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.

Investiture Honors Physician Leader

Congratulations to Dr. Omar Atiq, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, on his investiture as the namesake and inaugural holder of the Omar T. Atiq, M.D., MACP, Distinguished Chair in Physician Leadership at UAMS on Monday. Dr. Atiq has exemplified physician leadership in Arkansas and nationally, most recently as President of the American College of Physicians (ACP). When Dr. Atiq completed his term as ACP President last month, he gave an impassioned speech at the organization’s Annual Convocation in Boston about “the privilege and enormous responsibility” of being a physician. You can read it here.

Dr. Atiq also spoke eloquently at his investiture, where it wasn’t just his leadership that was highlighted. As one of the guest speakers, Dr. S. Amjad Hussain from the University of Toledo, explained, Dr. Atiq’s “generosity of heart” also sets him apart. The endowed chair was established through a gift from Pine Bluff businessman Scott McGeorge in gratitude for the oncological care provided by Dr. Atiq and his team in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Dr. Atiq’s family also contributed to the endowment. A recording of the ceremony is available here. Watch for a story about the investiture on the UAMS website soon.  

“Storylines” Explores Importance of Family Medicine

Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) colleagues Dr. Bill Ventres (recently retired) and Dr. Leslie Stone recently published a 12-article series, “Storylines of Family Medicine,” in the BMJ group journal Family Medicine and Community Health. Targeted for students and residents, the series consists of 99 illustrated mini-essays that explore how important family medicine is to a cost-effective, people-centered health care system. DFPM colleagues Drs. Paige Beck, Wayne Bryant, Scott Dickson, Lauren Gibson-Oliver, David Kelley, John Lane, Michael Macechko, Amber Norris and Julia Roulier contributed to the collection. UAMS Science Communication Group staff member Dr. Emily Hunter edited the entire series; and UAMS librarian Dr. Lindsay Blake provided additional guidance.

Transformative Care for Spasticity

Kudos to Dr. Kapil Arya, Associate Professor of Pediatric Neurology, Dr. Eylem Ocal, Professor of Neurosurgery, and Dr. Laura Hobart-Porter, Associate Professor and Chief of Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, for their collaborative work with others to develop a Surgical Spasticity/Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy Clinic at Arkansas Children’s. Physical therapist Della Reasbeck and Care Coordinator Crystal ­­­­­Salser also were instrumental in the initiative. While a spectrum of spasticity management services previously was available in Arkansas, this transformative avenue of care was not. The first patient to receive the specialized surgery and interdisciplinary care was a non-ambulatory 6-year-old with cerebral palsy who is now able to walk. The project was among the work recognized by the American Academy of Neurology in its selection of Dr. Arya for its 2024 Transforming Leadership Program.

Pulmonary Fellows Shine in National Competition

A shout-out to the team of outstanding UAMS Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellows who placed among the top 10 teams in the 2024 CHEST Challenge sponsored by the American College of Chest Physicians. The Jeopardy-style competition tests the knowledge of pulmonary and critical care medicine fellows-in-training, with 56 teams from across the country competing this year. Participating fellows included Drs. Shahrukh Arif, Ryan James, Angel Mitma, Andrew Joe Bradsher, Barrett Burger, Akash Patel, Sangeeta Adusumilli, Paras Malik and Amy Montgomery. Special thanks to Assistant Professor Dr. Anand Venkata, along with Associate Professor and Program Director Dr. Rajani Jagana, for helping to train the fellows for the national competition.

Raising Awareness of Stroke

May is National Stroke Awareness Month, but College of Medicine and UAMS team members are doing great work year-round to help Arkansans recognize the signs of a stroke and what to do when every moment matters. Kudos to Dr. Aliza Brown, Associate Professor of Neurology, for her dedicated service as a multiple-term, elected Chair of the Arkansas Acute Stroke Care Task Force. Thanks also to Task Force members Dr. Sanjeeva Onteddu, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Medical Director of the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation (IDHI) Stroke Program; and Dr. Bala Simon, Family and Preventive Medicine physician, College of Public Health epidemiologist and Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Arkansas Department of Health. The Task Force and many other IDHI team members were instrumental in working with Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders’ office on a new Public Service Announcement video that uses the acronym “BE FAST” to concisely explain what to watch for – and do – in the event of a potential stroke.    

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.

