FORT SMITH — The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education Mentoring and Achievement Preparation (M.A.P.) Program recently received the 2025 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, a diversity and inclusion publication focused on higher education.
“The STEM Award is a measure of an institution’s individual programs and initiatives that encourage and support the recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented students into all STEM fields. These include, but are not limited to, science and research fields, technology, engineering, and all math fields,” according to a news release from the college.
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education will be featured, along with 57 other recipients, in the June issue of Insight Into Academia magazine, the release states.
“This award is a testament to our mission-driven approach,” said Christopher Smith, ACHE assistant provost and director of DEI. “We know that rural, underrepresented, and underserved communities need compassionate health care providers they can relate to. The M.A.P. Program reaffirms that we’re on the right track in shaping a more inclusive and responsive future for health care.”
Insight Into Academia magazine selected the college’s program because of its innovative approach to building a more inclusive health care workforce, according to the release. The program is designed to educate, encourage, equip, and engage diverse students from underrepresented and underserved populations considering careers in occupational therapy or physical therapy.
The mission of the program is to make a positive difference in the lives of underserved populations and help reduce health disparities for everyone, the release states.
Underserved populations are those which experience socioeconomic challenges and barriers to a quality of life, often due to low income or marginalization. Underrepresented describes a group that has a smaller percentage within a specific subgroup than its proportion in the general population, and usually involves race, ethnicity or gender.
“We know that STEM programs are not always recognized for their dedication to inclusion, equity and access” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia magazine. “We are proud to honor these college, university and industry STEM programs as role models for other institutions of higher education.”
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