Tamara Robinson

Trauma Leadership Transition Follows Decade of Successes

Drs. Ron Robertson and Kyle Kalkwarf in trauma bay in UAMS Emergency Department — *Ron Robertson, M.D., and Kyle Kalkwarf, M.D., in a trauma bay in the UAMS Emergency Department.*

The UAMS Trauma Program has flourished under the leadership of Ron Robertson, M.D., FACS, for the past decade. With an eye toward many more years of outstanding trauma care for Arkansans, Robertson, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, has turned over the program’s reins to Kyle Kalkwarf, M.D., FACS, assistant professor of surgery.

“Dr. Kalkwarf will be an exceptional trauma medical director,” said Robertson, who also serves as chief of staff for UAMS Medical Center. “In addition to being an excellent trauma and general surgeon, Kyle brings a strong commitment to quality improvement initiatives that will help take our trauma program to the next level.”

“Dr. Kalkwarf is a valued faculty member, and I am confident that he will continue to lead our trauma program to be one of the best in the nation,” said Michelle Krause, M.D., MPH, senior vice chancellor for UAMS Health and CEO of UAMS Medical Center.

Kalkwarf, who joined the faculty in 2018, is fellowship trained in surgical critical care and trauma. He has served as Trauma Quality Improvement Project (TQIP) leader since November 2020, as the quality officer for the Trauma Program since July 2021, and as UAMS operational leader for the PSI-12 (Patient Safety Indicator) initiative focused on decreasing pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis in hospitalized patients since March 2022.

The UAMS Trauma Program became a national leader in trauma outcomes under Robertson’s leadership, regularly ranking in the top decile of Level I and Level II trauma centers based on the American College of Surgeons (ACS) TQIP metrics for mortality and complications. Kalkwarf and his colleagues have initiated projects to improve other quality metrics including catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), pulmonary embolism, and reducing opioid dependence.

Quality measures are just one of the ongoing successes from Robertson’s tenure as trauma medical director and chief of the Division of Acute Care Surgery from 2013 to 2022. He also was integral in developing the Arkansas Trauma System and continues to provide ongoing contributions in multiple areas.

“UAMS and the College of Medicine are incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Robertson on our faculty,” said Interim Dean and Executive Vice Chancellor G. Richard Smith, M.D. “While Ron is passing the torch on medical leadership of the trauma program, we continue to benefit from his leadership across multiple mission areas as well as his exceptional collegiality.”

With the launch of the statewide trauma system in 2009, the Arkansas Department of Health designated UAMS as the state’s only adult Level I Trauma Center. A pivotal achievement was the verification of UAMS as an adult Level I Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons in 2017. With a rigorous review process every three years to ensure continued compliance with national guidelines for trauma care, the ACS Level I designation signifies UAMS’s ability to provide the highest level of care for complex cases and the most severely injured patients from across the state.

The volume of trauma cases at UAMS has more than tripled over the past decade. While this growth continued after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the UAMS trauma team maintained its focus on quality and improving care.

In 2021, under the leadership of Ben Davis, M.D., the current director of the Division of Acute Care Surgery, ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) life-support technology was implemented at UAMS by surgeons and team members from other disciplines. ECMO enables UAMS to care for the sickest trauma patients by providing a means to ventilate and oxygenate the blood of those who are too injured for their lungs to perform those functions.

Additional clinical accomplishments for the Trauma Program in recent years include implementing a statewide mental health program for trauma patients and a neuropsychology program for brain-injured patients.

Education and scholarly work also have remained an important focus of the program. An ACGME-accredited Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program was established in the Department of Surgery in 2018 to help ensure ample critical care and trauma surgeons for Arkansas in the years to come. Robertson and colleagues have produced scores of trauma-specific peer-reviewed publications.

Robertson also has been a staunch advocate for statewide trauma education throughout his 28-year career at UAMS, serving as the state and regional director for the ACS Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course. In this role, he has led more than 300 courses and taught the latest trauma care techniques to more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practice providers from Arkansas and across the nation.

Robertson has served as chair of the Department of Surgery since 2019 and has held numerous clinical leadership roles at UAMS. Among many honors, he was invested as the inaugural holder of the Gilbert S. “Gil” Campbell, M.D., Ph.D., Chair in Surgical Leadership and Innovation at UAMS in October 2022. In 2018, Arkansas Business named him the Health Care Heroes Physician of the Year.

Kalkwarf received his bachelor’s degree at the United States Military Academy at West Point and his medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He completed his general surgery residency at UAMS in 2011-2016. Kalkwarf continued his training at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, completing an American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) Trauma Fellowship and an ACGME Surgical Critical Care Fellowship.

Kalkwarf was on the teaching staff in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and worked part-time as a surgical intensivist at MD Anderson Cancer Center before joining the UAMS faculty in 2018. During his first year in Arkansas, he was an attending general surgeon and surgical intensivist at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. Kalkwarf is being promoted to associate professor, effective July 1. Kalkwarf served as a Governor-appointed Arkansas Trauma Advisory Council member from 2020 to 2022. He was named a vice-chair of the Arkansas Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma in 2021. He was appointed associate trauma medical director at UAMS in 2022. Also that year, he began serving as the medical consultant to the Arkansas Trauma System and its 64 trauma centers.

Recent Faculty Appointments — February 2023

Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.

Department of Neurosurgery

Deanna Sasaki-Adams, M.D.

Deanna Sasaki-Adams, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurosurgery as a Professor. Dr. Sasaki-Adams received her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin Medical School at Madison. She completed her neurosurgery residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), serving as Chief Resident in her final year. She completed a fellowship in skull base and open cerebrovascular neurosurgery at Saint Louis University before joining the UNC faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2011.