Public Service Woman of the Year

Congratulations to Dr. Nirvana Manning, Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, on being selected as the Woman of the Year in Public Service by the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. Dr. Manning will be honored at the organization’s “Power of the Purse” luncheon in October. In an announcement this week, the organization lauded Dr. Manning for her leadership on projects to improve health for women and girls across the state. This work includes implementing grants focused on postpartum maternal outcomes in populations that experience health disparities and expanding access to prenatal care in rural areas. The announcement also noted Dr. Manning’s vital work to raise awareness about Arkansas’ maternal mortality rate, which is the highest in the country.

Expertise Shared at Capitol Hill Briefing

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) invited Dr. Susan Emmett and Dr. Samantha Robler, Director and Associate Director of the Center for Hearing Health Access and faculty members in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, to Capitol Hill to speak at the PCORI Telehealth Briefing on April 18. They were one of three study teams selected nationally for this honor and the only team given the opportunity to also invite patient partners. As a result, a mother-daughter patient team traveled over 40 hours from their home community in rural Alaska to speak on the panel and meet lawmakers alongside Drs. Emmett and Robler. 

Surgery Leadership for Arkansas

Dr. Deidre Wyrick, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Trauma Medical Director at Arkansas Children’s, has been named President-Elect of the Arkansas Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). She will be the first female surgeon to hold the post of President when her two-year term in that role starts in 2025. Dr. Wyrick continues to gain local, state and national recognition for her surgical expertise and commitment to outstanding surgical education. She will provide strong leadership for Arkansas surgeons as President-Elect and then President.

Faculty Present at Pathology Conference

UAMS and the Department of Pathology were well represented at the annual meeting of the U.S. and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) in Baltimore. Dr. Camila Simoes delivered an invited presentation, “And This is What Makes Liver Pathology Fun,” at an evening specialty conference. Dr. Felicia Allard was the invited moderator for a platform presentation session on the pancreas, gallbladder, ampulla and extrahepatic biliary tree. Dr. Susanne Jeffus contributed to a multi-institutional reproducibility and validation study to assess the role of tumor budding in predicting prognosis of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma, which was selected for a platform presentation. Dr. Matt Quick moderated a gynecologic pathology evening specialty conference, taught on the pearls and pitfalls in staging uterine cancer in an interactive microscopy session, and contributed to two multi-institutional projects presented as abstracts.

Geriatric Teaching Earns National Spotlight

Dr. Priya Mendiratta, Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Geriatrics and Program Director for the Geriatrics Fellowship, was featured by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) in its “Educator Spotlight” on the AGS membership website this month. The Q&A profile includes her insights on teaching – and on learning from students, residents and fellows as well as from her patients. “My learners constantly remind me of the power of curiosity and the value of lifelong learning,” she said in the Q&A. “Their enthusiasm for exploring new ideas and their willingness to challenge assumptions invigorate my teaching approach and deepen my understanding of geriatric care.” The AGS recognition is a testament to Dr. Mendiratta’s excellence in geriatrics education, which also earned her the COM GME Educator Award for Program Directors this spring.

Resident Earns National Hematology Award

A shout-out to Dr. Kingsley Nnawuba, a second-year Internal Medicine resident at the Northwest Regional Campus, on being selected by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for the 2024 Hematology Opportunities for the Next Generation of Research Scientists (HONORS) Award. The award provides $5,000 in support for a research project, ASH mentorship and a $1,000 travel stipend to attend the ASH annual meeting, where recipients will be recognized at a Career Developments Awards reception.

Student Presents at Psychiatric Conference

Third-year medical student Dana Abulez did a great job presenting her research at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in New York City last week. Her poster presentation highlighted a cross-sectional study on the association between patient-level factors and positive treatment response in individuals with psychostimulant use disorder. Co-authors included Dr. Clare Brown from the College of Public Health and Dr. Michael Cucciare and Dr. Corey Hayes from the Department of Psychiatry. Dana was a summer intern in the UAMS Addiction Research Training Program as a first-year student.

Alpha Omega Alpha Honorees

Finally this week, I want to take a moment to congratulate the students, residents, fellows, faculty and alumni who were recognized at the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) New Member Induction Ceremony and Reception last week. Election to the national medical honor society signifies a lasting commitment to professionalism, leadership, scholarship, research and community service.

