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!
Championing ATV Safety for Children
Dr. Dale Blasier, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, coauthored a thoughtful and informative op-ed column published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last week to raise awareness about the growing number of serious injuries involving children and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Dr. Blasier and Amber Ritchie, RN, a pediatric orthopaedic nurse at Arkansas Children’s, noted that they treat children with ATV injuries, many of them severe or tragic, almost every day at Arkansas Children’s hospitals in Little Rock and Springdale. Their article also provides ATV safety guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Here is a PDF of the article, in case you would like to read or share it.
Dr. Blasier also deserves a shoutout for his contributions at the national level. Most recently, he was once again designated as an Elite Reviewer for the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. Orthopaedic Surgery Chair Dr. Lowry Barnes said fewer than 3% of the journal’s reviewers have achieved Elite Reviewer status, and Dr. Blasier has held the distinction for several years.
State of the Art Honorary Lecture
Dr. Laura James, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute, was nominated and selected to deliver the Hyman J. Zimmerman Hepatoxicity State of the Art Lecture at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases’ recent annual meeting in Boston. The AASLD is the leading organization of scientists and health professionals committed to preventing and curing liver disease, and The Liver Meeting is the largest conference devoted to hepatology in the world. Dr. James, an internationally recognized expert in acetaminophen toxicity, discussed new diagnostic approaches in acetaminophen acute liver injury.
Medical Student Earns National Honor for Cancer Research
Congratulations to first-year medical student Grace Guzman on receiving an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Minority Scholar Award. Grace will present her research on the 3D-PREDICT glioma clinical trial – completed under the mentorship of Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery – at the AACR National Meeting in San Diego in April. The prestigious national award is funded by the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. Grace will receive travel funds for the meeting and the opportunity to participate in professional development activities.
Shaping Simulation Research
Dr. Karen Dickinson, Assistant Professor and Director of IPE Simulation and Clinical Skills Training in the Department of Surgery, has been selected to serve on the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) Research Committee. Dr. Dickinson was one of just two experts named to the panel from a pool of 39 applicants following a rigorous international process. The committee shapes simulation studies around the world through its recommendations for research relating to simulation-based practice, education and facilitation of patient safety. Dr. Dickinson was recognized for the appointment at the International Meeting on Simulation Healthcare in San Diego in January.
Journal Highlights Pulmonary Expertise
For the eighth consecutive year, Dr. Manish Joshi, Professor of Internal Medicine in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, served as Section Editor for an issue of Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine focusing on obstructive, occupational and environmental diseases. Dr. Joshi contributed the introductory editorial for the issue, which also included two review articles by UAMS Pulmonary Medicine colleagues. Dr. Jose Caceres and Dr. Anand Venkata contributed an article on combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. Dr. William Atchley and Dr. Krishna Kakkera contributed an article on pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Insights into HPV Vaccine Hesitancy
A shout-out to Dr. Rachel Purvis, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, and colleagues in the UAMS Office of Community Health & Research for their work to better understand the hesitancy among some Arkansas parents to vaccinate their children against HPV. About 90% of cervical cancers are attributed to HPV. The team’s findings, published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, show that limited or inaccurate information about the vaccine in health care providers’ offices can contribute to parents’ apprehension. The study demonstrates the importance of providing clear information about the vaccine’s well-documented safety and effectiveness. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.
Groundbreaking Neurosurgery Care
Department of Neurosurgery faculty and trainees continue to perform groundbreaking firsts for Arkansas. In December, Assistant Professor Dr. Viktoras Palys and resident Dr. Brooke Elberson performed the first robotic cervicothoracic spine surgery in the state, just days after Associate Professor Dr. Noojan Kazemi and resident Dr. Ryan Turner performed the first robotic cervical spine surgery. On Jan. 24, Dr. Palys and resident Dr. Alaina Body implanted the first deep brain stimulator simultaneously into two thalamic nuclei (pulvinar and centromedian), in a young patient with epilepsy. This exceptionally rare surgery was preceded by another pioneering procedure to gather brain epileptic activity recordings using implanted thalamic SEEG electrodes, signaling the Arkansas Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center’s standing among the leading teams in this field.