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!
Opening a Path
Congratulations to Dr. José R. Romero, Professor of Pediatrics and Arkansas Secretary of Health, on his latest international honor, the Ohtli Award from the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. It is the highest award given to persons residing outside of Mexico. The name of the award comes from the Nahuatl word meaning “path,” alluding to the idea of opening a path for others. What an incredible and well-earned honor for Dr. Romero, who has provided stellar leadership during the pandemic through his recently completed term as Chair of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices as well as his ongoing leadership in Arkansas. The Ohtli Award honors individuals for aiding, empowering and positively affecting the lives of Mexican nationals in the United States and other countries. Thank you, Dr. Romero, for serving as a role model and ally for all.
(You can watch a video of the award ceremony, which was held at the Arkansas Department of Health yesterday, here.)
Chancellor’s Circle Grants
Congratulations to this year’s Chancellor’s Circle grant recipients. Twelve grants totaling $241,620 were awarded to support education, research and patient care initiatives across the state. Among them were $50,000 to the Office of Interprofessional Education to support the Culinary Medicine Program’s “We AR Cooking for a Healthier UAMS” initiative; $30,000 to Translational Research Institute and the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to expand a program providing mini grants for research by underrepresented faculty members; and $25,000 for a Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute initiative to expand lung cancer screening to include less-invasive liquid biopsies and help identify at-risk populations. Read about all of the innovative projects initiated by College of Medicine and UAMS team members in the UAMS Newsroom.
High-Risk Pregnancy Care in NWA
Kudos to our Obstetrics and Gynecology team members who worked very hard for the past two years to develop a new clinical collaboration with Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville. The team conducted its first Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic at Washington Regional earlier this month. The initiative will enable many women with high-risk pregnancies to receive the best possible care closer to home in Northwest Arkansas. Special thanks to Dr. Nirvana Manning, OB/GYN Chair and Women and Infants Health Service Line Director, and Dr. Adam Sandlin, Associate Professor, for their leadership on this very well received initiative.
AOA Fellowship Award
Radiation Oncology resident Dr. Arpan Prabhu is one of only 10 residents and fellows nationwide to receive an Alpha Omega Alpha Postgraduate Fellowship Award this year. Dr. Prabhu will use the award from the national medical honor society to further his research into the use of virtual reality technology to improve the patient experience and quality of care during brachytherapy. Dr. Prabhu’s mentor is Assistant Professor Dr. Gary Lewis. He was nominated by Dr. Molly Gathright, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and AOA Councilor, along with the Arkansas AOA Chapter. Click here to learn more about Dr. Prabhu and his dedication to research on health literacy and patient education. Congratulations Dr. Prabhu!
Group of the Year
A round of applause for the UAMS Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG), which has been named EMIG of the Year by the Emergency Medicine Residents Association. The national award recognizes the accomplishments of the most productive EMIGs and the student leaders who make a wide range of learning and networking opportunities possible for fellow students. 2020-2021 Academic Year Co-Presidents Dr. Paige Dailey, who is now a first-year Emergency Medicine resident, and Morgan Sweere, who is now a senior medical student, were a driving force behind many of the activities that resulted in the national honor. Read more about this amazing group in the UAMS Newsroom.
World Expert
A shout-out to Dr. Gerald Dienel, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurology, who has been designated as a world expert in the area of astrocytes by Expertscape. The online science and medicine-focused resource calculates expertise from publications in the scientific literature. Dr. Dienel is ranked No. 23, or in the top 0.034%, among 67,804 published authors worldwide on astrocytes, the most numerous cells in the central nervous system. The ranking is based on his contributions to 22 articles on the topic over the past 10 years. Many will enjoy this 2019 UAMS news feature on Dr. Dienel’s continuing post-retirement scientific contributions.
Six-Year Streak
The hard work of residents and the dedication of our faculty members to their success have led to great outcomes in many programs across the College of Medicine. Under the leadership of Program Director Dr. Rani Lindberg, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency graduates have achieved a 100% pass rate for first-time takers of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Part 1 board examination since 2016. Congratulations to our recent PM&R graduates and the faculty colleagues who made this excellent track record possible.
Putting Patients First
A patient of Dr. Bruno Machado, Assistant Professor of Urology, recently wrote to Chancellor Cam Patterson to praise Dr. Machado and the staff of the UAMS Urology Clinic. “I have never been treated with such professional respect, taking an inordinate amount of time and explaining everything in great detail, as I did with Dr. Machado,” the patient wrote to Dr. Patterson. “He was kind and patient with my wife and me. Hats off to him and his staff. We are blessed to have him working in the state of Arkansas.” Thanks to Dr. Machado and the Urology Clinic team for putting patients first!