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!

National Suicide Prevention Award
Drs. Michael Wilson, Ronald Thompson Jr. and Angie Waliski are the recipients of the 2022 Innovation in Acute Care Suicide Prevention Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (ACEP/AFSP). Last month, I noted that the team was featured in the American Psychiatric Association’s Psychiatric News for their pilot trial showing how effective peer support specialists can be in helping to prevent suicide in at-risk patients. Now, the ACEP/AFSP has lauded their work as a promising and innovative advance in suicide prevention. Peer support specialists are individuals who have previously experienced mental illness and are specially trained to help patients in the Emergency Department and other clinical settings.

Dr. Wilson is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry at UAMS. Dr. Waliski serves in the Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research in the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and the Center for Health Services Research in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Thompson is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Center for Health Services Research and the Center for Addiction Research. The team will be recognized at the ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., next spring. Kudos to these outstanding collaborators for their impactful work.

Ensuring Successful Residency Interviews
With the help of nearly 50 faculty physicians from across many specialties, members of this year’s senior class are better prepared for their residency application interviews. Mock residency interviews are an important component of the innovative residency prep course led by Dr. Karina Clemmons, Associate Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, and Dr. Nicholas Gowen, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine. Thanks to this year’s volunteers, the team was able to offer every senior medical student an opportunity to complete a virtual practice interview session and receive valuable feedback. Students raved about the experience, with many saying the faculty volunteers helped put them at ease for the understandably tense interview process ahead of them. Click here for a list of the faculty volunteers. Kudos to all of them, along with Dr. Clemmons, Dr. Gowen and M4 Education Coordinator Jessica Cannon.

Remembrance & Gratitude
While many of us have Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays on our mind, our first-year medical students paused this week to express gratitude for the individuals who contributed their bodies to UAMS and the Human Structure course that marks the start of their medical education. The annual Anatomical Donation Ceremony of Remembrance, held in Fred Smith Auditorium on Monday, was a moving tribute to 37 donors with music, poetry and more. (Watch for a UAMS web story soon.) To commemorate each donor, a student representative placed a white carnation in a vase on stage. As class member Bryan Strong explained, each of the donors taught the students about the fragility, beauty and complexity of the human body. And as Module Director Dr. David Davies, Professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, said, each donor bestowed a “burden” on students to become an excellent and compassionate physician. Like our students, I know we are all grateful for the gift and legacy of each of these donors.

Assessing Cancer Staging Guidelines
Congratulations to Hematology/Oncology fellow Dr. Alan Baltz, who was first-author on an article published this week in the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s JCO Oncology Practice. The study, “Clinical Impact of ASCO Choosing Wisely Guidelines on Staging Imaging for Early-Stage Breast Cancers: A Time Series Analysis Using SEER-Medicare Data,” was done on behalf of the ASCO Quality Publications Task Force. The analysis demonstrated a substantial decrease in imaging overuse in early-stage breast cancers correlating with the 2013 reinforcement of the ASCO’s 2012 Choosing Wisely guidelines. Additional UAMS collaborators on the publication included Eric Siegel, M.S., in the Department of Biostatistics and Dr. Issam Makhoul, Adjunct Clinical Professor in Internal Medicine.

World-Class Spine Surgery Expertise
The world-class surgical care and expertise available at UAMS was in the spotlight recently as UAMS hosted an Australian surgeon for a demonstration of an innovative, minimally invasive spine surgery technique performed by the Department of Neurosurgery’s Dr. Noojan Kazemi. As a teaching and observation site for robotic spine surgery and a technique called prone lateral lumbar fusion, UAMS has hosted surgeons from across the United States. The recent visit from the observing Australian neurosurgeon, Professor Greg Malham from the University of Melbourne, was the first international demonstration of this major advancement in minimally invasive spine surgery. Congratulations to Dr. Kazemi and his team. 

Cleft Conference Contributions
Dr. Larry Hartzell, Associate Professor in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and Dr. John Jones, Associate Professor in Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry, are serving as faculty for the Cleft and Velopharyngeal Dysfunction Interactive Conference at Vanderbilt University in Nashville this week. Dr. Hartzell will present on pre-surgical orthodontics prior to cleft lip repair. Dr. Jones will be on a panel discussing case scenarios with challenging malocclusion and orthognathic indications. Dr. Jones and Dr. Hartzell will both serve on a panel focusing on teenage cleft patients. But those aren’t the only UAMS connections at the conference. Co-Course Director Dr. Ryan Belcher, now at Vanderbilt, received his medical degree at UAMS in 2013. Co-Course Director Dr. James Phillips completed his fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology at UAMS before joining the Vanderbilt faculty in 2016.

Putting Patients First
It is always such a pleasure to hear about the wonderful care our faculty physicians and other clinical team members provide. Several patient survey comments that were shared with me recently serve as reminders that this excellence occurs every day at UAMS locations across the state. Here are just a few examples.

At the UAMS West Family Medical Center in Fort Smith, an appreciative parent wrote to commend the care their children have received through the years and to specifically praise the “exceptional care” provided by Assistant Professor Dr. Kaethe Goodwin Chigumira. “She is personable, friendly and caring, and has a great bedside manner,” the commenter wrote.

Meanwhile, a patient at the UAMS East Family Medical Center in Helena was “ECSTATIC” to have found Assistant Professor Dr. Amber Norris. “She is everything I want and need from a physician,” the patient wrote. “So very happy with my visit, it almost brought me to tears to have someone listen to me.”

And at the UAMS Northwest Family Medical Center in Fayetteville, a senior Arkansan noted having a dozen current physicians and hundreds over the course of a lifetime – but no one more knowledgeable or compassionate than Professor and clinical geneticist Dr. Brad Schaefer. “Dr. Schaefer and his staff are the most caring and thorough people I have ever encountered in the medical field,” the patient said.

My thanks to these colleagues and all who are putting patients first!

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!

Honoring our Veterans
As we observe Veterans Day this Friday, I hope College of Medicine team members will pause to reflect on the profound contributions and sacrifices of our veterans and active duty, Guard and Reserve members of the Armed Forces. For those of you who are service members and veterans, thank you.

Kudos to all who are planning to spend time this week in service to veterans. For example, the Department of Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry’s Drs. John Jones, Hank Marcantoni, Courtney Donner and Laurence Howe will be participating in the first Arkansas Operation Stand Down on Thursday. They will join with dentists across the state for the multi-site event, hosted by the International College of Dentists, to provide free dental care for veterans in need. Dr. Marcantoni served as a Colonel in the Army, and Dr. Jones served in the Air Force and Navy.