Dr. Sasaki-Adams continued her training with a fellowship in interventional neuroradiology at UNC in 2013-2015. In 2017, she was promoted to Associate Professor. She served as Section Chief of Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Neurosurgery at UNC from 2016 until her recruitment to UAMS. While at UNC, she received numerous honors, including four Teacher of the Year Awards in the Department of Neurosurgery.

This spring, Dr. Sasaki-Adams will complete her work toward a Global Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Dr. Sasaki-Adams is board certified through the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Her primary clinical interests include treatment of neurovascular disease such as intracerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, intracranial bypass procedures, stroke, and carotid occlusive disease. She also treats skull base tumors including pituitary tumors, meningiomas, vestibular schwannomas and clival chordomas.

Dr. Sasaki-Adams is an active member in the cerebrovascular section of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons/American Association of Neurological Surgeons (CNS/AANS) and the North America Skull Base Society. She is currently a member of the inaugural class of Executive Leadership in Hospital Medicine, a part of the Drexel College of Medicine ELAM Program. She also serves on the advisory board of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Council of Faculty and Academic Societies.

Department of Pediatrics

Colin Kay, Ph.D.

Colin D. Kay, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as a Professor in the Developmental Nutrition Section and Scientific Director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) Metabolomics and Analytical Chemistry Research Core. He also serves as Director of Precision Health Research in the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute.

Dr. Kay was recruited to UAMS from North Carolina State University, where he was the David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor of Translational Nutrition in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences and at NC State’s Plants for Human Health Research Institute and Phytochemical and Foodome Center.

His research centers on establishing the metabolism of dietary phytochemicals and the potential impact this has on their biological activity. His research core is focused on the development of qualitative and quantitative metabolomic methodologies for establishing the contribution of dietary phytochemicals to the human metabolome. This work has led to the development of a food composition knowledge database (MetaboFood®) comprising chemical composition and metabolome data, including metabolic and disease pathway associations for supporting precision nutrition and health initiatives.

Prior to North Carolina State University, Dr. Kay served on the faculty of Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. He received his doctorate in nutritional biochemistry from the University of Guelph, Canada, and postdoctoral training in human vascular interventions and controlled dietary feeding trials at the Pennsylvania State University. Read more about Dr. Kay’s work on Google Scholar.

Department of Surgery

Oleksiy Gudz, M.D., Ph.D.

Oleksiy Gudz, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Dr. Gudz received his medical degree from Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University in Ukraine. He also completed his general surgery residency, as well as a Master of Medical Science (M.M.S.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) degree at the Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University. Dr. Gudz continued his training with a vascular surgery fellowship at Lviv National Medical University.

He served as an Associate Professor in the Post-Graduation General and Vascular Surgery Department at Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University in Ukraine before relocating to Little Rock.

Accolades – February 22, 2023

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!

Necessity Leads to Opportunity
The temporary closure of a specialized learning laboratory for otology/neurotology trainees at Oklahoma University College of Medicine led to an enhanced learning opportunity for residents at OU and UAMS. With the OU temporal bone lab closed for renovations, OU’s Dr. Alex Bien joined forces with Dr. John Dornhoffer, Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UAMS, to conduct a combined temporal bone lab for residents of both schools over two recent weekends at UAMS. Consisting of both didactic lectures and dissections, the temporal bone lab is a crucial component of otolaryngology residency education – and UAMS’ lab is considered one of the best in the country.

Dr. Dornhoffer said the dual-institution lab gave residents a unique learning experience and an opportunity to “socialize and compare notes outside of the lab.” Now, the two programs hope to make it an annual collaboration. UAMS Assistant Professor Dr. Robert Saadi and Otology fellow Dr. Anna Bareiss also served as course instructors.

EM Leadership Development
Dr. Sarah Greenberger, Associate Professor and Residency Program Director in the Department of Emergency Medicine, has been accepted for the 2023-2024 class of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine/Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (SAEM/AACEM) Emerging Leader Development Program (eLEAD). The highly competitive, year-long program is designed to help emerging leaders in the field further develop their leadership skills, and to provide networking and other opportunities. I join with Dr. Rawle “Tony” Seupaul, Emergency Medicine Chair and Executive Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, in congratulating Dr. Greenberger on this well-earned opportunity.

Outstanding Reviewer
Dr. Carol Thrush, a leader in educational research in the COM GME Office, has been named an Outstanding Reviewer for 2022 by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the editors of ACGME’s Journal of Graduate Medical Education. The honor stems from her contributions as a peer reviewer for multiple manuscripts and her high reviewer ratings. This national service to scholarly work is an extension of Dr. Thrush’s strong commitment to high-quality scholarly work by residents, students and faculty in our college and her contributions to many excellent publications through her roles as a Professor in the departments of Surgery and Internal Medicine as well as the GME Office. Kudos, Dr. Thrush.

Insights into Aging
Researchers in the Department of Geriatrics recently published two articles on different aspects of aging. First-year postdoctoral fellow Dr. Ambika Verma was first author on “P. gingivalis-LPS Induces Mitochondrial Dysfunction Mediated by Neuroinflammation through Oxidative Stress,” published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The article sheds light on the links between periodontal disease and neurodegenerative disease in older individuals. Professor Dr. Gohar Azhar was the first author on “Differential plasma protein expression after ingestion of essential amino acid-based dietary supplement versus whey protein in low physical functioning older adults,” published in GeroScience. The article expands on the team’s findings in a recent clinical trial that demonstrated the superiority of a dietary supplement composed of essential amino acids. Professor and Chair Dr. Jeanne Wei was senior author on both of the recent publications, and many lab team members were coauthors.

