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.
Distinguished Speaker at UCLA
Dr. James Suen, Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, will deliver the Samuel and Della Pearlman Lectureship in Health Equity at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) this evening. Dr. Suen will bring great insights to his talk, titled “Health Equity and Lessons of Life.” He is internationally known for his expertise in head and neck cancers, vascular lesions of the head and neck, and diseases of the larynx. Dr. Suen served as Chief and then Chair of Otolaryngology from 1974 to 2017 – the longest tenure for an Otolaryngology Chair in the country. His impact on cancer care for Arkansans has been immeasurable, thanks to his integral work to co-found what is now the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute as well as his exemplary care of patients.
Boosting Training for Childcare Providers
Childcare providers across the state have better access to evidence-based training in matters related to caring for children with autism, behavioral concerns, and mandated reporting thanks to Department of Pediatrics Professors Dr. Jayne Bellando and Dr. Maya Lopez, along with Research Associate Michelle Trulsrud and colleagues in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine’s Research and Evaluation (RED) Division. More than 9,900 providers have accessed several online courses from Dr. Bellando, a pediatric psychologist, and Dr. Lopez, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, since they became available on RED’s “Naptime Academy” platform in 2023. The comprehensive, updated courses were among several that the pediatric specialists in the Healthy Childhood Arkansas group began developing in 2012. Prior to the collaboration with RED, the group was able to reach about 2,000 childcare providers each year.
Clinical Documentation Rock Stars
Kudos to the newest Chart Champion Stars recognized by the UAMS Medical Center Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) team. Dr. Kelsey Besett, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, was honored for her clear, complete and concise documentation for complex medical diagnoses. The Obstetrics and Gynecology Intern Class – Drs. Anna Claire Pilkington, Ashley Clement, Kristen Stringfellow, Sally Clark and Savana Kuhn – earned a collective nomination for their thorough discharge summary documentation. The honorees were highlighted in the February-March Chart Champions newsletter.
Journal Focuses on Respiratory Hazards of Climate Change
Dr. Manish Joshi, Professor of Internal Medicine in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, served for the ninth consecutive year as Section Editor for an issue of Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine focusing on obstructive, occupational and environmental diseases. Dr. Joshi coauthored the introductory editorial, which discusses respiratory hazards of climate change, environmental exposures and diverse topics on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dr. Thaddeus Bartter, a Professor in Pulmonary and Critical Care, contributed to the highlighted article, which explores the impact of climate change on respiratory health, including current understanding and knowledge gaps.
Cardiovascular Publication
Dr. J.L. Mehta, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine, Physiology and Cell Biology and Pharmacology and Toxicology, and colleagues recently published an article in the Nature journal NPJ Cardiovascular Health. The review article addresses risk factors for myocardial infarction in South-Asian populations, where cardiovascular disease is an up-trending public health challenge. The article highlights the potential role of machine learning and deep learning for improving diagnostic and predictive accuracy. UAMS-affiliated coauthors include Associate Professor Dr. Subhi Al-Aref, fellow Dr. Nitesh Gautam, third-year medical student Meena Chatrathi, 2024 graduate Dr. Ryan Pohlkamp, and former resident Dr. Vignesh Chidambaram.
National Award to Support Student’s Research in Melanoma
Third-year medical student Hannah Wu has received a Medical Student Award from the Melanoma Research Foundation to support work she will be doing during a research year at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston over the 2025-2026 academic year. The $3,000 award will be used for her research aimed at discovering immunotherapies for melanoma – an interest piqued when she was a Partners in Cancer Research (PCAR) intern in the lab of Dr. Alan Tackett in 2023. Her project for next year is titled “Investigating T cell tolerance in nevi and its role in melanoma prevention.” Hannah will return to UAMS to complete her senior year in 2026-2027. Dr. Sara Shalin, Professor and Chair of Dermatology, is her career advisor. Congratulations, Hannah!
Off and Running
Finally this week, a shout-out to our students, trainees, faculty and staff who participated in the Little Rock Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K races last weekend. Special congratulations to freshman medical student Hashane Abeyagunawardene, who took third place overall in the Half Marathon with an impressive time of 1:15:34. Click here to see celebratory photos of Hashane and several other students who participated!