Many of our team members will find time for quiet reflection about the service and sacrifices of veterans – and some make it a point to do so every day. Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Executive Director of the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, does pushups each morning as a memoriam to the veterans who are lost to suicide. An Army veteran herself, Dr. Richard-Davis is mindful of the obstacles so many U.S. veterans face, including some 37,000 who are homeless. Another staggering issue, she notes, is the growing overrepresentation of minorities among the veteran population, projected to climb to 35.7% by 2040.

On Veterans Day – and year-round – we are grateful for our veterans and service members.

New Internal Medicine Residency
Kudos to the many Graduate Medical Education team members who made the new UAMS-Washington Regional Internal Medicine Residency Program in Northwest Arkansas a reality. The new residency is led by Program Director Dr. Sheena CarlLee, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine. The program received initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in September and is now recruiting for its first class of eight residents, who will start next July. The new residency will have a crucial role in our ability to train much-needed primary care physicians for the region and Arkansas as a whole. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Best Time to Take Blood Pressure Meds?
Dr. Jawahar (Jay) Mehta, Distinguished Professor in the departments of Internal Medicine, Physiology and Cell Biology and Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Dr. Husam Salah, Chief Resident in Internal Medicine, wrote a commentary in the highly acclaimed journal The Lancet. The commentary, “Best time for administration of antihypertensive medications: morning or evening?” addresses an important issue in the management of patients with hypertension. Dr. Mehta and Dr. Salah discuss the results of the TIME (Treatment In Morning versus Evening) study, also published in The Lancet last month, which suggested that the timing of taking blood pressure medications should be a shared decision-making process between patients and clinicians based on lifestyle factors, to maximize adherence.

Best Paper of the Year
Dr. Adam Johnson, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head/Neck Surgery, is a coauthor on the article recently selected as Best Paper of the Year for 2021 by the editorial board of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Dr. Johnson, who serves as Associate Director of Research for the Global Smile Foundation, collaborated with researchers with the foundation and several leading institutions on the article, “A Guide to Developing Safety Protocols for International Craniofacial Outreach Programs during the COVID-19 Era.” The manuscript was among more than 3,300 submissions and 700 articles published by the journal in 2021. In addition to providing outstanding pediatric otolaryngology care for patients in Arkansas, Dr. Johnson has dedicated his time to providing cleft lip and palate care for underserved populations around the world.

Radio Interview Spotlights New Grant
Dr. Dan Voth, Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology, did a great job discussing the new $7.9 million NIH grant UAMS has received to expand infectious disease research capacity during an interview last week with KUAF, the public radio station and NPR affiliate in Northwest Arkansas. The funding will establish a Pandemic Response and Public Health laboratory and expand research space in the Biomedical Research Building One. As Dr. Voth noted in the interview, having additional and more efficient research facilities will prime UAMS for future collaborative research to combat both the “everyday” infectious agents that impact lives and those that could lead to future pandemics. You can also read more about the new grant in the UAMS Newsroom.

Integrating Addiction Medicine into Medical Education
The Coalition on Physician Education in Substance Use Disorders (COPE) is a voluntary organization devoted to improving patient care and the public health by assuring that all physicians are trained to prevent, identify and provide specialty-appropriate interventions for patients with substance use problems. A team from UAMS was recently elected to work alongside COPE’s leadership to integrate addiction medicine content into core clerkship rotations and other clinical experiences. Dr. Shona Ray Griffith, Dr. Abigail Richison and Dr. Margaret Ege-Woolley of the Department of Psychiatry and fourth-year medical student Logan Clay are joining teams at three other institutes around the nation to integrate addiction medicine curricula at their respective schools. Through a series of virtual conferences, the teams will be guided in developing components of an addiction medicine curriculum and planning the subsequent implementation based on the needs of each school.  

International Cleft Care Teaching
The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery’s Dr. Larry Hartzell and Dr. Adam Johnson contributed extensively to the recent International Comprehensive Cleft Care Workshop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dr. Hartzell, Associate Professor and Director of the Arkansas Cleft Lip/Palate Team, lectured on airway and middle ear factors in cleft palate repair and on the otologic impacts of velopharyngeal insufficiency speech therapy. Dr. Johnson, Associate Professor and Director of Velopharyngeal Insufficiency, directed a Facial Nerve Block workshop and lectured on the impact of cleft anatomy and surgical interventions on obstructive sleep apnea, and on race and gender disparities in global cleft care. Both UAMS colleagues participated in simulation labs in cleft lip surgery and cleft palate surgery. Seventy-one countries were represented at the conference.

National Psychiatry Honors
Congratulations to Dr. Molly Gathright, Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education, and Dr. Chris Cargile, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Behavioral Health Service Line, on being named Fellows of the American College of Psychiatrists (ACP). They are among just seven ACP members across the United States and Canada approved for elevation to Fellows this year. Dr. Lewis Krain, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Psychiatry Residency Program, and Dr. Jessica Coker, Associate Professor and Medical Director of the Psychiatric Research Institute’s Women’s Inpatient Unit, were approved for ACP membership. All four will be recognized at the ACP’s Annual Meeting next February.

Excellence in Faculty Advising
And finally this week, a shout-out to the eight faculty members who were recently honored by the COM Office of Academic Affairs for their excellence in advising medical students. These Academic House advisers received the highest evaluations and feedback from students for demonstrating concern for their personal wellbeing and academic and professional career success, for encouraging open communication, and for being available for advising appointments or questions. The honorees are:

Dr. Carla Brown (Pediatrics) – Bruce House
Dr. Sheena CarlLee (Internal Medicine) – Compton House
Dr. David Davies (Neurobiology/Developmental Sciences) – Compton House
Dr. Neil Masangkay (Neurology) – Beall House
Dr. Brita Rook (Ophthalmology) – Tank House
Dr. Matt Spond (Anesthesiology) – Lowe House
Dr. Lindsey Sward (OB/GYN) – Tank House
Dr. Bill Ventres (Family/Preventive Medicine) – Lowe House

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!

Rx for a Fulfilling Career in Medicine
Dr. Bill Ventres, Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and the Ben Saltzman, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Rural Family Medicine, was the guest for an episode of the “Rx for Success” podcast from MD Coaches. The podcast spotlights physician leaders and their journey to a successful and fulfilling career. Dr. Ventres has worked for over 30 years as a family physician, leader and educator in diverse settings around the world, including many underserved communities. In an engaging interview, he discusses how he came to understand the importance of the non-biomedical aspects of providing patients and families the very best care. The podcast’s format ends with a guest physician sharing his or her personal prescription for success. Dr. Ventres’ “Rx” is insightful and humbling.

