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. Ashley Acheson, Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry, on his investiture in the Wilbur D. Mills Distinguished Chair in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention last week. Dr. Acheson, a behavioral neuroscientist, joined UAMS in 2016. He is highly regarded for his research into the behavioral and biological factors underlying risk for addictions, and for his work on child brain development and how early-life influences promote risk and resilience for addictions and other psychopathology. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence
Congratulations to the five UAMS faculty who received Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence at the Town Hall yesterday, including the College of Medicine’s Dr. Stacie Jones and Dr. Shashank Kraleti. Dr. Jones, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Food Allergy Research, received the Chancellor’s Award for Scholarship. She was recognized for her pioneering translational research into food allergies, mentorship and many other contributions over three decades on the faculty. Dr. Kraleti, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and Director of the Primary Care & Population Health Service Line, received the Chancellor’s Award for Clinical Innovation. He was honored for his collaborative work with the Office of Patient Experience and others to create Patient and Family Advisory Councils in 16 UAMS clinics across the state. Watch for an Inside UAMS story soon.

AAMC Section Chair
Dr. Karina Clemmons, Assistant Dean of Medical Education and Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, has been appointed Chair of the Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) Section of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Educational Affairs (GEA). Dr. Clemmons, who will serve for the next two years, brings extensive experience and dedication to advancing medical education across the continuum. Her leadership aims to strengthen collaboration and innovation within the UME Section, leading impactful initiatives and supporting the professional growth of medical educators nationwide. Kudos to Dr. Clemmons for her service nationally and at UAMS.

ACNC Turns 30
A shout-out to the team in the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC), which celebrated its 30^th anniversary with an Oct. 29 symposium. The event included esteemed speakers from key national stakeholders in nutrition and agriculture including U.S. Sen. John Boozman and representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health. Professor Emeritus Dr. Thomas Badger, who founded the ACNC in 1994, provided a historical overview. ACNC faculty members Drs. Aline Andres, Taren Massey-Swindle, Craig Porter and Elisabet Børsheim were among the presenters. Special thanks to Dr. Børsheim, ACNC Interim Director, who led the event. Read more on the ACNC website.

International Panel on Autism Spectrum Disorder
Dr. Terry Harville, Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine, will lend his expertise to the BRAIN Foundation’s Delphi Initiative on Behavioral Exacerbation’s in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The initiative was launched because of the crucial need for improving the identification, recognition and management of disabling behavioral exacerbations in people with ASD. Dr. Harville is one of 30 leading national and international experts on ASD invited to join the effort to develop guidance on the most appropriate clinical assessment tools and measures. 

Student-led Paper Documents Successful Initiative
A shout-out to senior medical student Ben Moore, who spearheaded a study into a rise in ICU readmissions in the trauma population at UAMS during 2014-2021 and the successful measures that turned the trend around. The study has just been published in the Journal of Surgical Research. Dr. Hanna Jensen, Assistant Professor of Surgery, was senior author. The article documents how UAMS clinical teams were able to push trauma readmissions well below the national average post-COVID. Kudos to all who made this possible, and congratulations to Ben and colleagues on the publication.

Prestigious Travel Award
Congratulations to M.D./Ph.D. student Catherine Kirkpatrick on receiving a highly competitive travel award for the 2025 Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School program sponsored by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). Catherine was one of three graduate students, postdocs or residents worldwide selected for the award to attend the program in Austin, Texas, next February. Catherine is conducting research into the mechanisms of T cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment with her Ph.D. mentor, Dr. Y. William Lu, Assistant Professor of Pathology. Catherine and other awardees are featured on the SITC website.