Gold Standard for Consulting
Dr. Abhilash Thatikala, a second-year Neurology resident, is “the gold standard” for specialty consultants called to the Emergency Department to assist with patient cases and the teaching experiences they present. Emergency Medicine residents selected Dr. Thatikala as their newest Consultant of the Month in recognition of his expertise, teaching and collegiality. As one resident wrote, “Dr. Thatikala updates you quickly on the plan and always does what’s best for the patient, all while being the most kind, efficient, and pleasant person ever, even when he’s swamped with consults.” Kudos to Dr. Thatikala for his outstanding work.

Putting Patients First
Patients who suffer from severe headaches are grateful for the expert, compassionate care provided by headache medicine specialist Dr. Scott Lucchese, Associate Professor of Neurology. A patient recently explained in a post-visit survey how much Dr. Lucchese’s “great attention to detail” and willingness to take the time needed to address concerns means. “I never leave his office with any unanswered medical questions,” the patient wrote. “He is a 5-Star Neurologist who is genuinely concerned about his patients, and his pleasing disposition is highly commendable.” Kudos to Dr. Lucchese for putting patients first.

Accolades – February 15, 2023

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!

Aiding the Cancer Moonshot
A shout-out to Bill Bennett, an Instructor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, who created an extensive suite of tools for image de-identification and curation for The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA), the National Cancer Institute-supported public database housed at UAMS. We have just learned that the U.S. Department of Defense is adopting these tools, called Posda, to support the federal “Cancer Moonshot” program. The de-identification of clinical images is crucial for making data safe for sharing and publishing in the collaborative pursuit of new therapies for fighting cancer. I join with Dr. Fred Prior, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Biomedical Informatics and Director of the TCIA, in thanking Bill for sharing his expertise at UAMS over the past seven years, and in wishing him all the best in his upcoming retirement.

National Leadership in Gynecology
Dr. Kathryn Stambough, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is lending her expertise as a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Clinical Consensus Committee for Gynecology. She is the only currently serving member from Arkansas and was instrumental in formulating the recent publication of updated practice guidelines for the medical management of menstrual suppression. Dr. Stambough serves as a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist at Arkansas Children’s and as Assistant Program Director for the OB/GYN Residency Program at UAMS. Kudos to Dr. Stambough for her national leadership as well as her excellent work in gynecological care and education.

Rising Star in Thoracic Surgery
Dr. Lauren Johnson, a fourth-year General Surgery resident currently completing a dedicated lab research year, received the “Looking to the Future” scholarship from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). The Looking to the Future program identifies rising stars in thoracic surgery and provides mentorship, career development workshops and other opportunities to participate in leadership programs. The scholarship covered travel and participation in the recent STS annual meeting in San Diego. Congratulations, Dr. Johnson.

Groundbreaking Collaboration
The Department of Neurosurgery’s Dr. Erika Petersen and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Dr. John Bracey and Dr. Mark Tait are collaborating with the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R) at the University of Arkansas and other partners on a groundbreaking technology and clinical trial with the potential to make meaningful sensations of touch, grip force and hand-opening possible for patients with upper limb amputations, using neural-enabled prosthesis. Dr. Petersen is a Professor and Director of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery. Dr. Bracey, an Assistant Professor, and Dr. Tait, an Associate Professor, are hand and nerve specialists. Read more about this exciting work in the UAMS Newsroom.

Striving for Sustainability
UAMS’s sustainability efforts are featured in a newly published article by Dr. Kristie Hadden, Associate Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics and Senior Strategy Associate in the UAMS Office of Strategy Management; Christina Clark, MBA, Vice Chancellor for Support Services and Chief Operations Officer; Dr. Stephanie Gardner, UAMS Provost and Chief Strategy Officer; and Dr. Cam Patterson, Chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. The article, “UAMS’s Response to Climate Crisis: Using energy savings to fund sustainability at an Academic Health Center,” is in the February issue of the Journal of Healthcare Contracting.

104 and Cancer Free
And finally this week, I would like to share a story about an incredible patient – and the healing care initially provided by Dr. James Suen, Distinguished Professor and former Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, nearly 50 years ago. Camden resident Maddie Upton first saw Dr. Suen and received treatment for mouth cancer in 1974. The now 104-year-old cancer survivor and Dr. Suen have maintained a special friendship as doctor and patient ever since. You can read more about Ms. Upton, from her birth during the last months of World War I to the positive attitude she exudes today, in the UAMS Newsroom.

Accolades – February 8, 2023

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!

12^th Street Celebrates 10 Years of Service
The student-run UAMS 12^th Street Health and Wellness Center marked 10 years of service to the community in January – a decade that also has provided a phenomenal amount of interprofessional clinical learning experiences for medical students and their peers across UAMS. In 2022 alone, the center saw 800 individual patients and logged over 59,000 student volunteer hours. In January-November, 270 College of Medicine students volunteered at the center. Another accomplishment for the 12^th Street team in 2022 was the integration of the EPIC electronic medical record system.

Let’s have a round of applause for the student volunteers and faculty leaders at the center. COM senior Brett Frazier is Executive Director and junior Nadia Safar is Deputy Executive Director on the Student Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 academic year, and many fellow students serve in other board positions. Next year, Nadia will serve as Executive Director and Brittany Tian, currently a sophomore, will serve as Deputy Executive Director. Congratulations to all of the students who were recently elected to serve on the board in 2023-2024.