The ceremony was led by Dr. Molly Gathright, Executive Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, who serves as AOA Faculty Councilor for the Arkansas Chapter. Prior to 2020, new members were recognized at a yearly induction banquet. While the pandemic put the annual event on hold, new members have been elected each year. The May 7 gathering honored all who were elected in 2020-2024. Inductees are listed by year and category in this PPT from the ceremony.

I join with Dr. Gathright in congratulating these AOA members and thanking them for their exceptional dedication to the profession and art of healing.

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 Invested Endowed Chair

Congratulations to Dr. Mauricio Garcia, Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, on his investiture in the Jerome S. Levy, M.D., Chair in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at UAMS last Wednesday. Dr. Garcia is internationally recognized for his expertise in the management of liver diseases, with a focus on alcohol-related liver disease, liver transplantation and hepatocellular carcinoma. Earlier leadership roles at UAMS included serving as Director of the Primary Liver Tumor Clinic and later as Director of Hepatology Services and Transplant Medical Director until 2020. After serving for two years in the transplant program at Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Garcia was recruited back to UAMS in 2022. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

National Nutrition Research Award

Congratulations to Dr. Colin Kay, a Professor in the Developmental Nutrition Section of the Department of Pediatrics, on being selected for the 2024 Mary Swartz Rose Senior Investigator Award from the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). The award recognizes outstanding research into the safety and efficacy of bioactive compounds for human health and will be presented at ASN’s Nutrition 2024 meeting in Chicago this summer. Dr. Kay serves as Director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) Metabolomics and Analytical Chemistry Research Core and as Director of Precision Health Research at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI). Dr. Kay and his research team are playing a leading role in defining the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of polyphenols. Read more in this ACRI Research Update.

National Neurosurgical Conference Leadership

Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Director of Neurosurgical Oncology and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Neurosurgery, delivered talks showcasing her expertise in two distinct areas at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) national meeting. One of the presentations was on recurrent low-grade glioma and adjuvant therapy, and the second was on social determinants of health. As a member of the AANS Scientific Program Committee, Dr. Rodriguez worked over the past year to develop the program and select speakers for the May 3-6 conference.  

Outstanding Young Alumnus

Dr. Brian Koss, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is a rising star in cancer research at UAMS and nationally with a prestigious 2021 National Institutes of Health Director’s Early Independence Award and other scientific honors to his credit. His latest recognition comes from Hendrix College in Conway, which named him as the 2024 Outstanding Young Alumnus. Dr. Koss, a 2008 Hendrix graduate, was recognized during the college’s President Inauguration Ceremony on April 20, and he will return to campus to formally receive the award during Hendrix’s 2025 Alumni Weekend. Dr. Koss completed his Ph.D. at UAMS and joined the faculty in 2021. Read more about him here.

ASTRO Research Fellowship

Congratulations to second-year M.D./Ph.D. student Amie Brint on receiving a Medical Student Research Fellowship Award from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). She is the first UAMS student to receive the prestigious fellowship, which is awarded to only 10 students nationally each year. Under the mentorship of UAMS Radiation Oncology faculty members Dr. Robert Griffin and Dr. Ruud Dings, Amie’s predoctoral research will focus on determining dose response and spacing between peak dose regions that is optimal for killing of oxic or hypoxic tumor cells. Amie also serves as Vice President of the Oncology Interest Group. After completing her Practice of Medicine 2 preceptorship with Dr. Richard Crownover, she hosted a very successful and well-attended Feb. 29 tour of the Proton Center for medical students and others.

Kudos, Senior Olympics Volunteers

A shout-out to the many College of Medicine and UAMS team members who are contributing to the Arkansas Senior Olympics this year. UAMS Health Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine is the Presenting Sponsor. Most recently, Dr. Gary McHenry, Executive Director of the Schmieding Senior Center, delivered the welcome remarks at the start of the track and field competition held at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville on April 27. Joining him as volunteers for the day were fellow UAMS Centers on Aging team members Brandi Schneider, René Garcia-Oliver and Lauren Gale. Student volunteers included COM sophomore Liam Alderson.

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.

Minority Health Pioneer

Congratulations to Dr. Sheldon Riklon, Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine in the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation, on receiving the Dr. Joycelyn Elders Minority Health Pioneer Award from the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Dr. Riklon was honored at the 8^th Biennial Minority Health Summit last week for his positive impact on the health and healthcare of minority Arkansans, particularly the Marshallese community in Northwest Arkansas. The award is the latest of many recognitions of Dr. Riklon’s remarkable work. He holds the Peter O. Kohler, M.D., Endowed Chair in Health Disparities at UAMS. In 2021, he received UAMS’ Dr. Edith Irby Jones Lifetime Achievement Award. He is being promoted to Professor on July 1. 

