Here are this week’s Accolades, a roundup of some of the honors and accomplishments of College of Medicine and UAMS faculty, staff, residents, fellows and students I’ve heard about recently!
QI Winners
Department of Geriatrics and Pediatrics colleagues completed the UAMS Quality Improvement for Advanced Learners Program (QIALP) with first-place honors for their project. The team assessed racial disparity in the use of standardized screening for dementia in patients in the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic and implemented educational and other measures to improve screening and health care for patients with memory problems. Project leaders included Drs. Regina Gibson, Jeanne Wei, Priya Mendiratta and Gohar Azhar and Jasmine Crane, B.A., in the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging; Dr. Rosemary Nabaweesi in the Department of Pediatrics, and Troy Schmit, M.H.A., UAMS Chief Quality Officer.
The team will present their project live during the third annual QIALP Conference on April 27. QIALP was founded in the Office of Interprofessional Education (IPE) by Dr. Wendy Ward, Associate Provost for Faculty and Director of Interprofessional Faculty Development. A shout-out to the winners and all of this year’s outstanding teams!
Educator Extraordinaire
Congratulations to Sarah Green, M.Sc., a certified genetic counselor in the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation’s High-Risk Pregnancy Program, on receiving the Outstanding Clinical Supervisor Award from the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors and UAMS. Graduating students in genetics counseling programs nominate clinical educators for the honor. A 2020 UAMS senior wrote, “Sarah was always someone I could rely on to provide invaluable insight and guidance on my clinical prep work. I felt like I could always approach Sarah with any question, and she was integral in shaping who I am as a recently graduated genetic counselor.” Kudos to Sarah for her excellent clinical work with telemedicine sites across the state for the past 10 years – and for her dedication to education.
Terrific Teamwork
The exceptional hands-on ultrasound training that our first-year medical students have continued to receive this year despite the pandemic is a testament to the excellence and collaboration of many. “This was only possible because of the dedication of the basic science and clinical faculty and staff that helped make this year a success,” said the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Science’s Dr. Kevin D. Phelan, who co-directs the M1 Ultrasound Curriculum module with Dr. Greg Snead in Emergency Medicine and Dr. Sumera Ali in Radiology.
In a message of appreciation to department leaders, the module leaders thanked Dr. Mohsin Syed, Dr. Noor Akhter and Celia McCaslin (Neurobiology/Dev. Sciences); Dr. Jason Arthur, Dr. Zachary Lewis and Dr. Brian Russ (Emergency Medicine); and Dr. Ebaa Jastaniah (Pediatric Emergency Medicine). Also instrumental were Michae Orfanos and her colleagues and standardized patients in the Clinical Skills Center. Learn how the team provided meaningful, safe ultrasound training in this message of appreciation.
AAP Appointments
Congratulations to Dr. Whit Hall and Dr. Stephen Canon, who have been elected to serve on Executive Committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Dr. Hall, a Professor in the Neonatology Section of the Department of Pediatrics, will serve a three-year term on the AAP Section on Senior Members Executive Committee. Dr. Canon, Chief of Pediatric Urology at Arkansas Children’s, will serve for the next three years on the AAP Section on Urology Executive Committee.
Helping Survivors
A shout-out to Dr. Rani Lindberg and Dr. Lindsay Mohney of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for sharing their expertise at the annual UAMS Brain Injury Survivors’ Conference. In addition to serving as panelists for a medical Q&A for attendees, they worked with the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation-based Trauma Rehabilitation Resources Program (TRRP) and colleagues at the Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute to plan the event. The importance of the conference and the TRRP’s work is clear in this inspiring UAMS news story. Dr. Lindberg and Dr. Mohney’s role in the conference was also highlighted in the newsletter of the Association of Academic Physiatrists.
Giving Matters
UAMS’ annual Day of Giving was a great success with at least 673 gifts received last Wednesday. While initial tallies showed nearly $350,000 in contributions campus-wide, the non-monetary gifts were just as important. Many UAMS team members and other supporters donated items to the Stocked & Reddie food pantry, and 171 messages of gratitude were sent to front-line health care heroes at UAMS. Gifts to the College of Medicine totaled at least $219,172. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in the Day of Giving, and to let all of you know how much we appreciate your contributions of all kinds throughout the year.