The 12^th Street Faculty Leadership Team includes Medical Director Dr. Elizabeth Gath, Professor of Internal Medicine, and Center Director Dr. Melissa Halverson, Associate Professor in the College of Health Professions, Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Dr. Billy Thomas, Professor of Pediatrics, served as the center’s Founding Medical Director.

Otolaryngology Textbook Published
Dr. Gresham Richter, Professor, Vice Chair and Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, was a senior editor on the recently published sixth edition of “Bailey’s Head and Neck Surgery – Otolaryngology.” The comprehensive, two-volume work is one of the leading and longest-published textbooks in the field, designed for both practicing otolaryngologists and residents. Dr. Richter served as the senior editor for content relating to pediatric otolaryngology. UAMS Otolaryngology faculty members Dr. Adam Johnson, Dr. Abby Nolder and Dr. André Wineland also contributed to chapters in the book.

National Leadership Fellowship
Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Foster, Assistant Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at the UAMS Northeast Regional Campus, on being selected for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program. Dr. Foster has been pegged as an up-and-coming leader since completing his residency as a Co-Chief Resident at UAMS Northeast and joining the faculty in 2021. His fellowship nomination drew enthusiastic support from Program Director Dr. Scott Dickson and Little Rock Family Medicine faculty Dr. David Kelley, Dr. Leslie Stone and Dr. Bill Ventres. They cited Dr. Foster’s work on quality improvement initiatives, implementation of the EPIC electronic medical record system across regional campuses, and team-building efforts for residents and staff in Jonesboro. His recent honors include being selected as a 2023 UAMS Implementation Science Scholar.

Advanced Biotherapies Certification
Dr. Gina Drobena, Associate Professor of Pathology, Division Director of Transfusion Medicine and Medical Director of Apheresis, recently became one of the first across the country to become credentialed as a Certified Advanced Biotherapies Professional (CABP). She is the only person in Arkansas and neighboring Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana to hold the new certification from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB). Congratulations, Dr. Drobena.

Journal Highlights Pulmonary Expertise
For the seventh consecutive year, Dr. Manish Joshi, Professor of Internal Medicine in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, served as Section Editor for an issue of Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine focusing on obstructive, occupational and environmental diseases. Dr. Joshi contributed the introductory editorial for the issue, which also included two review articles by UAMS faculty. Pulmonary Medicine’s Dr. Jose Caceres and Dr. Anand Venkata contributed an article on asbestos-associated pulmonary disease. Dr. Krishna Kakkera, Dr. William Atchley and Dr. Thaddeus Bartter (Pulmonary Medicine) and Dr. Maneetha Kodali (Geriatrics) contributed an article on the interrelationships between ageing and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Team UAMS Answers Call for Emergency Blood Drive
And finally this week, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who turned out for the “pop-up” emergency blood drive at UAMS last Wednesday, even though the ice storm kept many team members away from campus. The drive, conducted by the Arkansas Blood Institute/Our Blood Institute (OBI), was crucial for maintaining life-saving blood supply during a week when inclement weather forced the cancellations of multiple drives and donor appointments. An astounding 76 team members signed up to volunteer after the announcement went out that morning – including 32 new donors. By the end of the four-hour drive, 61 units of blood had been collected.

“Not only did UAMS step up and allow us to hold an emergency pop-up blood drive, but you all exceeded any expectation we had,” said Lindsey Beaver, OBI Director of Donor Recruitment. “We cannot express our gratitude enough for the efforts and success you had, and most importantly for understanding the severity of blood supply and showing up during this emergency.”

I join with Dr. Michelle Krause, Senior Vice Chancellor for UAMS Health and CEO for UAMS Medical Center, in thanking all who donated blood. Special thanks also to Clinical Lab Manager Ann Jacob and Dr. Aaron Wyble, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Medical Director of the UAMS Blood Bank, and everyone who helped to coordinate the drive on short notice.

The need for blood remains critical, and I encourage COM team member to donate if you can. The next blood drive at UAMS is scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 14-15. For more information, please see this UAMS announcement.

Accolades – February 1, 2023

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!

First for Arkansas Kids with Epilepsy
Arkansas children with epilepsy receive world-class care thanks to UAMS and Arkansas Children’s team members across multiple disciplines. In the surgical arena, a historic first for the state occurred Jan. 23 with the first deep brain stimulator (DBS) implantation of a patient with epilepsy at Arkansas Children’s. The procedure was performed by Dr. Viktoras Palys, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Surgical Director of the Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and Dr. Gregory Albert, Professor of Neurosurgery and Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery. DBS for children with epilepsy remains relatively rare across the country. In fact, Dr. Palys performed the first adult case for a patient with epilepsy in Arkansas in December 2020. Last November, Dr. Palys and Dr. Albert performed another first for Arkansas – the first pediatric laser ablation (LITT) surgery for epilepsy. Kudos to these outstanding neurosurgeons and their colleagues.

National Diversity Award
Congratulations to Dr. Ramona Rhodes, Associate Professor of Geriatrics, on being selected for the Richard Payne Outstanding Achievement in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). Dr. Rhodes will be honored at the AAHPM annual meeting in Montreal in March for her work to improve care for diverse, vulnerable and underrepresented patient populations. Dr. Rhodes serves as Associate Director for Health Services Research in the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.

Prestigious Grand Rounds
A shout-out to Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of Neurosurgical Oncology, who presented the Neurosurgery Grand Rounds at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine last week. Dr. Rodriguez’s talk was on “Future Directions in the Management of Recurrent Glioblastoma.” Dr. Rodriguez continues to gain national recognition for her expertise, and we are fortunate to have her at UAMS.

