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!
Nobel Noteworthy
Congratulations to Dr. Jinhu Xiong, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, and colleagues on the citation of their study in the scientific background that was included in the announcement of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The Nobel was awarded to Dr. David Julius and Dr. Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of thermal and mechanical transducers. As the Advanced Information for the award explains, the honorees’ work “has unlocked one of the secrets of nature by explaining the molecular basis for sensing heat, cold and mechanical force.”
Dr. Xiong is the lead author of a 2019 study published in Elife, “Stimulation of Piezo1 by mechanical signals promotes bone anabolism.” Coauthors included UAMS and Center for Musculoskeletal Disease Research colleagues Drs. Xuehua Li, Li Han, Intawat Nookaew, Erin Mannen and Maria Almeida, and Dr. Matthew J. Silva of Washington University.
Innovation Recognition
Dr. Sheena CarlLee and Dr. Sharon Reece, the “primary care champions” for our new, specially tailored three-year M.D. degree track at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, just received the Innovation in Medical Education Award from the AAMC Southern Group on Educational Affairs. The award recognizes their outstanding work to develop and implement the Introduction to Primary Care Course, which provides the incoming primary care scholars with key concepts of the specialty and prepares them for the challenging, accelerated track. Dr. Reece, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and Dr. CarlLee, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency at the Fayetteville Regional Campus, serve as Co-Course Directors for the two-week class. Congratulations on this well-earned award!
Bioethics Conference
Our Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics faculty members are consistently integral to the annual meeting of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, the preeminent professional society in the field. Assistant Professor Dr. Laura Guidry-Grimes served on the program committee for the virtual conference held earlier this month. Assistant Professor Dr. Jamie Watson gave two talks – one on the role of religion in consultation conflicts, and another on nursing ethics. He and Dr. Angela Scott, Assistant Professor in Developmental Pediatrics and Medical Humanities, led the Literature and Medicine Affinity Group. Dr. Skye Miner, who joined the department as an Assistant Professor in September, presented a paper about her work on moral distress. Dr. D. Micah Hester, Professor and Chair, gave a flash presentation on the upcoming second edition of his co-edited book, “Guidance for Healthcare Ethics Committees.”
Leadership Development
A shout-out to Dr. Travis Eastin, Associate Professor and Director of the Education Division in the Department of Emergency Medicine, on being selected for the 2022 Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine (AACEM) Chair Development Program. He becomes the department’s second participant for the highly competitive program, which is known for developing future leaders in academic emergency medicine. The acceptance comes on the heels of Dr. Gregory Snead’s selection last year – a real credit to the department, chaired by Dr. Rawle A. “Tony” Seupaul, and the caliber of our Emergency Medicine faculty.
Advancing Women in Orthopaedics
Kudos to the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery for their commitment to improving gender diversity at home and in the specialty nationally – including the creation of the Carl L. Nelson Award for the Advancement of Women in Orthopaedics. UAMS’ presentation of the inaugural award to the University of California, San Francisco was highlighted in AAOS Now, a newsletter of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
As noted in the article, Dr. Nelson was progressive for his time in recruiting women to the residency program and faculty while serving as chair from 1974 until his death in 2005. Today, Professor and Chair Dr. Lowry Barnes is continuing the push for greater gender diversity in the department and the field, along with Vice Chair Dr. Theresa Wyrick. UAMS Provost Dr. Stephanie Gardner lauded the creation of the Dr. Carl Nelson Award. “This is a testament to our commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, not only within UAMS, but in the broader community,” she said. I couldn’t agree more!
POCUS Focus
Congratulations to third-year Pediatrics resident Dr. Kayla Heidbrink on receiving the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Transport Medicine’s in-training grant for her project, “Point Of Care UltraSound (POCUS) for intravenous Catheter Placement during Pediatric Interfacility Transport.” After months of working on the project with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital transport team, Dr. Heidbrink presented her work during the 2021 virtual national conference earlier this month. Attendees gave Dr. Heidbrink’s project rave reviews, saying that it was well organized and pertinent to every transport team member.
Putting Patients First
I am very pleased to share some of the recent survey comments from parents of young Arkansans cared for by our team members at Arkansas Children’s. Kudos to all of these caring and compassionate physicians.
“We had a great experience! Dr. Harrison Cobb (Pediatric Cardiology, Arkansas Children’s Northwest) was very knowledgeable and was able to explain everything to my teen in a way she could understand…We are so glad that there is a great cardiologist close to home that we can trust.”
“The level of communication between the staff was impeccable. Dr. Christian Ponder (Ophthalmology resident, Emergency Department visit) was extremely communicative and made our experience very pleasant.”
“Dr. Sarah Sobik (Community Pediatrics– ACH Southwest LR Clinic) was very helpful and gentle with my child. Her willingness to see her patients for a sick visit even when she has a full schedule makes such a difference.”
“We always love Dr. Jon Oden (Pediatric Endocrinology) and his staff!”
“Dr. Jason Dare (Pediatric Rheumatology) was wonderful. Hands down one of the best doctors my daughter has had.”