Pediatric Fellowship Recruitment

Dr. Jill Fussell, Professor and Vice Chair of Education (Fellowships) in the Department of Pediatrics, was appointed Chair of the national Fellowship Recruitment Action Team (FRAT) at the recent annual conference of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors. Dr. Fussell will provide strong leadership as Chair for 2024-2026. FRAT is a collaboration of pediatric organizations that works to create a fair application process for both learners and programs, with emphasis on the needs of historically underrepresented learners across the range of fellowship program types and sizes.

Criminal Justice Health Conference

Dr. Melissa Zielinski, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Health and the Legal System (HEALS) Lab, and several HEALS colleagues were presenters and participants at the recent Academic Consortium of Criminal Justice Health annual meeting in Phoenix. Dr. Zielinski, who serves on the consortium’s board of directors, moderated a pair of seminars and served on a panel on the intersection of ethics and research with justice-involved persons. A scientific poster by Assistant Professor Dr. Mollee Steely Smith was one of five selected to be specially featured at the conference. Dinesha Darrough, LCSW, received a research staff travel scholarship to attend the conference.

National Leadership in Endocrinology

Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Endocrinology Fellowship, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Endocrine Society Clinical Affairs Committee. The committee provides insights on issues affecting clinical practice in endocrinology including health care policy and advocacy, access to care, evidence-based standards of care, reimbursement, quality of life for endocrinologists and more. Dr. Maraka has served in several national leadership roles in endocrinology, including her current term as Co-Chair of the American Thyroid Association Guidelines and Statements Committee.

Otolaryngology Diamond Conference Showcases Expertise

The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery did a great job hosting the fourth annual Otolaryngology Diamond Conference. The April 19-20 conference drew its largest attendance to date with about 125 providers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. Dr. John Dornhoffer, Professor and Chair, was Course Chairman, and Professors Dr. Mauricio Moreno and Dr. Gresham Richter served as Course Directors. Along with three national experts, UAMS and Arkansas Children’s presenters included Dr. Robert Saadi, Dr. Emre Vural and Dr. Michael Larson (Otolaryngology); Dr. Shipra Bansal (Pediatrics); Dr. Santanu Samanta (Radiation Oncology); Caitlyn Jenkins, Aud.D. (Clinical Audiology); and Dr. Joe Elser (Arkansas Children’s Headache Clinic).

VA Honors Psychiatry Faculty

Several colleagues from the Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Health Services Research recently received awards for their work with the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) and the VA. As part of VA Psychology Week, Dr. Sonia Singh was named Outstanding DEI Advocate, and Dr. Marci Weber received an award for Outstanding Research Achievement. The VA South Central Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) recently presented its 2023 awards, including Mentor of the Year to Dr. Ellen Fischer and Best Publication by a Senior Investigator to Dr. Sara Landes. MIRECC also named Dr. Brandon Griffin as its Assistant Director for Research.

Harvard Bound for Leadership Program

Dr. Monique Spillman, Professor and Chief of the Gynecologic Oncology Division of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was recently accepted into the prestigious Emerging Women Executives in Health Care certificate program at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard. The intensive four-day, on-site leadership development program is designed to help women in senior positions develop effective leadership strategies to improve organizational performance.

Newly Invested in Arkansas Children’s Chairs

And finally this week, congratulations to COM faculty members Dr. Raghu Ramakrishnaiah, Dr. Erin Willis and Dr. Jason Williams on their investitures in endowed chairs by Arkansas Children’s on April 24.

Dr. Ramakrishnaiah, Professor of Radiology and Chief of Pediatric Radiology at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, was invested in the Lee Roy and Melba T. Beasley Endowed Chair in Pediatric Radiology.

Dr. Willis, Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology and Department of Medicine Chief for Arkansas Children’s, was invested in the John H. Bornhofen, M.D. Endowed Chair in Child Neurology.

Dr. Williams, Professor and Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Vice President and Chief Mental and Behavioral Health Officer at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, was invested in the Belinda H. And Robert L. Shults Endowed Chair in Child Behavioral Health.

Read more about these outstanding colleagues and the endowed chairs in the Investiture Program.

