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.
Investiture Honors Physician Leader
Congratulations to Dr. Omar Atiq, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, on his investiture as the namesake and inaugural holder of the Omar T. Atiq, M.D., MACP, Distinguished Chair in Physician Leadership at UAMS on Monday. Dr. Atiq has exemplified physician leadership in Arkansas and nationally, most recently as President of the American College of Physicians (ACP). When Dr. Atiq completed his term as ACP President last month, he gave an impassioned speech at the organization’s Annual Convocation in Boston about “the privilege and enormous responsibility” of being a physician. You can read it here.
Dr. Atiq also spoke eloquently at his investiture, where it wasn’t just his leadership that was highlighted. As one of the guest speakers, Dr. S. Amjad Hussain from the University of Toledo, explained, Dr. Atiq’s “generosity of heart” also sets him apart. The endowed chair was established through a gift from Pine Bluff businessman Scott McGeorge in gratitude for the oncological care provided by Dr. Atiq and his team in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Dr. Atiq’s family also contributed to the endowment. A recording of the ceremony is available here. Watch for a story about the investiture on the UAMS website soon.
“Storylines” Explores Importance of Family Medicine
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) colleagues Dr. Bill Ventres (recently retired) and Dr. Leslie Stone recently published a 12-article series, “Storylines of Family Medicine,” in the BMJ group journal Family Medicine and Community Health. Targeted for students and residents, the series consists of 99 illustrated mini-essays that explore how important family medicine is to a cost-effective, equitable, people-centered health care system. DFPM colleagues Drs. Paige Beck, Wayne Bryant, Scott Dickson, Lauren Gibson-Oliver, David Kelley, John Lane, Michael Macechko, Amber Norris and Julia Roulier contributed to the collection. UAMS Science Communication Group staff member Dr. Emily Hunter edited the entire series; and UAMS librarian Dr. Lindsay Blake provided additional guidance.
Transformative Care for Spasticity
Kudos to Dr. Kapil Arya, Associate Professor of Pediatric Neurology, Dr. Eylem Ocal, Professor of Neurosurgery, and Dr. Laura Hobart-Porter, Associate Professor and Chief of Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, for their collaborative work with others to develop a Surgical Spasticity/Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy Clinic at Arkansas Children’s. Physical therapist Della Reasbeck and Care Coordinator Crystal Salser also were instrumental in the initiative. While a spectrum of spasticity management services previously was available in Arkansas, this transformative avenue of care was not. The first patient to receive the specialized surgery and interdisciplinary care was a non-ambulatory 6-year-old with cerebral palsy who is now able to walk. The project was among the work recognized by the American Academy of Neurology in its selection of Dr. Arya for its 2024 Transforming Leadership Program.
Pulmonary Fellows Shine in National Competition
A shout-out to the team of outstanding UAMS Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellows who placed among the top 10 teams in the 2024 CHEST Challenge sponsored by the American College of Chest Physicians. The Jeopardy-style competition tests the knowledge of pulmonary and critical care medicine fellows-in-training, with 56 teams from across the country competing this year. Participating fellows included Drs. Shahrukh Arif, Ryan James, Angel Mitma, Andrew Joe Bradsher, Barrett Burger, Akash Patel, Sangeeta Adusumilli, Paras Malik and Amy Montgomery. Special thanks to Assistant Professor Dr. Anand Venkata, along with Associate Professor and Program Director Dr. Rajani Jagana, for helping to train the fellows for the national competition.
Raising Awareness of Stroke
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, but College of Medicine and UAMS team members are doing great work year-round to help Arkansans recognize the signs of a stroke and what to do when every moment matters. Kudos to Dr. Aliza Brown, Associate Professor of Neurology, for her dedicated service as a multiple-term, elected Chair of the Arkansas Acute Stroke Care Task Force. Thanks also to Task Force members Dr. Sanjeeva Onteddu, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Medical Director of the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation (IDHI) Stroke Program; and Dr. Bala Simon, Family and Preventive Medicine physician, College of Public Health epidemiologist and Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Arkansas Department of Health. The Task Force and many other IDHI team members were instrumental in working with Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders’ office on a new Public Service Announcement video that uses the acronym “BE FAST” to concisely explain what to watch for – and do – in the event of a potential stroke.