National Program Directors Honor
Dr. Shashank Kraleti, Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and Program Director for the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency, has been named a recipient of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) Program Director Recognition Award at the Silver level. The award is based on accomplishments in areas including scholarly activity, peer and professional development, service to family medicine organizations, and advocacy. This is just the latest of several national honors for Dr. Kraleti, who received the AFMRD award at the Bronze level in 2021. Last fall, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) selected Dr. Kraleti for the 2023 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award, which will be presented later this month. In October, he was featured in the American Academy of Family Physicians’ “Family Doc Focus.”

ED Consultant of the Month
Dr. Marina Joseph, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine, has been selected as the new Consultant of the Month by Emergency Medicine residents. The monthly honor highlights collegial faculty and residents from across the COM – and their impact on both residents and patients in the Emergency Department. As one resident wrote, “Dr. Joseph maintains an elevated level of professionalism and kindness that complements her clinical expertise and confidence well.” Well done, Dr. Joseph.

AHA Predoctoral Fellowships
Congratulations to UAMS graduate students Lance Benson and Soumiya Pal on their predoctoral fellowship awards from the American Heart Association. Lance, who works in the lab of mentor and sponsor Dr. Shengyu Mu, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, will use his one-year award for a project titled “Inappropriate activation of CD8 cells contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension.” Dr. Nancy Rusch, Distinguished Professor and Chair, is a co-sponsor. Dr. Yuet-Kin “Ricky” Leung (also in Pharmacology) and Dr. Lu Huang (Microbiology and Immunology) are collaborators on Lance’s award. Dr. Mu is also a co-sponsor and Dr. Rusch is a collaborator on Soumiya’s award, for “Mechanism of lymphatic contractile dysfunction in hypertension.” He is a student in the lab of mentor and sponsor Dr. Amanda Stolarz, Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Congratulations & Kudos to our Anatomical Scholars
And finally this week, a well-earned shout-out to the six third-year medical students who served as Anatomical Scholars for the Human Structure module this year. All six actively participated in the weekly journal club and served as teaching assistants in the fall course for freshmen, as well as conducting multiple scholarly research projects. The students prepared four abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the American Association for Anatomy meeting in Washington, D.C., March 25-27 and will receive travel grants from the Lutterloh Trust for Medical Education Excellence to attend the conference.

Congratulations and thank you to the Anatomical Scholars: Brett Glenn, Larkin Harris, Savana Kuhn, Monroe McKay, Brooke Nunn and Marc Reed. Their abstracts address multiple aspects of the Anatomy Scholars program and its impact in gross anatomy and M1 education, including the benefits of supplemental teaching by “near peers,” student satisfaction, resource utilization and student performance, and the success of traditional vs. digital human anatomy curricula. Faculty collaborators and mentors included Module Director Dr. David Davies, Professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, Dr. Hanna Jensen, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Radiology, and Dr. Jasna Vuk, Associate Professor in the Educational and Student Success Center.

Recent Faculty and Leadership Appointments — January 2023

Department of Anesthesiology

Joel McMasters, M.D.

Joel McMasters, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Associate Professor and Director of the Anesthesiology Perioperative Evaluation Center (APEC). Dr. McMasters received his medical degree from UAMS. He completed his transitional internship at Brooke Army Medical Center and his anesthesiology residency at Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He worked as a staff anesthesiologist at Brooke Army Medical Center and served as Chief of Anesthesia in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Prior to joining the UAMS faculty, Dr. McMasters worked in private practice in Pine Bluff and most recently in Little Rock.

Beth Anne Reed, M.D.

Beth Anne Reed, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Associate Professor and Director of Anesthesia Services at The Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital, which will open this spring. Dr. Reed received her medical degree at UAMS. She completed her anesthesia internship and residency at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. She continued her training with a pediatric anesthesia fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Reed returned to Little Rock and practiced at Southern Regional Anesthesiology Consultants and most recently at Baptist Health.

Department of Internal Medicine

Division Director, Hematology/Oncology

Rangaswamy Govindarajan, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine, has been appointed Director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Govindarajan is a hematologist and medical oncologist in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS and in the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and has served on the faculty for over 25 years.

Dr. Govindarajan received his medical degree from Mysore Medical College in Mysore, India. He completed an internship in general medicine, surgery and obstetrics/gynecology/pediatrics at K.R. Hospital and Cheluvamba Hospital in Mysore. He is a member of the UK’s Royal College of Physicians (MRCP). He came to UAMS in 1992 for his residency in internal medicine and continued his training with a fellowship in hematology/oncology before joining the faculty as an Assistant Professor in 1997.

Dr. Govindarajan is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. His primary clinical and research interests are gastrointestinal cancers and sarcoma. He is the principal investigator for Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), and a member of the GI working committee and sarcoma working group in SWOG. He has experience in conducting investigator-initiated trials and actively participates in industry-sponsored and cooperative group trials. He also serves as the Chief of the Section of Hematology/Oncology at CAVHS.

Sri Obulareddy, M.D.

Sri Obulareddy, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Associate Professor and breast oncologist in the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Obulareddy received her medical degree in 2004 at Andhra Medical College, Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, in India. She was a junior resident in hematology and oncology at Yashoda Cancer and Multispecialty Center in Hyderabad, India.

Dr. Obulareddy received a master’s in occupational and environmental health from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, in 2009. She completed her residency in internal medicine in 2014, followed by a fellowship in medical oncology in 2016, at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Obulareddy began her career as a physician at Sanford Health in Dickinson, North Dakota, where she was instrumental in setting up a stand-alone hematology/oncology practice. Prior to joining UAMS, she practiced at Yakima Valley Memorial, North Star Lodge Cancer Center in Yakima, Washington.

