroughs that lie ahead and the lives that will be touched through continued innovation in ALS research and clinical excellence. God has blessed Kathryn and I in so many ways and hopefully this gift will in some way make a difference in the lives of others.”
“Through its mission, UAMS does amazing things for Arkansas, and we are determined to be active participants in the advancement of the people of our state,” added Kathryn May.