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!
Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence
Five outstanding UAMS faculty members, including four from the College of Medicine, received Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence at the Chancellor’s Town Hall yesterday. The awards recognize exceptional and innovative contributions to education, clinical care, scholarly work, faculty mentorship and service. Please join me in congratulating these honorees:
Clinical Innovation | Dr. Misty Virmani
Dr. Virmani, an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, was honored for her commitment and instrumental leadership in the development of the Arkansas Milk Bank. The state’s first donor milk bank opened in September and will help ensure a ready supply of donor breast milk for sick and vulnerable infants in neonatal intensive care units around the state. Dr. Virmani serves as Executive Medical Director of the milk bank and Director of Breastfeeding Medicine at UAMS.
Scholarship | Dr. Pearl McElfish
Dr. McElfish, a Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Campus, was recognized as one of the most impactful researchers at UAMS, with more than 200 published manuscripts and extramural grants totaling more than $180 million. Significantly, her leadership in translational research and population health has improved the health of the Marshallese community and other vulnerable populations.
Faculty Mentorship | Dr. Robert E. “Bobby” McGehee Jr.
Dr. McGehee, a Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, was honored for his long commitment to mentorship at UAMS through direct mentoring of students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty, and the creation and leadership of programs designed to nurture a strong and diverse mentorship culture. Dr. McGehee has served in many leadership roles during his three decades on the faculty, including Dean of the Graduate School from 2004 until earlier this year.
Community/Institutional Service | Dr. Kevin Phelan
Dr. Phelan, a Professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, was recognized for developing and directing the highly successful ArkanSONO Outreach Program, along with development and implementation of the Clinical Procedure Teaching and Learning Laboratory. ArkanSONO has used ultrasound and other imaging modalities to enhance learning and stimulate interest in STEM careers in K-12th grade students since 2017. The program was an outgrowth of Dr. Phelan’s pioneering teaching techniques using point-of-care ultrasound devices to teach living anatomy to medical students.
Educational Innovation | Dr. Tiffany Haynes
Dr. Haynes, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education in the College of Public Health, was lauded as an exemplary teacher, devoted mentor and student advisor, effective academic administrator, and productive researcher. She was praised in particular for encouraging her students to explore and address health disparities in their communities through visual storytelling.
Ensuring Educational Research Integrity
Dr. Carol Thrush, Professor of Surgery and Internal Medicine and an educational research leader in the COM Graduate Medical Education Office, was among the experts from educational institutions, federal funding agencies, professional associations and accreditation agencies participating in a national summit on the state of research integrity and education. The Nov. 8-9 event was hosted by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) and held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washinton, D.C. The summit’s aim was to help foster a culture that makes badly done research “unthinkable.” Dr. Thrush presented on the topic of institutional commitment and shared leadership and assessment strategies. The APPE will release a report with strategies and suggested next steps in early 2024.
Multiple System Atrophy Center of Excellence Designation
UAMS has been selected as a 2023 Center of Excellence by the Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) Coalition, thanks to the hard work of the Movement Disorders Program team with the application process led by Dr. Tuhin Virmani, Associate Professor of Neurology. The MSA Center of Excellence Program is designed to ensure access to the highest quality of multi-disciplinary clinical care and supporting services for patients and families affected by MSA. Along with Dr. Virmani, the team includes Assistant Professors Dr. Hillary Williams and Dr. Aditya Boddu, Rachel Sloan, APRN, Kathryn Stafford, RN, Delores Chandler, RN, Kristie Cervantes, LPN, and Neurology Chair Dr. Rohit Dhall.
Influencing Molecular Pathology Clinical Practice
Dr. Susan Harley, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Director of the Molecular Diagnostics Lab at UAMS, was elected by members of the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) to serve on the AMP Clinical Practice Committee. During her two-year term, Dr. Harley will lend her expertise to the committee’s review, analysis and presentation of data that guides current test reporting and interpretation practices for clinical laboratories across the country.
Excellence in GME Administration
A shout-out to three Graduate Medical Education (GME) team members who recently achieved certification as a Training Administrator of Graduate Medical Education (TAGME). The Department of Internal Medicine’s Jennifer Cushing, Residency Program Manager, and Sarah Brennan, Program Coordinator, along with Corinne Morphew, Program Coordinator for the Pediatric Anesthesiology and Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowships, completed a rigorous and comprehensive process that demonstrates advanced competencies and a high commitment to the role of residency and fellowship administration. They join four other current UAMS GME administrators who hold the prestigious TAGME certification.
Infectious Disease Fellow Designation
Congratulations to Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease faculty members Dr. H. Kathy Liverett, Assistant Professor, and Dr. Ryan Dare, Associate Professor, on being named Fellows of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The designation is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of infectious disease, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated exceptional professional excellence and have provided significant service to the profession.
National Pain Medicine Conference
UAMS was well represented at the recent American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine annual meeting in New Orleans. Chronic Pain Medicine fellow Dr. Bryan Slepicka was one of 25 fellows nationally selected to participate in an Advanced Interventional Pain Management Course and Workshop held during the meeting. Anesthesiology residents Dr. Humaira Saleem and Dr. Shawn Shoham and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residents Dr. Suzanne Abou-Diab and Dr. Ibrahim Samarra’e presented posters on a range of pain medicine topics. Congratulations also to Dr. Jarna Shah, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Program Director for the Pain Fellowship, on her appointment as Vice Chair for the Women in Regional and Acute Pain Medicine Significant Interest Group.
Article Showcases Pediatric Clinical Informatics Section
A new article by Dr. Obeid Shafi, Assistant Professor in the Clinical Informatics Section of the Department of Pediatrics, sheds light on the critical role of electronic health records (EHRs) in pediatric care. “Defining Electronic Health Record Standards for Child Health: A State-of-the-Art Review” was published in Applied Clinical Informatics and showcases the work of the Clinical Informatics section, positioning them as leaders who are shaping the future of pediatric health IT. Coauthors include Assistant Professor Dr. Daniel Liu and Professor and Section Chief Dr. Feliciano Yu. Read more in the Department of Pediatrics Newsroom.
Putting Patients First
A staff member recently shared an example of how compassion and going the extra mile for our patients makes all the difference for those who receive care at UAMS, along with their families. Dr. Kalaivani Sivakumar, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Director of the Heart Restoration, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Cardiac Transplant Program, and Chase Paladino, APRN, took the time to visit a patient at home and make sure she was doing well after an extensive hospitalization. “This was a compassion call, not a requirement of their jobs,” said the staff member, who is a relative of the patient. “My loved one was so happy to see them, she cried. The whole family was very impressed and thankful.” Kudos to these outstanding team members and to all of you who exemplify putting patients first.