International Presenters
Dr. Shengyu Mu, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, shared his expertise on immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension as an invited speaker at the International Society of Hypertension (ISH2022) conference in Kyoto, Japan. Senior graduate student Lance Benson from Dr. Mu’s lab also presented and was the recipient of the Young Investigator Award and a travel award for the conference. Congratulations to both!

Pediatric Research Honorees
Congratulations to the Department of Pediatrics faculty members who were inducted into the Society for Pediatric Research, the top pediatrics-specific research honor society, this year. They include Dr. Ron Sanders in the Critical Care Medicine Section; Dr. Elisabet Børsheim, Dr. Mario Ferruzzi and Dr. Craig Porter in Developmental Nutrition; Dr. Joana Mack in Hematology, and Dr. R. Whit Hall and Dr. David Matlock in Neonatology. 

Forensic Dentistry Expertise
Dr. Kirt Simmons, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry, has been appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice to serve on the Forensic Dentistry Subcommittee of the national Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC). OSAC promotes and facilitates development of high-quality, technically sound standards in numerous areas of forensic science, including dentistry. In addition to being a nationally recognized leader in orthodontic care for patients with cleft and craniofacial anomalies, Dr. Simmons is a leading expert in facial growth, development and identification, and orthodontic and dental digital standards.

ENT in the Spotlight at Conferences
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery faculty are continuing to share their expertise around the state, nation and world. Professor Dr. Emre Vural has been at the Congress of European OtoRhinoLaryngology Head and Neck Surgery annual meeting in Milan, Italy, this week for two presentations on “Finesse in nasal reconstruction” and “Midfacial reconstruction.” Professor Dr. Gresham Richter recently presented a Grand Rounds on “Vascular Anomalies: Present Understanding and Future Directions” at Children’s Hospital Colorado. And Associate Professors Dr. Patrick Fraley, Dr. Alissa Kanaan and Dr. Jeffrey Kirsch will be participating as speakers and/or panelists at the Arkansas Society of Head and Neck Surgery annual conference in Hot Springs this weekend. Dr. Fraley is serving as President of the society this year. Kudos to all.

Standout Student Presentation
Congratulations to third-year medical student Connor Shewmake on taking second place for her oral presentation at the Southern Medical Association’s Annual Scientific Assembly last weekend. Connor and COM graduates Dr. Olivia Speed (now a UAMS ENT resident) and Dr. Sarah Gammill (now a Surgery resident at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans) collaborated with faculty mentors on “Improved confidence and clinical application: The effects of a longitudinal suture curriculum for medical students.” Their abstract was selected as a top-five finalist from among more than 100 submissions. UAMS faculty collaborators included Dr. Larry Hartzell (Otolaryngology-Head/Neck Surgery), Dr. Carol Thrush (Surgery), Dr. Kevin Phelan (Neurobiology/Developmental Sciences) and Dr. Avi Bhavaraju (Surgery).

Family Doc Focus
Dr. Shashank Kraleti, Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and Program Director for the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency, was featured online in the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) “Family Doc Focus” last week. This latest national recognition focuses on Dr. Kraleti’s transformative work to expand the learning opportunities of family medicine residents and touches on his path to practicing and teaching in family medicine. The article also notes his recent selection by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for the 2023 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award, which will be presented next February. With numerous leadership roles, Dr. Kraleti’s impact at UAMS is extensive. Kudos for your outstanding work, Dr. Kraleti.

Pediatric Hospital Medicine Papers
A shout-out to Dr. Rebecca Cantu, Associate Professor and Section Chief of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, first author Dr. Sara Sanders, an Assistant Professor in the section, and colleagues on two recent publications. Numerous faculty contributed to a report, published in the journal Medicine, on “Demographic and clinical characteristics of pediatric COVID-19 in Arkansas: March–December 2020.” The Pediatric Hospital Medicine team also authored a case report, “Fournier’s Gangrene: A Rare Infectious Entity in an Adolescent with Type II Diabetes,” published in Global Pediatric Health. Additional UAMS authors on one or both articles included Drs. Taylor Maxwell, Jacob Filipek, Dustin Williford, Cindy Nguyen, Charalene Fisher, Emily Barnes, Rebecca Latch, Jessica Snowden and Archana Balamohan.

Family Medicine Update 2022
Kudos to the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Community Health and Education Division, and team members from across our college and UAMS who made the 26th Annual Family Medicine Update a great success. A special thank you to Andrea Hooten, Marybeth Curtis, Colleen Lassiter, and Alysia Dubriske for their hard work and leadership on the conference. The annual Update with Free Tobacco and Disease Symposium was held virtually Oct. 25-28 with national experts and numerous UAMS clinicians and faculty presenters. The broad array of topics included obesity, the monkeypox virus, pulmonary hypertension, opioids, cardiology care, tobacco and much more.

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!

Winning App Combats Opioid Cravings
Congratulations to the Department of Psychiatry’s Drs. Andrew James, Ronald G. Thompson Jr., and Mary Bollinger on their honorable mention and cash prize-winning entry in a contest sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to generate working prototypes of products to help with drug cravings. Their entry, “OptiMAT,” is a smartphone application designed to decrease opioid cravings and optimize medication-assisted treatment for opioid disorders. OptiMAT will be evaluated in a randomized control trial to be started later this year in UAMS’ Center for Addiction Services and Treatment (CAST). The team’s entry received a $5,000 cash prize in the NIDA competition. Well done!

Neuro-Oncology Biobank in the National Spotlight
Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor and Director of Neurosurgical Oncology in the Department of Neurosurgery, is one of 11 experts from around the country selected to discuss biological and social determinants of health disparities at the inaugural Precision Health Equity Symposium hosted by Weill Cornell School of Medicine’s Englander Institute for Precision Medicine this week. Dr. Rodriguez will present information on UAMS’ precision neuro-oncology program and the brain tumor biobank she developed. The biobank reflects Arkansas’ diversity and includes many samples from rural patients. Samples are being used to generate cancer models, and by reflecting the state’s diversity they will help further understanding of brain cancer progression and treatment resistance in an unbiased manner.

