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!
Mentoring Heroes
First this week, let’s have a round of applause for the recipients of the inaugural UAMS Excellence in Mentoring Awards. It was an honor to pay tribute to these exemplary faculty members at the Mentor Appreciation Day virtual ceremony last Thursday.
Women Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Melissa Zielinski, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Diversity Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Billy R. Thomas, Professor, Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology
Clinical Emerging Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Joana M. Mack, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Clinical Legend Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Larry G. Johnson, Professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Research Emerging Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Taren M. Swindle, Associate Professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Community Research
Research Legend Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Geoffrey M. Curran, Professor, College of Pharmacy
You can read about the honorees here, and watch a video of the ceremony here. I also want to emphasize why having outstanding mentors is so important for our students, residents, fellows and faculty colleagues.
“Mentoring helps all of us succeed and be a better version of ourselves,” explains Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Executive Director of the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DDEI). “A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself, and helps you reach your full potential. We all have benefited, and continue to benefit, from mentoring. Whether you are the mentee or the mentor, mentoring relationships are good for you.” Thank you, Dr. Davis. I couldn’t agree more.
DDEI supports a campus-wide diversity mentorship platform to connect interested students and residents with faculty members and alumni who will serve as informal mentors. The voluntary program, called Prometheus, has a searchable database of faculty mentors that students and residents can use to identify a great match. Participants can exchange messages, request meetings, and meet via a Zoom-generated invite. To get started, visit the Up Squad website to create a profile. Click “Yes” on the Community Subscription Code option and enter “DDEI2020” in the Community Code field. Faculty or students interested in serving as a mentor can contact Sharanda Williams, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Diversity, or Renisha Ward, DDEI Director of Outreach Programs, for more information.
AAAS Elected Fellow
Dr. Kevin Raney, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. This is a prestigious and well-earned honor for Dr. Raney, who was recognized in the chemistry category for his important contributions to the field of molecular motor proteins on nucleic acids and the function of G-quadruplex nucleic acids during response to cellular stress. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom. Congratulations, Dr. Raney!
Level 1 Excellence
Arkansas Children’s Hospital has been reverified as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons – a reaffirmation of the exceptional care provided to patients with traumatic injuries. As Arkansas Children’s President and CEO Marcy Doderer, FACHE, notes, this verification reflects “the tremendous work of many teams who deliver unparalleled care, giving children every chance to recover and reach their full potential.” I would like to thank pediatric surgeons Dr. Deidre Wyrick, Trauma Medical Director, and Dr. Todd Maxson, Associate Trauma Medical Director; nurses Kathy Dyck, Trauma Program Manager, and Kirsten Johnston, Patient Care Services Director-Trauma; along with the entire Arkansas Children’s team. Read more in this Arkansas Children’s news release.
National Leaders in Psychiatry Education
The American College of Psychiatrists (ACP) places a high value on creativity in residency programs across the country. Dr. Molly Gathright, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education, has been named Vice Chair of the ACP committee that selects a residency program for the annual Award for Creativity in Education. Meanwhile, Dr. Jim Clardy, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the UAMS Center for GME, is completing his term as Chair of the committee, where he will continue to serve as a member for another year. Dr. Gathright and Dr. Clardy’s roles on this committee are great examples of the UAMS Psychiatry team’s ongoing national leadership in psychiatry education. Congratulations and kudos, Dr. Gathright and Dr. Clardy.
ACGME Institutional Accreditation
Speaking of excellence in residency education, we just received notification from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) that the College of Medicine has achieved another successful annual institutional accreditation. Congratulations to Dr. Molly Gathright and the entire GME team. We are grateful for your hard work and commitment to excellence.
International Presentation
Dr. Indranil “Neil” Chakraborty, Professor of Anesthesiology and Director of the Division of Neuroanesthesiology, presented a well-received virtual guest lecture on “Awake Craniotomy: Challenges and Solutions” at the recent annual conference of the Indian Society of Neuroanesthesiology and Critical Care in Kolkata, India. His talk highlighted the success of the awake craniotomy program at UAMS led by Dr. J.D. Day, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. Kudos to Dr. Chakraborty for sharing his expertise and helping to shine the spotlight on the world-class care at UAMS.
National Student Award
And finally this week, a shout-out to MD/PHD student Lauren “Clai” Morehead, who just received a 2022 Medical Student Research Award from the Melanoma Research Foundation. The grant is the latest honor for Clai, who has presented nationally and garnered acclaim for her research into potential treatments for melanoma with mentors Dr. Alan Tackett and Dr. Isabelle Racine Miousse in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Well done!