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.
Minority Health Pioneer
Congratulations to Dr. Sheldon Riklon, Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine in the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation, on receiving the Dr. Joycelyn Elders Minority Health Pioneer Award from the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Dr. Riklon was honored at the 8th Biennial Minority Health Summit last week for his positive impact on the health and healthcare of minority Arkansans, particularly the Marshallese community in Northwest Arkansas. The award is the latest of many recognitions of Dr. Riklon’s remarkable work. He holds the Peter O. Kohler, M.D., Endowed Chair in Health Disparities at UAMS. In 2021, he received UAMS’ Dr. Edith Irby Jones Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Lifetime Achievement Award. He is being promoted to Professor on July 1.
Pediatric Fellowship Recruitment
Dr. Jill Fussell, Professor and Vice Chair of Education (Fellowships) in the Department of Pediatrics, was appointed Chair of the national Fellowship Recruitment Action Team (FRAT) at the recent annual conference of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors. Dr. Fussell will provide strong leadership as Chair for 2024-2026. FRAT is a collaboration of pediatric organizations that works to create a fair and equitable application process for both learners and programs, with emphasis on the needs of historically underrepresented learners across the range of fellowship program types and sizes.
Criminal Justice Health Conference
Dr. Melissa Zielinski, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Health and the Legal System (HEALS) Lab, and several HEALS colleagues were presenters and participants at the recent Academic Consortium of Criminal Justice Health annual meeting in Phoenix. Dr. Zielinski, who serves on the consortium’s board of directors, moderated a pair of seminars and served on a panel on the intersection of ethics and research with justice-involved persons. A scientific poster by Assistant Professor Dr. Mollee Steely Smith was one of five selected to be specially featured at the conference. Dinesha Darrough, LCSW, received a research staff travel scholarship to attend the conference.
National Leadership in Endocrinology
Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Endocrinology Fellowship, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Endocrine Society Clinical Affairs Committee. The committee provides insights on issues affecting clinical practice in endocrinology including health care policy and advocacy, access to care, evidence-based standards of care, reimbursement, quality of life for endocrinologists and more. Dr. Maraka has served in several national leadership roles in endocrinology, including her current term as Co-Chair of the American Thyroid Association Guidelines and Statements Committee.
Otolaryngology Diamond Conference Showcases Expertise
The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery did a great job hosting the fourth annual Otolaryngology Diamond Conference. The April 19-20 conference drew its largest attendance to date with about 125 providers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. Dr. John Dornhoffer, Professor and Chair, was Course Chairman, and Professors Dr. Mauricio Moreno and Dr. Gresham Richter served as Course Directors. Along with three national experts, UAMS and Arkansas Children’s presenters included Dr. Robert Saadi, Dr. Emre Vural and Dr. Michael Larson (Otolaryngology); Dr. Shipra Bansal (Pediatrics); Dr. Santanu Samanta (Radiation Oncology); Caitlyn Jenkins, Aud.D. (Clinical Audiology); and Dr. Joe Elser (Arkansas Children’s Headache Clinic).
VA Honors Psychiatry Faculty
Several colleagues from the Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Health Services Research recently received awards for their work with the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) and the VA. As part of VA Psychology Week, Dr. Sonia Singh was named Outstanding DEI Advocate, and Dr. Marci Weber received an award for Outstanding Research Achievement. The VA South Central Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) recently presented its 2023 awards, including Mentor of the Year to Dr. Ellen Fischer and Best Publication by a Senior Investigator to Dr. Sara Landes. MIRECC also named Dr. Brandon Griffin as its Assistant Director for Research.
Harvard Bound for Leadership Program
Dr. Monique Spillman, Professor and Chief of the Gynecologic Oncology Division of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was recently accepted into the prestigious Emerging Women Executives in Health Care certificate program at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard. The intensive four-day, on-site leadership development program is designed to help women in senior positions develop effective leadership strategies to improve organizational performance.
Newly Invested in Arkansas Children’s Chairs
And finally this week, congratulations to COM faculty members Dr. Raghu Ramakrishnaiah, Dr. Erin Willis and Dr. Jason Williams on their investitures in endowed chairs by Arkansas Children’s on April 24.
Dr. Ramakrishnaiah, Professor of Radiology and Chief of Pediatric Radiology at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, was invested in the Lee Roy and Melba T. Beasley Endowed Chair in Pediatric Radiology.
Dr. Willis, Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology and Department of Medicine Chief for Arkansas Children’s, was invested in the John H. Bornhofen, M.D. Endowed Chair in Child Neurology.
Dr. Williams, Professor and Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Vice President and Chief Mental and Behavioral Health Officer at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, was invested in the Belinda H. And Robert L. Shults Endowed Chair in Child Behavioral Health.
Read more about these outstanding colleagues and the endowed chairs in the Investiture Program.