International Lectures on OI
Dr. Roy Morello, Associate Professor of Physiology and Cell Biology, is an internationally recognized expert in osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as brittle bone disease. This fall, he was invited to present data from UAMS studies at the OI2022 International Meeting on Osteogenesis Imperfecta in Sheffield, U.K., and at the 2022 International Scientific Symposium on Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders in Rome. His research efforts also garnered a prestigious Innovation Award from the American Lung Association last summer. Read more about Dr. Morello’s research with longstanding collaborator Dr. John Carroll, Chief of Pulmonology for the Department of Pediatrics and Arkansas Children’s, and Research Assistant Dr. Milena Dimori here.

UAMS Well Represented at CHEST Conference
The Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) Division was well represented at the 2022 International CHEST Conference in Nashville last week. Dr. Shahrukh Arif (PGY5) was selected to participate in the fellows course, a unique interactive, lecture-free educational experience. Dr. Arif, Dr. Angel Mitma (PGY5) and Internal Medicine residents Dr. Prachi Saluja (PGY3), and Dr. Tanmay Gandhi (PGY2) presented interesting cases of pulmonary medicine in the interactive case discussion series. Dr. Manish Joshi, Professor, and Dr. Deepa Raghavan, Associate Professor, moderated clinical case sessions. Dr. Thaddeus Bartter, Professor, shared his expertise in pulmonary function testing (PFT) by delivering the PFT Crossfire Lecture. UAMS PCCM fellows scored among the top 25 Institutions participating in the National CHEST Knowledge Challenge for trainees. Kudos to the UAMS team!

Dismantling Ageism and Racism
Dr. Ramona Rhodes, Associate Professor of Geriatrics, co-chaired a writing group that has published a framework to address the intersection of ageism and racism for the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). This work presents a monumental opportunity to dismantle two prevalent “isms” that can impact the health and wellbeing of racially and ethnically minoritized older adults. The framework was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and highlighted in an AGS news release. Dr. Rhodes also recently was named a Deputy Editor for the journal, and she continues to serve as Section Editor for Ethnogeriatrics and Special Populations. Here in Arkansas, Dr. Rhodes also serves as Associate Director for Health Services Research in the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.

National Pathology Appointment
Dr. Murat Gokden, Professor and neuropathologist in the Department of Pathology, has been elected by the American Association of Neuropathologists (AANP) to serve as a Councilor to the International Society of Neuropathology (ISN). During his three-year term, Dr. Gokden’s responsibilities will include facilitating collaboration and communication between AANP and ISN, as well as other neuropathology societies around the world, and representing AANP in international scientific meetings. Kudos to Dr. Gokden for his national service as well as his outstanding work at UAMS.

Championing Streamlined Lab Diagnosis
Dr. Charles Matthew Quick, Professor of Pathology, was part of a consortium of medical directors from pathology labs across the country asking the federal government to continue a COVID-era exemption that helped to streamline the process for remote diagnosis. An open letter to the U.S. Congress was published in Nature Medicine last week.It calls in part for immediate continuation of the exemption, which has led to faster diagnostic times, more workplace flexibility and improved patient care. The letter also advocates for amending the Public Health Service Act to implement much-needed updates to 34-year-old CLIA statutes to account for non-traditional diagnostic modalities and advances in medicine. Kudos to Dr. Quick for his work on this important issue for pathologists and the patients they serve.

Distinguished Alumni Honoree
Congratulations to Dr. Erica Liebelt, Professor of Pediatrics and Medical and Research Director of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, on receiving the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Liebelt, who was recruited to UAMS last year, also serves as Associate Medical Director of the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center in the UAMS College of Pharmacy. She is recognized nationally and internationally in the field of medical toxicology for her contributions to clinical service, education and research. The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine recognized Dr. Liebelt at a ceremony during the school’s alumni weekend, paying tribute to her with a video about her path to medicine and her career.

Cleft Lip/Palate Team Highlighted at Conference
A shout-out to Dr. Donald Callan, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry, Dr. Angie Zaki-Sabet, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry and Arkansas Children’s Cleft Lip and Palate (CLP) orthodontist team member, and simulation specialist Eric Braden, for sharing their expertise at the recent 1^st Egyptian Conference for Cleft Lip and Palate in Cairo. Dr. Callan, who specializes in periodontics, was the keynote speaker for the conference. Dr. Zaki-Sabet, an orthodontist, lectured on a novel approach to nasoalveolar molding for infants born with CLP. All three of the UAMS-Arkansas Children’s colleagues discussed the multidisciplinary team approach, encompassing both medical and dental specialties, at Arkansas Children’s that makes the care of special needs children with CLP so outstanding. Read more about the excellent work of these colleagues here.

National Pediatric Rehabilitation Conference
Pediatrics colleagues Dr. Supriya Jambhekar, Professor in the Pulmonology Division, and Dr. Laura Hobart-Porter, Associate Professor and Interim Chief of Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, were among just five speaker groups selected to present at the annual Community Meeting at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPMR) conference. They discussed their work on the diagnosis and management of sleep-related breathing disorders in patients with spina bifida at the virtual meeting. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation resident Dr. Zachary Dawes presented a poster at AAPMR, “Starvation Induced Thiamine Deficiency and the Development of Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Polyneuropathy: A Case Report,” with Dr. Hobart-Porter and Dr. Vikki Stefans, Professor, as senior authors.

Thank You, Dr. Kenney
And finally this week, I would like to congratulate Dr. Philip Kenney, Professor of Radiology, on his retirement as the Department of Radiology honors him with a CME event focusing on leadership and mentoring this Saturday morning. Dr. Kenney served as Chair of Radiology in 2008-2012, and he has continued to serve in the Body Imaging Division in the years since then. The program will feature talks from Radiology leaders at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the American Board of Radiology, along with Dr. Kenney. For more information, see this event flyer. Thank you for your service and dedication to UAMS, Dr. Kenney, and best wishes for your retirement!

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!

Showcasing our Best
When legislators visit UAMS, there is never a shortage of things to showcase, from our world-class facilities to innovative programs that are transforming health in Arkansas. But nothing makes us prouder than our students! Special thanks to the student volunteers who participated in the recent joint meeting of the Arkansas Senate and House Committees on Public Health, Welfare and Labor, held at UAMS.

Kudos to students Kimberly Arnold, Zainab Atiq, Katie Beaton, Jennie Burns, Mattison Cato, Faizan Cheema, Ethan Chernivec, Darynne Dahlem, Macey Feimster, Mackinzie Goeke, Carlon Gragg, Christine Hsu, Nathan Johnson, Madison Kelly, Brianna Long, Ryan Pohlkamp, Tariq Salem, Jacob Siebenmorgen, Olivia Tzeng, Conner Webb and Taher Yusufali (and any others who attended but weren’t on the sign-up list).   

