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!
National Guidance on Pediatric Ethics Decisions
Pediatric ethics decision making poses enormous challenges for clinicians and family members, along with the medical ethicists dedicated to assisting them with tough decisions. Dr. D. Micah Hester, Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, was one of three leading experts who organized a 2022 symposium to deliberate the standards of pediatric decision making. The symposium and subsequent discussion by 17 participating pediatric ethicists resulted in six consensus recommendations, which were published last week in Pediatrics. Along with Dr. Hester’s substantive involvement, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Chair in Pediatrics at Arkansas Children’s was instrumental in providing funding support for the symposium.
Groundbreaking Ovarian Cancer Research
A shout-out to Dr. Michael Birrer, Professor and Director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, and colleagues on their recent groundbreaking work relating to ovarian cancer. The findings, which were published this month in the journal Cell, could improve the way the disease is treated around the world. Dr. Birrer is a senior author on the Cell article and was the Co-Principal Investigator of a U01 grant from the National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium. The discovery identifies a 64-protein-gene signature that can predict primary treatment resistance in patients with high-grade ovarian cancer. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.
New Insights into Ophthalmology Subspecialty
Dr. Paul Phillips, Professor and Pat Walker Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, co-edited “Fundamentals of Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmology,” the first case-based textbook dedicated to the subspecialty. Dr. Phillips also authored a chapter, “Third Cranial Nerve Palsy: A Child with Ptosis and Exotropia,” in the book recently published by Springer. In addition to directing the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute at UAMS, Dr. Phillips serves as Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus and Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmology at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He is one of three directors of the international Consortium of Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmology (CPNO).
National Appointments in Pediatric Critical Care
Dr. Ronald Sanders Jr., Professor and Section Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, has been appointed to leadership positions in two key subgroups of a national network devoted to improving outcomes and quality of care for critically ill children. Dr. Sanders will begin serving as Executive Vice Chair of the NutriNet subgroup of the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) network in September. He is also serving as Executive Committee Vice-Chair for the PALISI Near4Kids subgroup. Read more in the Pediatrics Newsroom.
Gold Seal for Spinal Fusion
UAMS Health recently became the first health organization in Arkansas to be awarded The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Certification in Spinal Fusion. The achievement reflects the tireless efforts of our spine care surgeons, nurses and other staff and their strong commitment to providing the highest quality of care and safety for patients with spine disorders. I join with Dr. C. Lowry Barnes, Professor and Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, in thanking Associate Professor Dr. David Bumpass, Medical Director, Dana Lawrence, APRN, Nursing Director for the certification committee, and all who contributed to this initiative.
Family Medicine Residency in the Spotlight
The UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency Program will be a major player at the American Academy of Family Physicians FMX (Family Medicine Experience) conference in October. The program had 11 posters accepted for display at the premier AAFP event, and five of those have been elevated to in-person oral presentations at the invitation of the FMX submissions committee. Faculty authors include Department Chair Dr. Shashank Kraleti along with Dr. Lauren Gibson-Oliver, Dr. Wayne Bryant Jr., Dr. Diane Jarrett, Dr. Beth Schmit and Dr. Diorella López-González. Resident authors include Dr. Amrutha Denduluri (PGY3), Dr. Meghan Gibson (PGY3), Dr. Divya Krishnan Seethapathy (PGY2) and 2023 program graduate Dr. John Ukadike.
Mural Connects Art and Medicine
There are lots of good reasons to check out The Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital, and one of the brightest (literally) is the vibrant mural in the lobby created by second-year medical student Alexa Pearce. The mural encompasses a theme of bodies in motion, and it is a great example of the ties between art and medicine. You can read about how the mural came to fruition in this UAMS web story. Nice work, Alexa!