Department of Pediatrics

Section Chief, Pediatric Neurology

Erin Willis, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, has been appointed Section Chief for Pediatric Neurology in the Department of Pediatrics and Arkansas Children’s. Dr. Willis received her medical degree at UAMS, where she stayed for her Child Neurology Residency. She served as Chief Resident during her final year of training and went on to complete a fellowship in neurophysiology.

Dr. Willis is board certified with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualifications in Child Neurology as well as Epilepsy. She is also boarded as a diplomate with the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology. Her professional memberships include the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, American Epilepsy Society, and the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. Her clinical and research interests include epilepsy and pediatric demyelinating disorders.

She serves as a pediatric epileptologist at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital with active involvement in the Level 4 Epilepsy Center within the Neuroscience Center. She is also the Director of the Pediatric Demyelinating Clinic at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and certified as a Multiple Sclerosis Partner in Care by the National MS Society.

Section Chief, Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Laura Hobart-Porter, D.O., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, has been named the inaugural Section Chief of Pediatric Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in the Department of Pediatrics and Arkansas Children’s.

Previously a component of the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Section, PM&R was established as a separate section in 2022 to help facilitate substantial growth in both areas, with Dr.Hobart-Porter serving as Interim Section Chief of Pediatric PM&R. Dr. Hobart-Porter also serves as Medical Director of the Spinal Cord Disorders Program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Hobart-Porter received her Doctor of Osteopathy at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. She completed her residency training at UAMS, followed by a fellowship in pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Hobart-Porter is the first physician in Arkansas to become board-certified in pediatric PM&R. She is the Co-Chair of MedCamps of Arkansas, a statewide organization that provides camp experiences for children with functionally limiting medical conditions. Her primary research interests are the application of clinical practice guidelines through implementation science, particularly in the management of children with spina bifida. She also enjoys working in transdisciplinary clinic models and clinical outreach programs through telemedicine.

Neonatology Section

Vikramaditya Dumpa, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Associate Professor in the Neonatology Section. Dr. Dumpa earned his medical degree at Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India, before completing a master’s in nutrition at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He completed a residency in pediatrics at Saint Peters University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Dr. Dumpa specialized in neonatal-perinatal medicine during his fellowship at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. His research interests include non-invasive ventilation in premature babies, dysphagia and neonatal hypoglycemia.

Critical Care Section

Nathan Epps, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Critical Care Section. Dr. Epps received his medical degree at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham. He completed his internship and residency at Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans and then continued his training with a critical care fellowship at UAMS. In addition to his academic and clinical duties, Dr. Epps is engaged in a collaborative quality improvement (QI) project focused on improving pediatric sepsis outcomes through the Children’s Hospital Association.

Department of Psychiatry

Division Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Jason Williams, Psy.D., M.S.Ed., has joined the faculty as Professor and Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Senior Vice President and Chief Mental and Behavioral Health Officer for Arkansas Children’s. Dr. Williams will lead joint efforts by UAMS and Arkansas Children’s to improve pediatric mental and behavioral health throughout the state.

Dr. Williams comes to Arkansas from Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he served as an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Director of Operations in the Pediatric Mental Health Institute. With more than 20 years of experience in the mental health field, he is recognized nationally for his leadership and expertise. He currently serves as Chair of the Commission on Accreditation for the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Williams received his master’s and doctoral degrees from the California School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles. He completed an internship and postdoctoral training at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, where he worked for 12 years prior to his recruitment to Colorado.

Accolades – January 25, 2023

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!

Biochemistry Expertise in the National Spotlight
Dr. Kevin Raney, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, capped a three-year term as President of the Association of Medical and Graduate Departments of Biochemistry by overseeing the association’s annual meeting in Clearwater, Florida, this month. Dr. Jon Lorsch, Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, presented a virtual talk during the conference – and gave high praise to two nationally prominent research cores at UAMS.

Dr. Lorsch lauded the National Resource for Quantitative Proteomics – which is supported by the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the College of Medicine and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute – saying it may very well be the best in the nation. The Proteomics core is operated by Dr. Sam Mackintosh and Dr. Ricky Edmondson and led by Dr. Alan Tackett. Dr. Lorsch also praised the Bioinformatics Core facility, noting that UAMS’ use of Cloud Computing increased data analysis throughput by six-fold. The Bioinformatics Core is led by Dr. Stephanie Byrum. Congratulations to all of these outstanding Biochemistry and Molecular Biology faculty colleagues.

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Appointment
Dr. Aline Andres, Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Developmental Nutrition and Associate Director at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC), will lend her expertise as one of 20 nationally recognized scientists appointed to the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The committee will review the current body of nutrition science and develop a report reflecting its independent, science-based advice for the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) to consider as the agencies develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030. Dr. Andres is highly regarded for her research into the effects of prenatal and postnatal nutrition on child growth and development, particularly in the first 1,000 days of life. At the ACNC, she also leads the Clinical Research Core. Congratulations to Dr. Andres on this well-earned appointment.