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 Invested

Congratulations to Dr. Shashank Kraleti on his formal investiture in the Dr. Algernon Sidney Garnett Chair in Family Medicine on April 10. The investiture is just the latest of many well-earned honors for Dr. Kraleti for his exceptional clinical and academic leadership, teaching, mentoring and much more during his 15 years on the faculty. Dr. Kraleti has served as Chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine since last July. He also serves as Director of the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line and Senior Vice President for UAMS Health. Read more about Dr. Kraleti and the investiture in the UAMS Newsroom.

Protecting Arkansas’ Children

Dr. Sufna John, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director of UAMS’ Arkansas Building Effective Services for Trauma (ARBEST) program, recently received the Percy Malone Child Protection Award from the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas. ARBEST is dedicated to improving outcomes for traumatized children and their families through excellence in clinical care, training, advocacy and research. The award honors Arkansans who, like State Sen. Percy Malone and his wife, Donna, have fought to prevent and end the devastating effects of physical and sexual abuse of the state’s children.

Surgery, Neonatology Collaboration Published in JAMA

Dr. Sid Dassinger, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Pediatric General Surgery, and Dr. Sherry Courtney, a Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Clinical Research for Neonatology, were investigators and co-authors on a multi-center clinical trial, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), into the effect of early vs. late inguinal hernia repair in preterm infants. The study, which required close collaboration between the Surgery and Neonatology teams at UAMS and other participating centers, helped to address an important question in a very vulnerable population. The findings support delaying inguinal hernia repair until after initial discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit.

Young Investigator Award

Dr. Divya Citla, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology-Oncology, received the coveted Young Investigator Travel Award at the Thrombosis Hemostasis Summit of North America (THSNA) meeting in Chicago this month. She delivered an oral presentation on a national claims database study into osteoporosis and fragility fractures in hemophilia and von Willebrand disease. Dr. Citla also presented two poster abstracts – a quality improvement study on access to factor 8 and factor 9 products for patients with hemophilia in Arkansas, and “ATHN Transcends,” a natural history cohort study of bleeding symptoms and treatment outcomes in patients with Glanzmann Thrombasthenia.

National Trauma Conference Presentation

Dr. Kyle Kalkwarf, Associate Professor of Surgery and UAMS Trauma Medical Director, recently presented his work stemming from a UAMS Translational Research Institute Implementation Science Scholar Award at the Western Trauma Association (WTA) meeting. The event is the most selective annual trauma meeting, with only 40 research projects presented annually. This is the second WTA presentation for Dr. Kalkwarf in three years. The manuscript for the project was accepted for publication in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. Along with colleagues from the Division of Acute Care Surgery, co-authors included UAMS clinical informaticist Dr. Brett Bailey and the College of Pharmacy’s Dr. Geoffrey Curran.

Healthcare Research All-Stars

Nine current and former UAMS physicians have been named “Healthcare Research All-Stars” for 2024 by Avant-garde Health, a technology and analytics company. The UAMS Hip and Knee Surgery team placed among the top 1% of hip and knee surgeons nationwide, the Orthopaedic Surgery team was among the top 3% nationwide, and both the Gastrointestinal and General Surgery teams at UAMS placed among the top 5% nationwide for published, leading-edge health care research. Current faculty members named as All-Stars are Dr. Lowry Barnes, Dr. Jeffrey Stambough and Dr. Benjamin Stronach (Orthopaedic Surgery); Dr. Sumant Inamdar (Gastroenterology); Dr. Subhi Al’Aref (Cardiology); and Dr. Emmanouil Giorgakis (General/Transplant Surgery). Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Paper Examines Gingivitis and Neuroinflammation

Dr. Ambika Verma, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Geriatrics and Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, was first author on an article in GeroScience that sheds new light on the mechanisms that gingivitis may play in neuroinflammation. The article, “Proteomic Analysis of p. Gingivalis-lipopolysaccharide induced Neuroinflammation in SH-S5Y and HMC3 Cells,” was coauthored by faculty members Dr. Xiaomin Zhang, Dr. Gohar Azhar and Department Chair Dr. Jeanne Wei (senior author) and post-doctoral fellow Dr. Pankaj Patyal.

National Neurosurgical Research Summer Fellowship

Congratulations to second-year College of Medicine student Andrew Mathews on receiving a 2024 Neurosurgery Research Education Foundation Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship. The highly competitive national award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons is presented to fewer than 15 students from across the United States and Canada annually. Andrew is mentored by Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Director of Neurosurgical Oncology and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Neurosurgery.