Thanks also to our faculty who participated, including Dr. Nirvana Manning, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dr. Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine Division of Community Health and Research, who presented information on maternal health in Arkansas; and Dr. Laura Dunn, Chair of Psychiatry and Director of the Psychiatric Research Institute, who briefed legislators on the UAMS AR ConnectNow program. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

International Honor
Congratulations to Dr. Rosalia C.M. Simmen, Professor of Physiology and Cell Biology, on receiving the 2022 Dr. Severino and Paz Koh Lectureship Award in Science from the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering. Dr. Simmen was honored for outstanding contributions to science relating to women’s health during the academy’s 42^nd annual meeting held virtually from Manila, Philippines, Oct. 11-14. Dr. Simmen presented a lecture, “When Hormone Signaling Goes Wrong-A Female Perspective.”  At UAMS, Dr. Simmen’s research is focused on basic and pre-clinical studies on endometriosis, endometrial cancer and breast cancer.

Spine Surgeon in the Spotlight
Dr. Sam Overley, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, is in the spotlight as one of “20 Under 40” outstanding young spine care providers selected by the North American Spine Society (NASS). Dr. Overley was featured in the September/October issue of SpineLine magazine and recognized during the society’s annual meeting in Chicago last week. As Orthopaedic Surgery Chair Dr. C. Lowry Barnes said, “We are so fortunate to have Dr. Overley as part of our team. His expertise, reputation and dedication to patients will be invaluable to our program as we continue to grow and establish ourselves as a national destination for musculoskeletal care at The Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital at UAMS.” Read more about Dr. Overley in the UAMS Newsroom and in his SpineLine profile. Congratulations!

International Conference
Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, is lending her expertise to multiple components of the American Thyroid Association Annual Meeting in Montreal this week. She is the invited speaker for a “Meet the Professor” session on subclinical hypothyroidism and when, how and why to treat it. She is also presenting an oral presentation on an abstract on the feasibility and safety of discontinuing levothyroxine therapy for patients with mild hypothyroidism. Finally, Dr. Maraka is the invited Co-Chair of a clinical symposium, “ATA Differentiated Thyroid Cancer and Nodule Guideline: Changes on the Horizon?”

Peer Approach to Preventing Suicide
Dr. Michael Wilson, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry, is rapidly becoming known as the foremost national expert in behavioral health emergencies. Most recently, he was interviewed for an article in the American Psychiatric Association’s Psychiatric News on how peer support specialists can aid in suicide prevention. The article highlighted a promising pilot trial Dr. Wilson conducted with Dr. Angie Waliski and Dr. Ronald Thompson Jr., Assistant Professors in the Psychiatric Research Institute’s Center for Health Services Research. Peer support specialists are individuals who have previously experienced mental illness and are specially trained to help patients in the Emergency Department or other clinical settings. The team assessed how well peer specialists did in helping at-risk Emergency Department patients develop personal suicide safety plans, compared with other personnel such as social workers or mental health specialists.

Raising Neurosurgery’s Profile
The Department of Neurosurgery’s Dr. J.D. Day, Professor and Chair, and Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor, are raising UAMS’ profile in neurosurgery as leaders in the Southern Neurosurgical Society (SNS). Dr. Day has been elected as the 2022-23 President of SNS, and Dr. Rodriguez is serving as Vice President and Program Chair for the SNS Annual Meeting being planned for next February. The meeting’s theme will be “Adapting to Change in Neurosurgery.” Thanks to Dr. Day and Dr. Rodriguez for their leadership in the field in Arkansas and beyond.

UAMS Hosts Advanced Neurotology Course
A shout-out to the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, which hosted neurotology fellows from around the country and world for the recent Otology Fellows Congress and Advanced Course in Ear and Skull Base Surgery. This was the fifth time UAMS has hosted the event, which features experts from around the country and is chaired by Professor and Otolaryngology Chair Dr. John Dornhoffer. The two-day course showcases UAMS’ state-of-the-art facilities and expertise. Dr. Susan Emmett, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Hearing Health Equity, presented a lecture, “How Otologists Can Change the World: Collaboration to Address Hearing Health Disparities.” UAMS fellow Dr. Anna Bareiss and Assistant Professor Dr. Robert Saadi participated in the course. 

How to Write a Case Report
Third-year Internal Medicine resident Dr. Morgan Tripod first-authored and presented a novel scholarly education project at the recent Fall Meeting of the Association for Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM). The project centers on a brief educational module, “How to Write a Case Report in Medicine,” which Dr. Tripod, primary mentor Dr. Steve McKee (Medicine-Pediatrics) and colleagues developed and evaluated. The module, free and available to all, could help medical students and residents become more engaged in satisfying and recognition-garnering scholarly work. Additional collaborators were Dr. Carol Thrush (Surgery), Dr. Mike Anders (Office of Educational Development) and former Internal Medicine/Graduate Medical Education faculty member Dr. Tim Atkinson.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage
UAMS wrapped up Hispanic Heritage Month last week with a thoughtful panel discussion, “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger UAMS,” held over Zoom. Panelists, all from the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency Program, included Assistant Professor Dr. Monica Ferrero, who is originally from Colombia; third-year resident Dr. Diorella López-González, who is originally from Puerto Rico; first-year resident Dr. Germán Corrales, who is originally from Argentina; and first-year resident Dr. Viridiana Saenz, who is originally from El Paso-Juarez. The panelists talked about their backgrounds, which reflect differences in language and culture and other aspects of diversity within the Hispanic community. Thanks also to the event coordinators, Odette Woods, JD, MDiv, and Dr. Kazandra Wilson of the UAMS Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Dr. Diane Jarrett, Director of Education and Communications for the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. Dr. Wilson moderated the panel discussion, which you can view here. (Enter passcode: 0r6q4#Wq)

Putting Patients First
For the patients who see the UAMS Radiation Oncology team, just getting out of bed and making it to an appointment is a struggle sometimes. One of them recently wrote to thank the entire team for making her spirits soar while they provided expert, compassionate care.

“Today, I literally almost called to cancel the appointment because I did not feel good at all,” the patient wrote. “But I knew that they would make me laugh, and I would witness their camaraderie, all of which would lift my spirits. Just walking in the front doors of the clinic makes one feel welcomed and important. … Choosing to smile, remember a name, and being kind is a choice! Your team chooses! As a patient who is just tired and worn out, I say, thank you.”

The patient expressed appreciation especially for radiation therapists Ashly Cummings, Angie Chambers, Lindsey Brent and Amy Sherrill, along with Assistant Professor Dr. Adam Wolfe, for his “tender and inclusive bedside manners and professionalism.”