Nationally Recognized Brain Surgery & Stroke Care
Recently announced rankings and honors from Healthgrades are a reminder of the excellence of our cranial neurosurgery and stroke programs. For 2023, Healthgrades ranks UAMS among the top 5% of hospitals across the country for cranial neurosurgery. UAMS also received a Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award for the second year in a row, was named a Five-Star Recipient for Cranial Neurosurgery and, for the second consecutive year, for Treatment of Stroke. Special thanks to Dr. J.D. Day, Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences Service Line Director; Service Line Administrator M.J. Orellano; Stroke Program Medical Director Dr. Sanjeeva Reddy Onteddu, Associate Professor of Neurology; Stroke Program Director Marzella Backus, MNSc, RN; and the many other outstanding team members who made these distinctions possible. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Advances in Cancer Research
Dr. Zhiqiang Qin, Associate Professor of Pathology, and Dr. Lu Dai, Assistant Professor of Pathology, recently published two papers. An article in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology reports on the importance of IL1 signaling molecules in Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) pathogenesis and tumorigenesis, which may represent attractive therapeutic targets against these virus-associated diseases. The second paper, published in PLOS Pathogens, discusses the development of new HDACs/BRD4 dual inhibitors targeting virus-associated lymphomas. Research staff members Dr. Jungang Chen and Dr. Zhengyu Wang made major contributions to both studies. Additional UAMS collaborators included the Dr. Hong-Yu Li, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Steven Post, Professor of Pathology, and Dr. Samantha Kendrick, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Family Medicine National Fellow
Dr. Sujit Kumar Kotapati, Assistant Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and Medical Director of the UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic on Financial Center Parkway, has been named a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (FAAFP). Dr. Kotapati will be recognized at an upcoming AAFP Fellowship Convocation. Congratulations, Dr. Kotapati, and thank you for your service and clinical leadership.

Celebrating CRNAs & Physician Anesthesiologists
This week (Jan. 22-28) is National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) Week, and next week (Jan. 29-Feb. 4) is Physician Anesthesiologists Week. As we celebrate our team members across these two professions, I join with Dr. Jill Mhyre, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, in thanking our CRNAs and physician anesthesiologists for their hard work and crucial contributions to taking excellent care of our patients throughout the year.

Accolades – January 18, 2023

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!

Visionary Leadership
Dr. Nirvana Manning, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Women and Infants Service Line, is working tirelessly and passionately to make Arkansas a safer place for mothers and newborns. She received some well-earned recognition for her work and leadership as one of the Visionary Arkansans 2023 featured in Arkansas Times this month. Dr. Manning’s profile (click here for a PDF) notes her service on the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee, along with her participation in the documentary “Giving Birth in America: Arkansas” and the recent international “Women’s Voices” symposium sponsored by the Clinton Foundation. Dr. Manning explains the importance of working with every hospital in Arkansas that delivers babies to ensure they have the ability to address obstetric emergencies, the need for well-trained community health workers in rural areas, and for legislative extension of the coverage period for Medicaid after giving birth. Dr. Manning truly is making Arkansas a safer place to give birth, and is, indeed, nothing short of visionary.

Best Practice Guidelines
Clinical psychologist Dr. Sacha McBain, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Surgery’s Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, is a coauthor on the recently published “Best Practice Guidelines: Screening and Intervention for Mental Health Disorders and Substance Use and Misuse in the Acute Trauma Patient” from the American College of Surgeons. Dr. McBain served on the task force that produced the guidelines. She also developed the UAMS Trauma Surgery Psychology Consult service, with support from Surgery Chair Dr. Ron Robertson and Terry Collins, RN, Director of Trauma Services. The service was featured as a model program within the guidelines. Well done!

Excellence in Obstetrical Diabetes Education
A shout-out to Dr. Nafisa Dajani, Professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the multidisciplinary team in the UAMS Obstetrical Center for the Management of Hyperglycemia in Pregnancy, which has received recertification for another four years from the Diabetes Education Accreditation Program of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists. Established in 1998, the UAMS program has been accredited since 2014. Last year, the team provided care and diabetes education for 379 patients. I join with Dr. Dajani in thanking Program Manager and pharmacist Mary Kate Clarkson, certified diabetic educator and registered nutritionist Andrea Tappe, registered dietician Laura Sanders and the entire team.

Professional Society Leadership
Dr. Srinivasa Gokarakonda, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, has been named President of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI). Several other College of Medicine colleagues across multiple departments and divisions serve in leadership roles in the chapter, including Dr. Manisha Singh, President-Elect; Drs. Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, Supriya Jambhekar and Prasad Padala in Vice President positions; and Dr. Nihit Kumar, Secretary. AAPI Arkansas Executive Board members on our faculty include Drs. Shashank Kraleti, Rajani Jagana, Muthu Veeraputhiran, Ramakrishna Thotakura and Pavana Tirumanisetti, and Dr. Natasha Sra serves as Resident Representative. AAPI USA is a premier ethnic medical association and the second largest medical association next to the American Medical Association. AAPI Arkansas is one of the most active state chapters. Kudos to these COM team members for their service.

National Radiology Scholarship
Congratulations to first-year medical student Brittany Montgomery, M.S., M.B.S., on receiving a scholarship from the American College of Radiology to attend the ACR annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in May. The scholarship is designed to help medical students understand the importance of radiology as a critical component of patient care and provide networking and mentoring opportunities with practicing radiologists. The scholarship committee praised Brittany for her work ethic, commitment to education and passion for radiology. At UAMS, she is a member of the Interventional Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology interest group.

Accolades – January 11, 2023

Dear College of Medicine Team,

I am honored to continue the tradition of sharing weekly accolades with you. After a pause last week following the tragic death of Dr. Susan Smyth on Dec. 31, the stories below about some of your recent accomplishments, honors, service and generosity serve as a reminder of the excellence Dr. Smyth strived for during her time with us. In fact, some of these accolades crossed her desk in late December. As we begin the New Year, I hope you will be as inspired by these accolades as I am. Thank you for all that you do.

G. Richard Smith, M.D.
Interim Dean and Executive Vice Chancellor

The Spirit of Service
In the last few weeks of 2022, the Dean’s Office heard story after story of COM team members and students who exemplified both the spirit of the season and the highest ideals of our profession.

