During the SARA examination, the pregnant woman sits against a concave shield that covers her abdomen. More than 100 sensors obtain three-dimensional data from the fetus and the uterus – without employing needles or any other invasive instruments. Advanced techniques with the SARA allowed for the simultaneous examination of cardiac and brain activities in the fetuses.

Exposure of fetuses to opioids, including buprenorphine, has been shown to affect fetal activity, specifically heart rate variability and fetal movement. Opioid-dependent pregnant women are treated with the opioids buprenorphine or methadone because those drugs are thought to have less effect on the fetus than other opioids and keep the women from going through the cycle of detoxification then relapse.

Babies born after exposure to opioids in the womb are immediately at risk for withdrawal, which can include tremors, seizures, excessive crying, breathing problems and more.

Current standards of care include the use of opioid maintenance therapy during pregnancy instead of detoxification because of the high rates of relapse and potential adverse effects on the fetus. Little is known about any risks to the fetus from intoxication or detoxification from opioids. Understanding how buprenorphine or opioids may impact the development of the fetus is also important for health care providers

“A biomagnetic device such as SARA could help to understand the impact of buprenorphine on the clinical care of pregnant women with opioid use disorder as well as care of their exposed children,” Escalona-Vargas said.

“The use of opioid maintenance therapy has grown along with the opioid epidemic in the United States,” Coker said. “For pregnant women, studies like these can help us identify babies who may be at higher risk for negative outcomes such as neonatal abstinence syndrome.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome has increased about 400 percent nationally, from 1.2 per 1,000 hospital births in 2000 to 5.8 per 1,000 in 2012, with some states reporting rates in excess of 30 per 1,000 hospital births.

Researchers and co-authors in the study are Shona Ray-Griffith, M.D., assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry; Eric R. Siegel, research associate in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Biostatistics; Curtis Lowery, M.D., chair of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Zachary Stowe, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin; and Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., professor in the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Northwest Regional Campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was recently awarded a full, 10-year accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The residency program, launched in 2015, provides a three-year training period to recently graduated medical students prior to practicing medicine professionally. Internal medicine residents are focused on providing preventive and general medical care to adults 18 years old and older, much like a pediatrician provides care for children. The program is made possible due to a partnership with Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers and the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, where the residents practice alongside established physicians.

“This program and the partnership with Mercy are helping us to develop the future health care leaders for the people of Arkansas, and especially northwest Arkansas,” said Thomas Schulz, M.D., director of the program and associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. “The students who choose this program are exceptional and care deeply for this state and its people.”

The program is welcoming its third class of residents this month, bringing the program to capacity. More than 1,200 students applied for the eight open positions. Interviews were conducted with more than 60 applicants. Graduates earn certification through the American Board of Internal Medicine.

“The volunteer community faculty are a key component to the success of this program,” said Schulz. “Partnerships with Mercy and the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks allow our residents to have superb learning opportunities and amazing mentors.”

The UAMS Internal Medicine Residency Program in northwest Arkansas receives financial support through the Mercy Health Foundation, the Walmart Foundation and the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,870 students, 799 medical residents and six dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

By Ben Boulden | June 20th, 2018 |

It was technology — made possible at the high-tech gait and motion-detection laboratory at HipKnee Arkansas Foundation and used by UAMS researchers — most from the Museum of Discovery’s Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) workshop were unfamiliar with. Special cameras at strategic spots throughout the room and the markers worn by the subjects resulted in a 3D model created by computer software that was shown right before them on television.

Erin Mannen, Ph.D., director of translational orthopaedic research and assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, is one of many UAMS researchers who use the technology every day to measure muscle activity and motion in babies, learn how joint replacements affect golf swings, or identify safe yoga practice in hip and knee replacement patients.

Alexis Thompson of Ruston, Louisiana, is a veteran participant of the Girls in STEM workshop, but was still surprised to learn of this technology. It was especially interesting to her because she wants to one day research animals and the evolution of their movements.

“It is really amazing that engineers can do this and find ways to fix what might be broken,” said Alexis.

Bliss Bradford of Marked Tree was speechless.

“It shows how far technology has come,” said Bliss. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is interesting that we’re able to do something like this.”

The reactions of Alexis and Bliss is exactly why Mannen wanted to take part in the Museum of Discovery workshop, which each summer brings middle- and high-school girls to Little Rock to learn about STEM opportunities and meet women in related careers.