“Girlology” Workshop is an Ongoing Hit

Kudos to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for hosting the latest “Girlology” workshop, which drew about 350 girls ages 8-13 and their caregivers to campus on April 7 to learn about issues relating to puberty. Special thanks as well to the medical student volunteers who helped out, including leaders Ashton Jones and Sally Barnes, along with Megan Hand, Madi Nichols, Katie Pacheco, Sarah Mitchell, Madison Haraway and Cat Davis. OB/GYN Chair Dr. Nirvana Manning, Dr. Kate Stambough and Dr. Laura Hollenbach initiated the popular recurring workshop in 2022.

TRI Research Day Highlights “The Last Mile”

The UAMS Translational Research Institute’s Research Day 2024 celebrated novel, transformative research and translational science aimed at improving health outcomes in Arkansas. A shout-out to TRI Director Dr. Laura James and her team and the many presenters and other participants who made the recent event a great success. Read more about the event, including key presenters, here. Congratulations also to this year’s poster contest winners.

I would like to wrap up this week’s Accolades with an insightful comment from Dr. Susan Emmett, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Epidemiology, who delivered one of two keynote presentations at TRI Research Day. Dr. Emmett is founder and Director of the UAMS Center for Hearing Health Access and is leading a large-scale implementation project to bring hearing health care to rural Arkansas and other states.

“We can’t do research for research’s sake, because then we have stopped short of real-world impact,” Dr. Emmett explained. “It’s about going that last mile, creating the evidence, and then working with policymakers to ensure that it is put into practice to actually change lives.”

Congratulations to our 2024 Dean’s Honor Day Award Winners!

Next Tuesday, April 16, we will celebrate excellence across our college at the 2024 Dean’s Honor Day celebration. I am really looking forward to ceremony. I know we will hear wonderful stories about these staff and faculty who exemplify the very best of the College of Medicine.

Please join us from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in Fred Smith Auditorium, 12^th floor of the Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute. In addition to nearly 20 awards to faculty and staff, we will have photo gallery-style video tributes to our faculty who are receiving promotion and/or tenure this year. A reception will follow the ceremony. If you can’t make it in person, tune in to the ceremony livestream.

Meanwhile, I am very pleased to announce the faculty and staff who will receive awards at the ceremony. Please join me in congratulating these remarkable members of our team!

Awards

Staff Excellence

Education

Jessica Bursk — Family and Preventive Medicine

Research

Caroline Miller Robinson, B.S. — Physiology and Cell Biology/INBRE

Clinical

Chris Cathcart, DPT, MBA — ICE, Physical Therapy/Trauma Team

Administration

Robin Rogers, B.A. — Biomedical Informatics

GME Educator

Program Coordinator

Angela Warr — Pain Medicine Fellowship

Program Director

Priya Mendiratta, M.D., MPH — Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

Master Teacher

Steve Schexnayder, M.D. — Pediatrics/Pediatric Critical Care

Educational Innovation

Ahmed Abuabdou, M.D., MBA — Chief Clinical Officer/Cancer Service Line

Educational Research

Karen Dickinson, MBBS, M.D., M.Ed. — Surgery/IPE Simulation and Clinical Skills Training

Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine

David Kelley, M.D. — Family and Preventive Medicine

Excellence in Research

Lorraine McKelvey, Ph.D. — Family and Preventive Medicine

Clinical Excellence

Outstanding Advanced Practice Provider

Ashley Wilson, DNP — Surgery/Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery

Quality & Safety

Tabasum Imran, M.D. — Family and Preventive Medicine, UAMS West

Service & Professionalism

Chenia Eubanks, M.D., MPH — Pediatrics/Community Pediatrics

Best Consulting Physician

Sarah Cobb, M.D. — Pediatrics/Pediatric Neurology

Collaborations & Teamwork

Lyle Burdine, M.D., Ph.D. — Surgery/Transplant Surgery

Rising Star

Dinesh Edem, M.D. — Internal Medicine/Endocrinology

Physician of the Year

Ronda Henry-Tillman, M.D. — Surgery/Breast Surgical Oncology

Distinguished Faculty Service Award

Eduardo Ochoa Jr., M.D. — Pediatrics/Community Pediatrics

Promotion and Tenure

Click here for a list of faculty receiving promotion and/or tenure this year.