Gold Star Rating
Congratulations to the 12th Street Health & Wellness Center and its outstanding team of student and faculty volunteers and leaders on again earning a Gold Star rating – the highest awarded – from the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC). The student-run, interprofessional free clinic has served the community while providing valuable learning opportunities for students from all five UAMS colleges and Graduate School since early 2013. The NAFC Standards Program helps ensure that medically underserved areas have access to affordable, quality health care. Of some 1,400 free or charitable clinics across the United States that are registered with the NAFC, only 6% are student-led.
The faculty leadership team at 12th Street includes Medical Director Dr. Liz Gath, Professor of Internal Medicine, and Center Director Dr. Melissa Halverson, Associate Professor in the College of Health Professions, Department of Physician Assistant Studies. 2024 College of Medicine graduate Dr. Nadia Safar served as Executive Director on the Student Board of Directors this past academic year and has turned over the reins to rising senior Brittany Tian. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.
American Thoracic Society Fellow
Dr. Ariel Berlinski, Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Director of the Respiratory Care Department at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and Director of the Pediatric Aerosol Research Laboratory in the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, was recognized at the opening ceremony of the American Thoracic Society’s recent annual conference as a new ATS Fellow. The ATSF distinction is conferred on select members who have made outstanding contributions to the society as well as to the fields of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.
Otolaryngology Meeting Contributors
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery faculty and trainees recently contributed to the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meeting in Chicago. Research fellow Dr. Soroush Farsi delivered an oral presentation, “Microvascular Anatomical Factors and Their Impact on Postoperative Outcomes in Free Flap Reconstruction Surgeries,” along with a poster. Other presenters included Professor Dr. Ozlem Tulunay-Ugur, with two posters, and residents Dr. Chrystal Lau and Dr. Olivia Speed each presenting a poster. Incoming resident and 2024 UAMS graduate Dr. Emily Goodman also presented a poster. Several other students, residents and faculty contributed to the presentations.
Geriatrics Fellows Shine at Conference
A shout-out to Department of Geriatrics fellows Drs. Chander Shekher Aggarwal, Archy Cui, Navya Nalajala and Julie Windholz, who collectively published six abstracts at the recent annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society. Two were highlighted as Presidential Nominations: “Value of Reducing Sympathomimetic Medications in older adults,” coauthored by Dr. Cui and faculty members Dr. Gohar Azhar and Dr. Jeanne Wei; and “Delirium or Dementia: Delirium, a Great Masquerader,” coauthored by Dr. Aggarwal and Geriatrics Fellowship Director Dr. Priya Mendiratta. Additional faculty mentors on the six abstracts included Dr. Kavya Veluvolu and Dr. Olivia Ahrendsen. Faculty member Dr. Kalpana Padala also presented an abstract on medical student education.
Reducing Firearms Risks in Older Adults
In other scholarly news from the Department of Geriatrics, fellow Dr. Archy Cui is the first author on a commentary published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society on preventive strategies for mitigating firearm risks in older adults with delirium. Older adults can be particularly vulnerable to firearm-related injuries due to cognitive impairment, depression and other factors. Dr. Cui and coauthors Dr. Priya Mendiratta, Professor and Director of the Geriatrics Fellowship, and Dr. Olivia Ahrendson, an adjunct faculty member with the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, call for a multipronged approach encompassing education, advocacy and policy development to reduce the risks.
Arkansas Medical Society Honorees
And finally this week, congratulations to the many UAMS College of Medicine students, residents, fellows and faculty who were honored at the Arkansas Medical Society’s Annual Membership Meeting in May. The AMS instituted a new awards program this year to recognize the outstanding work of both learners and educators. Nominated by program directors, faculty and colleagues, the honorees from UAMS and other institutions were selected for their academic achievements, scholarly work, leadership and community service, and other criteria. The honorees are listed here and featured in the meeting program.