“I grew up in a small town without much access to STEM,” said Mannen. “Whenever I see a workshop like this or an opportunity to teach kids, particularly girls, about careers in science and engineering, it is always something I’m happy and honored to take part in.”

Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported women filled 47 percent of all U.S. jobs, but only 24 percent of STEM jobs. Mannen encountered similar disparities while studying mechanical engineering where she was one of only three females in her graduating class.

“There is a misconception that girls don’t belong in STEM fields, but by introducing them to science and technology that engages and excites them, girls are more likely to stay interested in STEM,” said Mannen. “We need women in STEM to move the fields forward, to ask new questions and to find creative solutions. I hope the girls had their eyes opened to many unique opportunities in STEM fields.”

June 20, 2018 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has established the Pamela Rakhshan Chair in Otolaryngology thanks to a $1 million gift from her father, Chris Rakhshan, in gratitude to the physician who saved her life.

UAMS will name a professor to the Rakhshan Chair at a later time.

Rakhshan, of Boulder, Colorado, was living in Arkansas in 2008 when Pamela, then 18, was diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma, a malignant tumor of the trachea. The rare condition occurs only 2 or 3 times per 100,000 people per year, most often in the elderly.

James Y. Suen, M.D., distinguished professor in the UAMS College of Medicine and a world-renowned head and neck cancer surgeon, operated on Pamela for more than 10 hours and continued her follow-up care. Today, Pamela is cancer free.

“I thought for sure that we had lost her,” Rakhshan said. “But Dr. Suen told me later that he took extra time, because she’s so young, and he wanted to be sure that not only the operation was successful, but that she would never have any issues. He took extra time to make sure everything was done to perfection.”

During Pamela’s follow-up visits, her father was impressed not only with Suen’s skill but with his kind, soft-spoken and compassionate manner.

“I realized then how very lucky my family and I were to have Dr. Suen save my daughter’s life, and I determined that somehow I wanted to repay that kindness,” Rakhshan said.

Rakhshan, who moved to Colorado recently, donated his Arkansas home to UAMS, and UAMS used the proceeds of that sale – nearly $1 million – to establish the Pamela Rakhshan Chair in Otolaryngology, both to celebrate Pamela and honor Suen.

“Sometimes we mistakenly measure our fortunes with what’s in our pocket,” Rakhshan said. “And at the time, when I was going through this with my daughter, I realized that my true fortunes in life were what was in front of me – my family. And there’s no greater gratitude I could have had to Dr. Suen and UAMS for bringing her back to me.”

An endowed chair is among the highest academic honors a university can bestow on a faculty member and is established with gifts of $1 million, which are invested and the spendable distributions from the endowment are used to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chair holder. Those named to a chair are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields of expertise. The endowment will provide funding for continued research and advancements to treatments and surgeries for head and neck cancers.

“I would like to thank Chris Rakhshan for this generous donation, especially because it’s honoring his daughter,” said Suen. “This chair will be at UAMS for as long as UAMS exists, and the interest can be used year after year for research, helping us find cures for patients that have these vascular anomalies. This gift will make a huge difference and I think will save many lives in the future. We’re grateful to Chris and Pamela for that.”

“This is kind of like the eternal flame,” said John Dornhoffer, M.D., chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine. “This is going to continue to support – so long as there are sick people, so long as there are diseases, so long as there’s cancer – this is going to allow us, essentially forever, to continue to research this. I think that’s a really powerful gift. For somebody who does research, for somebody who supports clinicians and researchers, this is going to allow us to do it in a way that otherwise would not be possible.”

The event is led by the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine and the UAMS Office of Continuing Education. The conference’s lectures, question-and-answer periods and interactive sessions help participants assess and treat traumatic injuries, and learn evidence-based diagnostic and treatment recommendations for common emergency situations.

Participants took part in sessions on opioids, psychiatric and pediatric emergencies, traumatic injuries, stroke and sepsis.

The conference was started in 2016 to address emergency medical care preparedness in Arkansas and appeal to different specialties and disciplines that require emergency response and care.

“We have rapid-fire teaching sessions, large group discussions and panel discussions,” said Rawle A. “Tony” Seupaul, professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and ICARE course director. “This makes it a much more interactive experience for our participants.”