A great example is the compassionate care that Orthopaedic Surgery team membersprovided at the Our Hearts to Your Soles event at River City Ministries. Assistant Professor Dr. Chelsea Mathews was pictured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as she performed a free foot exam. Joining her in this service activity were Assistant Professor Dr. Rob Martin, retired faculty member Dr. Ruth Thomas and Chief Resident Dr. Sean Parham.

Meanwhile, College of Medicine students were instrumental in a very successful community health screening and vaccine event in Northwest Arkansas. College of Pharmacy Associate Dean Dr. Scott Warmack wrote to College of Medicine and UAMS Northwest Regional Campus leaders to commend first-year medical students Hannah Hale, Chloe Cline, Suzette Lopez and Brendon Hogge.

“These students were OUTSTANDING,” Dr. Warmack wrote. “I feel they went above and beyond from what I usually see at service learning events. They arrived early and stayed late. They did everything from translating for the largely Latino population to helping calm children before they received vaccines. They were professional, knowledgeable and caring. You should be extremely proud of this group.”

Vaccines & Reproductive Health
Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Executive Director of the UAMS Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, is lending her expertise in reproductive endocrinology and infertility as a member of the National Academies Vaccine Safety Committee. The panel is reviewing data on reported side effects from COVID-19 vaccines to determine if there are any possible long-term effects on reproductive health. Nationally recognized for her work to address health equity issues and the disparities that women of color experience in reproductive medicine, Dr. Richard-Davis brings crucial perspective as well as clinical expertise to this important initiative.

National Neurology Teaching Award
Dr. Humaira Khan, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Associate Program Director of the Adult Neurology Residency, has been selected to receive the 2023 A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). One of only 40 neurologists to receive the national award this year, Dr. Khan also has been recognized by UAMS Neurology residents as one of the top educators in the department for the past two years. The AAN will honor her at its Annual Meeting in Boston in April. I join with Neurology Chair Dr. Lee Archer in extending well-earned congratulations to Dr. Khan.

Editorial Board Appointment (still out for review, will edit as needed)
Dr. Erin Bennett, Assistant Professor in the Critical Care Section of the Department of Pediatrics, has been invited to serve on the Editorial Board of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, the preeminent journal in the field. The appointment is a reflection of Dr. Bennett’s outstanding scholarly contributions, engagement in the pediatric critical care community, and recognition among her peers across the country. Kudos to Dr. Bennett for her national service as well as her dedication to pediatric patients in Arkansas.

Pediatric Hospital Medicine Excellence
A shout-out to Drs. Jacob Filipek, Chara Fisher, Brittney Harris, Kristyn Jeffries, Brittany Slagle and Dustin Williford, Assistant Professors of Pediatrics in the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Section, on passing the Pediatric Hospital Medicine subspecialty board exam. This was only the second year the national exam has been offered, and our faculty have a 100% pass rate following the earlier success of Dr. Emily Barnes, Section Chief Dr. Rebecca Cantu and Dr. Becky Latch when the exam was first offered in 2019.

Respiratory Care Convention
Dr. Ariel Berlinski, Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Director of the Respiratory Care Department at Arkansas Children’s, shared his expertise in multiple sessions of the recent International Respiratory Convention and Exhibition in New Orleans. Dr. Berlinski, who also directs the Pediatric Aerosol Research Laboratory in the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, co-chaired a poster discussion session on aerosols and delivered lectures on aerosol delivery in children receiving respiratory support and on primary ciliary dyskinesia. He was also the senior author on three posters presented by coauthors from the Respiratory Care Department at Arkansas Children’s, two of which were selected for special presentation at the Editor’s Choice Open Forum Abstract Session.

Focus on Collegiality
Congratulations to third-year Surgery resident Dr. Joe DeLoach on being named the newest Consultant of the Month by our Emergency Medicine residents. The residents appreciated Dr. DeLoach for his engaging manner with patients in the Emergency Department and his kindness even on stressful days. “Joe is always happy to teach me and other interns in a positive and uplifting manner whenever the opportunity arises,” one resident wrote in their nomination. Kudos to Dr. DeLoach, and thanks as well to first-year Emergency Medicine resident Dr. Brett James, who has assumed administrative leadership of the collegial award program this year.

Top-Cited Article
Congratulations to Dr. Stephanie Dayer, a third-year resident in the UAMS/Mercy Internal Medicine Residency Program in Northwest Arkansas, and colleagues in Geriatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery on having a top-cited article of 2022 in Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation. Dr. Dayer was the first author on the article, “Does Superior Bone Health Promote a Longer Lifespan,” which was published in the journal in 2021. Dr. Gohar Azhar, Professor of Geriatrics, served as senior author, and additional co-authors included Dr. Simon Mears in Orthopaedic Surgery and Amanda Pangle, B.S., Dr. Priya Mendiratta and Dr. Jeanne Wei in Geriatrics.

Inspired Generosity
When Professor Emeritus Dr. Rhonda Dick was just 17, she had the good fortune to work alongside general practitioner Dr. Herd Stone in rural Monroe County. He set the Holly Grove teenager on the path to medical school and a successful career at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s, where she served as Medical Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine prior to her retirement in 2019. Now, Dr. Dick and her husband, Ken Dick, have made a $2 million gift commitment to establish a scholarship in the College of Medicine. The scholarship will be awarded to students from Arkansas, with a preference to those who are from rural areas who demonstrate financial need. You can read more about this inspired act of giving in the UAMS Newsroom. Meanwhile, I want to thank Rhonda and Ken Dick for their remarkable generosity and their dedication to young Arkansans, especially those from rural areas, who aspire to become physicians.