On this particular day, the team had a surprise for the patient – a “diploma” and symbolic ringing of the bell to signify the completion of treatment. Those symbolic steps were all the more special thanks to the Radiation Oncology team. Kudos to you all.

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!

Newly Endowed Surgery Leadership Chair
Congratulations to Dr. Ron Robertson, Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery, on his investiture last week as the inaugural holder of the Gilbert S. “Gil” Campbell, M.D., Ph.D., Chair in Surgical Leadership and Innovation. This is a well-earned honor for Dr. Robertson, whose commitment, integrity and vision for the future of surgical care in Arkansas perfectly reflects the name and intent of this endowed chair.

Dr. Robertson has devoted his 28-year career to UAMS and Arkansas, where among many contributions he was instrumental in developing the statewide trauma system. In addition to his current role as Chair of Surgery, he serves as Director of Surgical Services, Trauma Medical Director and UAMS Chief of Staff. He has received many other honors, including the Health Care Heroes Physician of the Year Award from Arkansas Business in 2018. Dr. Robertson considers his greatest achievement to be the more than 140 Surgery residents he has trained and countless medical students he has mentored to date.

The chair’s namesake, the late Dr. Gil Campbell, was a nationally renowned surgeon who served as Chair of Surgery at UAMS from 1965 to 1983 and then as a Professor Emeritus until 2000. The chair was established with generous contributions from family, former trainees and colleagues of Dr. Campbell. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

National Orthpaedics Honor
Congratulations to Dr. R. Dale Blasier, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, on receiving the 2022 Spine Advocacy Award from the North American Spine Society (NASS). Dr. Blasier will be honored during a ceremony this Thursday at the NASS Annual Meeting in Chicago. The award recognizes NASS members who have made exceptional contributions to the federal advocacy efforts on behalf of patients and members of the society. Dr. Blasier has served on many committees and councils on behalf of NASS and other national organizations in the speciality over the past two decades. At UAMS, Dr. Blasier led the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program from 2003 to 2021. The College of Medicine recognized his impact on education with the 2022 Master Teacher Award last May. Learn more about Dr. Blasier’s accomplishments in his NASS honoree bio.

Subcortical Surgery Expertise
Dr. J.D. Day, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and a nationally recognized expert in subcortical surgery, is Co-Editor of a first-of-its-kind textbook on open and parafascicular channel-based approaches for subcortical and intraventricular lesions. The subcortical white matter space is one of the most intricate and least understood regions of the brain, but major strides have been made in the ability to image, navigate and safely treat subcortical tumors and other lesions over the past decade. Dr. Day and Co-Editors Dr. Gabriel Zada from Keck School of Medicine and Dr. Gustavo Pradilla with Emory School of Medicine assembled evidence and knowledge from subcortical experts to provide a major foundation for future development of the field.

Harnessing AI for Cancer Care
The Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) is the only U.S. institution participating in a massive European project to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) for cancer care – and the team’s expertise in cancer imaging data management is being lauded as the best in the world. DBMI Chair Dr. Fred Prior is leading UAMS’ efforts in the EuCanImage Project under an $894,074 grant UAMS received from the European Commission in 2020. Dr. Prior also heads The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA), which is based at UAMS and funded by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Prior, Dr. Jonathan Bona, and Ph.D. candidate Michael Rutherford are returning to Europe this month for on-the-ground work relating to the project. Other members of the UAMS project team are Dr. Lawrence Tarbox, Kirk Smith, William Bennett and Tracy Nolan. Learn more about the international significance of the project and UAMS’ contributions on the DBMI website.

Geriatrics Team Published
Dr. Pankaj Patyal, a first-year postdoc in the lab of Professor and Department of Geriatrics Chair Dr. Jeanne Wei, is the first author on a study by the group published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Second-author Bachkhoa Nguyen, is a fourth-year medical student at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. In “Rho/SRF Inhibitor Modulates Mitochondrial Functions,” the team reports the effects of CCG-1423, an inhibitor of the Rho A family of GTPases and serum response factor (SRF), which reduces oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial genes and function, and which could be useful for assessing its potential clinical application in conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Insights on the Monkeypox Outbreak
A research team led by Dr. David Ussery, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, has identified genetic mutations in the monkeypox virus that may explain the rapid spread of the virus compared with past outbreaks. The team’s findings were published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology. Co-authors were UAMS postdoctoral fellow Dr. Visanu Wanchai and Dr. Trudy Wassenaar, a genomics consultant and frequent UAMS collaborator, who was first author. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Reducing the Stigma of Addiction: It’s up to all of us
Do you think addiction only happens to certain kinds of people? Are you worried that you or someone you love may have a substance use disorder and you don’t know how to help? Kudos to Dr. Michael Mancino, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Addiction Services and Treatment (CAST) in the Psychiatric Research Institute, for leading an innovative and important new online training opportunity available to all UAMS team members. The “Shatterproof Just Five Education” module, now available in Workday, will raise awareness about addiction and help to reduce the stigma that compounds this dramatic problem in our state. I encourage College of Medicine team members to take advantage of this training. Click here for information on how to access Shatterproof Just Five Education.

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!

Courage to Teach
Congratulations to Dr. Shashank Kraleti, Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and Program Director for the College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency, on being selected for the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The national award honors Program Directors who find innovative ways to teach residents and provide quality health care while remaining connected to the initial impulse to care for others in this environment. Dr. Kraleti exemplifies this, serving as a model physician as well as a highly respected educator. The honor is just the latest for Dr. Kraleti, who has been recognized nationally as well as at UAMS for his work in the residency program since 2012 and as Program Director since 2016. Dr. Kraleti will be honored at the 2023 ACGME Annual Education Conference in Nashville next February.

Gender Diversity in Sports Medicine
Dr. Lauren Poindexter, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, did a great job co-moderating a national lecture on gender diversity in sports medicine for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) last week. The panel discussion was part of AMSSM’s Early Career Blueprint Series and included both epidemiological data on gender representation in the male-dominated field and the personal insights of participating sports medicine physicians. Dr. Poindexter practices at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Northwest and serves as a team physician for Razorback Athletics.

AAP Section Chair
Dr. Gregory Albert, Professor of Neurosurgery and Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Arkansas Children’s, has been appointed to a two-year term as Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Neurosurgery (SONS). SONS addresses issues in pediatric neurosurgery relating to patient management, continuing education and clinical research, and is active in interdisciplinary educational activities and programs to benefit primary care pediatricians as well as pediatric neurosurgeons. The section also assists the AAP in developing practice parameters and position papers on issues related to children with neurological disease. Kudos to Dr. Albert for his national leadership in pediatric neurosurgery as well as his service here in Arkansas.

