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!
Gratitude for the People of UAMS
Gratitude is a powerful thing – especially when times are times are tough. Dr. Steppe Mette, Senior Vice Chancellor for UAMS Health and CEO of UAMS Medical Center, shared insights on the value of gratitude in his Connections email message for clinical team members last Friday. Dr. Mette noted a chapter in a book he recently read, “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. A chapter titled “Allegiance to Gratitude” discusses the Thanksgiving Address used by the six nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). Inspired by the spirit of gratitude of the Thanksgiving Address, Dr. Mette created a personal expression of gratitude for the people of UAMS, which I am delighted to share with you.
The People of UAMS
We give thanks for your sacrifices and your willingness to share your knowledge and your skills to help and to heal others. You come together and work together to create a safer, healthier world where families can live and love one another for many years. You bring babies into the world, you care for the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the nice and the not-so-nice, and you gently usher the dying out of this world when their time has come. You are amazing. To all the people of UAMS, we send our heartfelt greetings and thanks.
Call an Expert
Dr. Jamie Watson, Assistant Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, is internationally recognized for his work on “expertise,” concepts especially relevant for today’s conversations about vital issues such as vaccinations and masking during the pandemic. He has written extensively about what it means to be an expert – someone who can be trusted within their domain of knowledge – including a book last year, another in final proofs and several articles. Most recently, Dr. Watson’s work was central to discussions at the 15th Cologne Summer School in Philosophy, a weeklong international seminar held virtually this year.
Mentoring Award
A shout-out to Dr. Destiny Chau, Professor of Anesthesiology, and Dr. Caroline Martinello, an Assistant Professor in the department, on their 2021 Mentoring Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Professional Diversity. Dr. Chau will mentor Dr. Martinello as she works on a multidisciplinary initiative to design and implement an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocol for patients undergoing elective Cesarean delivery. The experience will be used to develop a curriculum promoting leadership skills for junior faculty engaged in representing the department in multidisciplinary team initiatives, with an emphasis on faculty of diverse backgrounds who are underrepresented in academic medicine.
Student Published
Second-year medical student Iad Alhallak is the first author on the article “Breast adipose regulation of premenopausal breast epithelial phenotype involves interleukin 10,” just published in the Journal of Molecular Endocrinology. Iad carried out part of the study as a recipient of the Endocrine Society Summer Research Fellowship. Senior author of the study is Dr. Rosalia C.M. Simmen (Physiology and Cell Biology) with collaborators Dr. Keith Wolter (Surgery), Dr. Frank Simmen (Physiology and Cell Biology), Dr. Lin-Xi Li (Microbiology and Immunology) and graduate student Ana Castro Munoz.
Best Health Care Professionals
As AY About You magazine notes atop its 2021 list of Best Health Care Professionals of Central Arkansas, “the professionals of the vast landscape of health care are responsible for so much of what goes into our quality of life today.” Thousands of AY readers voted on the best providers across many health care disciplines and specialties. As with the Soiree Top Docs list I mentioned last week, the AY Best Health Care Professionals list includes many of our team members. Congratulations to all!
Floored by the Generosity
The Department of Emergency Medicine got a nice shout-out on Facebook from the Women & Children First organization for contributing a mountain of much-needed items to the shelter for victims of domestic violence. The shelter said it was “FLOORED” by the generosity. Kudos to Assistant Professor Dr. Meryll Pampolina for organizing the successful drive. The Pediatric Emergency Medicine team pitched in as well, with fellow Dr. Abby Russ leading efforts at Arkansas Children’s. Well done!
Putting Patients First
Dr. Issam Makhoul, Professor and Director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, often double or triple-books appointments in his clinic to accommodate the needs of his patients, while juggling many other obligations. Some patients may not realize how much Dr. Makhoul manages to work in – but a colleague who has been his patient for three years understands and is all the more grateful. When a time-sensitive issue recently arose, Dr. Makhoul arranged an appointment outside of his regular clinic schedule and initiated a crucial series of steps to meet the patient’s urgent needs. “I am so grateful for Dr. Makhoul’s wonderful care,” the colleague said. “I trust him with my life, which every day is better because of him.”