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.
Surgical Association Leadership
Congratulations to Dr. Ronda Henry-Tillman, Professor and Executive Vice-Chair of the Department of Surgery, on her election as First Vice President of the Southern Surgical Association (SSA). The prestigious appointment reflects Dr. Henry-Tillman’s national and international recognition in breast surgical oncology and her many contributions to the SSA including initial service as Chair of the SSA Leadership Development Program. As First Vice President, she will co-preside over the SSA’s annual Scientific Session next December, among other activities. At UAMS, Dr. Henry-Tillman is a leader in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute as well as the Department of Surgery and a beloved champion for patients from Arkansas and around the world.
National Leadership in Geriatric Psychiatry
Dr. Prasad Padala, Professor of Psychiatry and Geriatrics and Program Director for the Baptist Health-UAMS Psychiatry Residency, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP). Dr. Padala has served in several capacities within the AAGP including Co-Chair of the Research Committee and Chair of poster and oral sessions. Significantly, he has become known as a champion for trainees and young faculty through his leadership of the “Building your Research Career” symposium at the organization’s annual meeting for over a decade, along with other work. His longstanding mentoring efforts culminated in the establishment of a named scholar this year in the AAGP Scholars Program, a pipeline for future Geriatric Psychiatrists. Kudos, Dr. Padala.
Top 5 Most Read Paper
An article by Dr. J.L. Mehta, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine, Physiology and Cell Biology and Pharmacology and Toxicology, and colleagues was one of the top 5 most read papers in the American College of Cardiology’s JACC: Advances in 2024. Published as a State-of-the-Art Review, the article discussed the impact of COVID-19 infection on the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Dr. Mehta served as senior author, and Dr. Vignesh Chidambaram, a graduate of the UAMS Internal Medicine Residency Program, was first author. Other UAMS-affiliated coauthors included Associate Professor Dr. Subhi Al’Aref, former faculty member Dr. Tushar Tarun, and Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship graduate Dr. Murrium Sadaf.
Groundbreaking Psychiatry Advances for Arkansas
Dr. Laura Dunn, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI), did a great job updating the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees on the impactful work in psychiatry being done at UAMS for patients across the state. Speaking at the board’s recent monthly meeting, Dr. Dunn highlighted groundbreaking programs including the UAMS Health Six Bridges Clinic, which provides care for young people ages 12-21 with substance use disorders. She also shared information about the UAMS Health Odyssey Clinic for patients and families affected by schizophrenia, and noted how UAMS was the first in the country to provide an innovative therapy for treatment-resistant depression called SAINT (Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy). The talk was well received by the Board of Trustees and covered by news media, including the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Sociodemographic Factors in Prenatal Care
The Institute for Community Health Innovation, led by Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., continues to publish excellent scholarly work on a wide range of health topics impacting Arkansans. Most recently, a study in the March issue of Preventive Medicine demonstrated that Arkansas mothers who live in rural areas, and/or who have a Medicaid-covered birth, are less likely to receive early prenatal care or have an adequate number of prenatal visits. The research team also found that Black and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations were more likely to have later or fewer than the recommended number of prenatal care visits. Dr. Clare Brown, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, was a coauthor with Dr. McElfish on the study. Dr. McElfish shares insights about impacts of those findings in this UAMS news article.
Teach the Teacher
A shout-out to all who made the 16th annual Teach the Teacher Symposium a great success. The symposium last Friday included sessions on teaching and advising neurodivergent students in both classroom and clinical settings. UAMS presenters included Pediatrics faculty members Dr. Angie Scott, Dr. Chayla Slaton and Associate Dean for Student Affairs Dr. Becky Latch; Albrey Love, DNP, from the College of Nursing; and Michelle Zengulis, Title IX and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator. Many other faculty, residents and students presented posters on educational research topics. Special thanks to Dr. Karina Clemmons, Assistant Dean for Medical Education and Professor of Medical Humanities,and Dr. Latch for leading the symposium. Kudos also to Michael Anders, Associate Professor in the Office of Educational Development, and to Jennifer VanEcko, Program Manager in COM Academic Affairs, for her organizational contributions. Learn more about the presentations and posters here.