Telehealth for Endocrine Care
Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, is a coauthor on an important position paper for the Endocrine Society on the appropriate use of telehealth in endocrine care. The manuscript was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and was highlighted in Endocrine News this week. Dr. Maraka, who also directs the Endocrinology Fellowship at UAMS, was one of nine endocrine experts to serve on the panel that developed the evidence-based policy perspective. The panel examined five core aspects of care that determine when telehealth is appropriate and recommended an individualized approach. Significantly, the paper noted that telehealth can play an important role in reducing disparities in health care access.

Microbiology Spectrum Editorial Leadership
Dr. Se-Ran Jun, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics, has been invited to serve as an Editor for Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society of Microbiology, one of the largest life science societies in the world. Dr. Jun will lend her expertise in computational genomics, computational metagenomics and translational bioinformatics. Her laboratory has long-standing interests in microbial genomics and microbiome research for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. Currently, her laboratory is working on real-time genomic surveillance for infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship using real-time sequencing technology.

Preventing Physician Suicide
The Psychiatric Research Institute’s Dr. Prasad Padala and Dr. Srinivasa Gokarakonda were instrumental in a national webinar hosted by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) that focused on preventing physician suicide. Dr. Gokarakonda, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, moderated the event, which was held in conjunction with National Physician Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 17 and drew over 150 participants. Dr. Padala, Professor of Psychiatry and Geriatrics and Program Director for the Baptist Health-UAMS Psychiatry Residency, presented the webinar. Dr. Padala is also a member of the AAPI Distinguished Speakers Club.

Business of Medicine in the Spotlight
The Business of Medicine course founded and directed by Dr. Jason Mizell, Professor of Surgery, continues to draw well-earned national attention. The course for College of Medicine seniors was featured prominently in an online article, “What Med Students Need to Know About Money to Avoid Financial Mistakes,” in Medscape last week. Dr. Mizell has been a national leader in financial education for medical students and residents since launching the course, initially for Surgery residents, a decade ago. The course expanded into an elective for senior medical students in 2015, and UAMS medical students can now also complete a four-year honors track in finance.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Cancer Researchers
A shout-out to everyone who made the second Health Partnership in Cancer Research (PCAR) summer research program for medical students a great success. The program is funded by a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health and is led by Dr. Thomas Kelly, Professor of Pathology and Associate Director of Cancer Research Training and Education in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, and Diane McKinstry, BBA, Summer Program Manager. Along with Dr. Kelly, mentors and lecturers this year included Drs. Alan Tackett, Nathan Avaritt, Katy Marino, Marius Nagalo, Samantha Kendrick, Jesús Delgado-Calle, Valandra German, Behjatolah Karbassi, Martin Cannon, Henry Wong, Fenghuang Zhan, Fen Xia, Kevin Sexton, Richard Nicholas, Donald Johann and Richard Crownover. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Fostering Cultural Humility
Kudos to the Department of Psychiatry for its commitment to fostering cultural humility – an approach to clinical work, supervision and research that is guided by self-reflection, recognizing and addressing power imbalances, and advocating for institutional alignment for a more just and inclusive environment. After offering a cultural humility curriculum to Psychology trainees for four years, the department has selected its first cohort of faculty psychologists for the voluntary, year-long program. The faculty include Drs. Melissa Zielinski, Joy Pemberton, Glenn Mesman, Sacha McBain, Jennifer Gess, Lisa Evans, Tisha Deen and Maegan Calvert. The curriculum was developed by Dr. Eva Woodward, this year’s course facilitator, of the Psychiatric Research Institute’s Center for Health Services and Research, and was refined and co-led by Dr. Sufna John of the ARBEST program.

Service to the Community
Hundreds of Arkansans received free health screenings and learned about health topics at the UAMS-sponsored Health and Wellness Expo on Sept. 24. Thanks to the many faculty, staff and students who contributed to this event. Speakers included Dr. Purushottam Thapa, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the UAMS Mindfulness Program; Dr. Mohammed Moursi, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Vascular Surgery; Dr. Dinesh Edem, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine/Endocrinology and Director of the UAMS Medical Weight Management Program; and Dr. Jeanne Wei, Professor and Chair of Geriatrics and Director of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.

Chancellor’s Circle Grants
Finally this week, congratulations to the 14 programs from the COM and across UAMS receiving Chancellor’s Circle Grant Awards this year. The philanthropy supported awards will support innovative projects such as a culinary medicine program for our residency and fellowship programs, a puberty education workshop for pre-teen and teenage girls, upgrades to regional crisis stabilization units, and digital health initiatives in diverse areas including lactation support, geriatrics, stroke, sexual assault, and image repository/sharing for medical facilities. This year’s awards total $336,000, and members have generously given more than $9 million to support UAMS’ work in education, research and clinical care since the inception of the Chancellor’s Circle in 1984. Read about this year’s grants in the UAMS Newsroom.

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!

Reducing Maternal Mortality
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a report with a staggering finding: Four in five pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are preventable. Arkansas data was included in the report for the first time this year, thanks to the state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC), which is chaired by Dr. William “Sam” Greenfield, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medical Director for Family Health at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). Dr. Greenfield also led ADH’s successful application for MMRC funding under the CDC’s recently expanded Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality (ERASE MM) initiative. You can read about key findings of the new report in this CDC news release.

Arkansas’ participation in ERASE MM is a major milestone for our state. The Arkansas MMRC benefits from the expertise of numerous College of Medicine faculty and UAMS and Arkansas Children’s team members. In addition to Dr. Greenfield, they include Drs. Nirvana Manning, Nafisa Dajani and Gloria Richard-Davis in OB/GYN; Drs. Jill Mhyre and Nadir El Sharawi in Anesthesiology; Dr. Allison Shaw-Devine in Internal Medicine/Cardiology; Dr. Shona Ray-Griffith in Psychiatry; Dr. Ted Brown in Pathology; Joni Yarnell, APRN, in the Woman and Infants Service Line; and Tracey Bradley-Simmons, MSN, RN, with Arkansas Children’s.

Many thanks to Dr. Greenfield for his leadership and to the entire MMRC.

