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!
Congratulations, Alpha Omega Alpha Inductees!
I am pleased to announce the newly elected members of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. AOA recognizes exceptional students, faculty, residents and alumni who exemplify professionalism, scholarship, leadership and service. Please join with me and Dr. Molly Gathright, Councilor of the Arkansas Chapter of AOA and Executive Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, in congratulating those who were elected to AOA membership by the Arkansas Chapter this month.
Residents: Dr. Devin Cook (Pediatrics); Dr. Sayena Jabbehdari (Ophthalmology); Dr. Lauren Johnson (General Surgery); Dr. Katie Stahler (Pediatrics)
Faculty: Dr. Rebecca Cantu (Pediatrics); Dr. Brendan Crawford (Pediatrics); Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis (Obstetrics/Gynecology); Dr. Megha Sharma (Pediatrics)
Alumni: Dr. Angela Chandler* (Pediatrics); Dr. Romona Davis* (Ophthalmology); Dr. Meghan Repp; Dr. Leslie Stone* (Family/Preventive Medicine). *Inductees nominated in the Alumni AOA category who serve on the COM faculty
Students, Class of 2024: Brandon Allen; Harrison Ballard; Jennie Burns; Graham Cate; Samuel Cloyd; Darynne Dahlem; Emily Goodman; Connor Griffin; Morgan Gurel; Larkin Harris; Thomas Heye; Lillian Jones; Farhan Kawsar; Savana Kuhn; Kennedy Kuykendall; Nada Lelovic; Andrew Mangan; Monroe McKay; Reece Mitchell; Elise Moix; Brooke Nunn; Kristina Pieterson; Ryan Pohlkamp; Genna Potter; Ryan Rahman; Kaersti Rickels; Nadia Safar; Aaron Sesler; Connor Shewmake; Hudson Surber; Blaire Taggart; Addison Yee; Sairi Zhang.
International Clinical Scientist Award
Congratulations to Dr. Robert J. Shmookler Reis, Professor of Geriatrics, on receiving the Jawahar (Jay) Mehta Annual Award for Clinical Scientist from the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences (IACS). Dr. Reis was honored at the IACS North American Section meeting in Tampa, Florida. In Arkansas, Dr. Reis holds the Udupa Chair in Gerontologic Research and serves as a Senior Research Career Scientist in the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. His internationally recognized research focuses on the molecular genetics of longevity and aging. The IACS Award is named for UAMS’ Dr. Jay Mehta, whose past honors with the IACS also include the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
DOD Peer-Review Panel Leadership
Dr. Shelley Crary, Professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, was invited by the Department of Defense (DOD) to chair a Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Clinical Trial Award panel. The panel of experts convened earlier this month to evaluate FY23 clinical trial applications relating to vascular malformations. At UAMS, Dr. Crary serves in several leadership roles including Medical Director of the Arkansas Center for Bleeding Disorders at Arkansas Children’s and Co-Director of the Pilot Program in the UAMS Translational Research Institute.
Epilepsy Surgery Firsts
The UAMS Comprehensive Epilepsy Team performed two surgical firsts for Arkansas recently, helping two young patients with refractory epilepsy. A robotic stereotactic encephalography (SEEG) of the thalamus, anterior nucleus opens a new era of surgical intracranial epilepsy network explorations. A robotic close-loop responsive neurostimulator (RNS) implantation into the thalamus, centromedian nucleus represents a new era of neuromodulation for refractory epilepsy. Kudos to Dr. Viktoras Palys, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Surgical Director of the Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and the entire epilepsy team: Dr. Sisira Yadala, Dr. Salman Zahoor, Taneicie Sabb, Dr. Jennifer Gess, Dr. Tatiana Wolfe, Kathleen Hogue and Tammy Drake.
National Presentations on Antibiotic Stewardship
Dr. William Golden, Professor of Internal Medicine and Public Health and Medical Director of the Division of Medical Services for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, will present the framework and results of the Arkansas Medicaid program’s outpatient antibiotic stewardship initiative at two national summits in October. Dr. Golden will share information about the Arkansas program at the NCQA Health Innovation Summit in Orlando, Florida, and at a Pew-sponsored southeast regional Medicaid summit in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Insights into Retinal Ischemia
A shout-out to Dr. Abdelrahman Fouda, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and colleagues on the publication of their paper in Nature Cell Death and Disease addressing retinal ischemia, a major cause of visual impairment and blindness. The paper investigated the involvement of the enzyme arginase 1 (A1) pathway in myeloid cell inflammatory response to the retinal pathology. The findings are highly relevant from a clinical perspective considering the need for new therapies for patients suffering from vision loss due to ischemic retinopathies such as diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Esraa Shosha, Dr. Rami Shahror and graduate student Carol Morris from Dr. Fouda’s lab authored the manuscript together with Department Chair Dr. Nancy Rusch.
Pediatric Hospital Medicine National Activities
Pediatric Hospital Medicine colleagues Dr. Emily Barnes, Associate Professor, and Dr. Sara Sanders, Assistant Professor, are taking part in national activities for emerging academic leaders in the field. Dr. Barnes is a member of the 2023-2024 cohort of the competitively selected Advancing Pediatric Educator eXcellence (APEX) Teaching Program. Dr. Sanders was accepted to attend the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Hospital Medicine’s inaugural Emerging Leaders Conference being held at AAP headquarters last week.
UAMS Expertise in Spotlight at Otolaryngology Conference
The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery will have a robust presence at the annual American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) meeting in Nashville. The five-day conference starts September 30, with an all-time high of 12 UAMS faculty members, six residents and six medical students presenting as expert lecturers, on panels or with scientific oral presentations. Learn more about the presentations here. Kudos to Professor and Chair Dr. John Dornhoffer and all who are representing UAMS.
Future Leaders in Surgery
General Surgery residents Dr. Seana Corbin (PGY3) and Dr. Lauren Johnson (PGY4) have been selected as scholars for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., next month. At UAMS, Dr. Corbin is currently the Surgical Oncology Research Fellow, and Dr. Johnson took a year away from clinical work last year for the fellowship. PGY4 Surgery resident Dr. Megan White represented the Arkansas Chapter of the American College of Surgery (ACS) at the ACS Leadership and Advocacy Summit earlier this year. As future physician leaders, these conferences will help all three of these outstanding residents hone the skills needed to advocate on behalf of their patients, colleagues and communities.