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 Leadership
Congratulations to Dr. José Romero, Professor of Pediatrics, on his appointment to the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases. The appointment is the latest example of Dr. Romero’s exemplary service as a state and national leader in public health policy relating to infectious diseases. Dr. Romero has been instrumental in Arkansas’ response to the pandemic in his roles as Arkansas Secretary of Health and Director of the Arkansas Department of Health. At the national level, he has helped to guide the safe rollout of COVID-19 vaccines as Chair of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Commission Appointment
Congratulations to Dr. Manisha Singh, Associate Professor in the Division of Nephrology and Director of the Home Dialysis Program, on her appointment to the Arkansas Kidney Disease Commission by Governor Asa Hutchinson. The appointment reflects Dr. Singh’s longstanding dedication to Arkansans with kidney disease, including her work in education for rural and underserved Arkansans to help them implement lifestyle modifications to slow the progression of the disease. The commission provides financial support for life-saving care and treatment for Arkansans in need.
Excelling in MFM
The Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine has excelled in training fellows and generating collaborative scholarly work since 2011, when the MFM Fellowship was founded by Dr. Everett “Pat” Magann, Professor and Division Director. I enjoyed learning about some of the program’s accomplishments, along with many others from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at a recent faculty meeting. The three-year fellowship has maintained a remarkable 100% first-time pass rate by all of its graduates to date on both the written and oral MFM board exams. The MFM Division also has had a fantastic year for publications, with 21 listed in PUBMED in June 2020-May 2021. Click here for a look at the publications and the many current and former faculty, residents, fellows and students who contributed.
Section Editor
Dr. Manish Joshi, a Professor in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division of the Department of Internal Medicine, edited a recent issue of Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine. He has served as a section editor for the annual issue of the journal that focuses on obstructive, occupational and environmental lung diseases for the past five years and has been invited to serve for the 2022 issue as well. Dr. Joshi was also the first author on a review article in the issue, “Unprecedented: the toxic synergism of Covid-19 and climate change.” Coauthors were Pulmonary and Critical Care colleagues Dr. Thaddeus Bartter, Professor, and Dr. Jose Caceres, Assistant Professor, along with fellows Dr. Sarenthia Epps and Dr. Steven Ko.
Above & Beyond
In a time of unimaginable pain and grief, an obstetric patient found transformation thanks to the incredible team in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Labor & Delivery. “I did not expect to be treated with such respect and dignity,” began a letter from a patient who lost her baby, but found healing. The letter went on to describe the kind and thoughtful actions of many team members, including nurses Becky Sartini, Amy Brooks, LaSharon Tubbs and Jennifer Divino, and second-year resident Dr. Tucker Doiron. This is a story of compassion and dedication. It’s a story of why we are in medicine. I join with Dr. Nirvana Manning, Chair of OB/GYN and Director of the Women and Infants Service Line, in thanking this wonderful team. I hope you will take a moment to read this extraordinary letter.