International Spotlight
The Department of Radiology and the Arkansas Children’s Interventional Radiology (IR) team has been in the spotlight at the 10^th International Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Interventional Radiology (SPIR) in Galway, Ireland, this week. Special congratulations to Dr. Charles James, Professor in the Division of Pediatric Radiology, who received the Gold Medal Award, SPIR’s top honor, last night. College of Medicine senior Mallory Heft and Assistant Professor Dr. Kevin Wong also presented during the conference. Click here to learn more about their presentations and Dr. James’ outstanding work with Pediatric Radiology colleagues Dr. Janice Murphy and Dr. Mary Moore to build the pediatric IR service.

African American Women & Menopause
Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Professor and Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is an author on a new review article in the journal Menopause on the experiences of African American women in menopause. The article discusses how African American women experience distinct differences in physical, psychological, social and quality-of-life measures during this time. Increasing awareness of these differences is critically important for improving the health of this underserved population. Dr. Richard-Davis also was recently appointed as an Associate Editor for the journal.

National Leadership in Bone Research
Dr. Charles O’Brien, Professor of Internal Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of the UAMS Center for Musculoskeletal Disease Research, was an invited plenary session speaker for the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Austin, Texas, earlier this month. He discussed his latest groundbreaking research on the topic of “humanized RANKL mice to study rebound resorption.” Following that, Dr. O’Brien served as Vice Chair for the Bone and Teeth Gordon Research Conference on Metabolism and Local Environments in Development, Disease and Regeneration of the Skeleton, in Ventura California, last week. Both of these national activities are a reflection of Dr. O’Brien’s leadership in the field of bone and mineral metabolism.

Transgender Care Symposium
Congratulations to senior medical students Sawyer Hickey, Matty Cato and Carter Pacheco for their excellent presentations at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Scientific Symposium in Montreal Canada. The students, led by Dr. Luann Racher, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medical Director of the Women and Infants Health Service Line, presented four presentations on various topics related to transgender health care.

Apoptosis Insights
Dr. Tudor Moldoveanu, Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is the senior author on an article published this month in iScience. The research for “Small molecule SJ572946 activates BAK to initiate apoptosis” was conducted in Dr. Moldoveanu’s lab at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis prior to his recruitment to UAMS this summer. Collaborators included investigators from the St. Jude Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Department and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

History Lesson
The medical condition of a single individual can have historical repercussions, as Dr. T. Glenn Pait and Dr. Matthew Helton reveal in an article recently published in a military history-centered volume of Neurosurgical Focus from the Journal of Neurosurgery. Dr. Pait, Professor of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of the Jackson T. Stephens Spine Institute, and Dr. Helton, a sixth-year Neurosurgery resident interested in brain trauma, tell the story of “The crippled brain that prolonged the Civil War: General Joseph Hooker’s concussions at Chancellorsville.” Appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to command the Army of the Potomac in 1863, Gen. Hooker suffered a traumatic brain injury that prevented him from giving crucial orders. Dr. Pait’s considerable knowledge of history and mentoring of Dr. Helton has resulted in a very interesting article!

FDA Fellows Workshop
Congratulations to Dr. Arpan Prabhu, Chief Resident in Radiation Oncology, on being selected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to participate in the 2022 FDA/American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Fellows Day Workshop. Dr. Prabhu will be at the FDA’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Maryland, tomorrow to meet with FDA hematologists/oncologists and learn about oncology drug regulation, disease-specific considerations, clinical trial design and diagnostic developments.

Pediatric Dentistry Expertise
Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry faculty members are active in dental continuing education across the state, sharing their expertise in cleft lip and palate, dental reconstruction and other topics related to complex dental care. Assistant Professor Dr. Laurence Howe presented to the River Valley Dental Association in Fort Smith on Sept. 13, providing information about the Cleft Lip and Palate and Craniomaxillofacial interdisciplinary teams at Arkansas Children’s. Dr. Howe and Associate Professor Dr. John Jones co-presented a talk on collaborative dental reconstruction during the Fall Scientific Session of the Arkansas State Dental Association on Sept. 24. Dr. Jones presented an additional talk on mouth breathing in children during the state conference.

Assessing Mechanical Ventilation Training
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine colleagues Drs. Matt Malone, Erin Bennett, Katherine Irby, Sanjiv Pasala, Abdallah Dalabih and Ron Sanders, along with Arkansas Children’s Research Institute biostatistician Beverly Spray, authored a new paper in the Journal of Pediatric Intensive Care that assesses the current landscape of mechanical ventilation (MV) practices and training in pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) fellowship programs. Mechanical ventilation is an integral part of the care of many critically ill children, but the study identified gaps in MV education and training across the country. The research team advocates for PCCM fellowship programs to identify these deficiencies to equip all trainees with a solid knowledge base that will prepare them to use any mode of MV in their future practice.

Neurosurgery Expertise
Dr. J.D. Day, Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery, faculty colleagues and former trainees are authors of a recently published article discussing a treatment for basilar invagination (BI), a congenital or acquired condition in which the top of the spine pushes at the base of the skull, causing neurological deficits. “Basilar decompression via a far lateral transcondylar approach: technical note” was published in Acta Neurochirurgica (European Journal of Neurosurgery). Faculty coauthors include Drs. Analiz Rodriguez, Noojan Kazemi and T. Glenn Pait. Former Neurosurgery residents, fellows and faculty on the project included Drs. Robert Rennert (first author), Marcus Stephens, Angela Palmer and Thomas Morris.

Bringing Smiles
Dr. Larry Hartzell, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, recently returned from a trip with the Global Smile Foundation in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The foundation has provided care for patients with cleft lip and palate in this city for over three decades, and Dr. Hartzell has been involved for more than six years. During the recent trip, the team provided 132 surgeries on 68 patients, predominantly cleft lip and palate repairs. The team’s comprehensive care includes speech therapy sessions, dental procedures, orthodontic care, nutritional counseling and psycho-social support.

Champions of Diversity & Inclusion
And finally this week, please join me in congratulating the recipients of the 2022 Dr. Edith Irby Jones Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Awards. This year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree is Dr. Ronda Henry-Tillman, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Breast Surgical Oncology. Dr. Henry-Tillman has strived to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity, particularly in relation to cancer care, for Arkansans over the past 24 years. Kimberlyn Blann, M.A., Associate Director of Admissions and Outreach Programs in the College of Medicine, received the Staff Award for her dedication to advancing diversity in multiple roles at UAMS. Read what the nominators said about these champions of diversity in this COM newsletter feature.

I would also like to give a shout-out to the COM students and faculty who were nominated for awards in several other categories. They include medical students Carlon “Quincy” Gragg and Kayla Jimmerson and graduate student Luke Childress; Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Neurology (Early Career Faculty); and Thomas Kelly, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology (Leadership).