ENT Academic Bowl Champs
The UAMS and Arkansas Children’s team took home first place in the Academic Bowl, a test of knowledge for residents and students, at the recent Society for Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC) Annual Meeting. The team included Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery fourth-year resident Dr. Courtney Hunter, Clinical Research Fellow Dr. Peter Eckard, and College of Health Professions Audiology student Braidyn Milner. The team was supported by APRNs Kayla Nevala, Caitlin Jackson and Alison Garner, who also presented their work on the ACH Frenulotomy Clinic at the meeting. Dr. Hunter presented on tracheostomy education. Way to go, team!

12^th Street Student Research in the Spotlight
College of Medicine students are doing fantastic work on behalf of the UAMS 12^th Street Health and Wellness Center. Several students presented research at the Society of Student-Run Free Clinics (SSRFC) annual conference in Philadelphia this fall, sharing their clinic-driven observations about a wide range of issues relating to the health and medical care of underserved patients. Presenters included COM students Melanie Beehler, Phoebe Bruffett, Sydney Darling, Sarah Hall, Savannah Hickman, Linh-Chi Ho, Aaron Rieth, Haya Safar, Brittany Tian, Viraj Vora, Michael Ward and Margaret Woodruff.

While those students were in Philadelphia, Elizabeth (Jade) Dorman presented on behalf of a team project, “Implementation of a Novel Student-Led Mobile Clinic for Uninsured Arkansans,” at the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Arkansas Chapter meeting, where it received the Best Quality Improvement Poster Award. (Click here for a list of the 12^th Street presentations.) Also recently, 12^th Street’s pop-up community health clinics were featured in a KATV news segment. Great job, everyone!

Newly Invested
Congratulations to Dr. Corey Montgomery, Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, on his investiture in the Richard W. Nicholas, M.D., and Corey O. Montgomery, M.D., Chair in Orthopaedic Oncology last week. Dr. Montgomery, who specializes in malignant and benign tumors of the bone and soft tissues in both adults and children, is the only fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologist practicing in Arkansas.

Dr. Montgomery’s co-namesake on the endowed chair, Dr. Richard Nicholas, is a Professor Emeritus who served on the faculty for over 30 years and was Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery in 2005-2013. Dr. Nicholas and Dr. Montgomery have been instrumental in building orthopaedic oncology services in Arkansas, and their dedication inspired the philanthropic contributions from patients, families, alumni, former trainees and colleagues that made the chair possible. Dr. Nicholas was invested as the inaugural holder in 2016. Learn more in this UAMS news story.

Arkansas Health Impact Honorees
The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI) honored two longtime College of Medicine faculty members, Dr. G. Richard Smith and Dr. Linda McGhee, as the 2024 recipients of the Dr. Tom Bruce Arkansas Health Impact Award. The ACHI board recognized Dr. Smith for his transformative leadership in Psychiatry and in key roles including College of Medicine Dean and UAMS Executive Vice Chancellor in 2013-2015 and more recently as Interim Dean. He also served as the Founding Director of ACHI. Dr. McGhee, an Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, has served as an outstanding physician and impactful educator at the UAMS Family Medical Center and UAMS Northwest Campus in Fayetteville since 1978.

As many of you know, the namesake of the award, the late Dr. Tom Bruce, was Dean of the College of Medicine for more than a decade and a pioneer in community-based public health. Congratulations to Dr. Smith and Dr. McGhee on these well-earned honors. Read more in this ACHI news release.

Neurosurgery Editorial Board
Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Director of Neurosurgical Oncology and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurosurgery, has been elected to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Neurosurgery. Standing members of the board for the journal of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) vote on new members, who serve for five years and advance through leadership positions culminating in Associate Editor in their final year. Dr. Rodriguez’s expertise in neurosurgical oncology and leadership on national initiatives to reduce disparities in cancer research will make her a strong asset on the board.

Opioid-Focused Smartphone App Earns Honors
A smartphone app developed at UAMS to reduce opioid misuse took home the Silver Award in the Apps & Software-Health/Fitness/Wellness Division at the Vega Digital Awards competition. The “OptiMAT” (Optimizing Medication Assisted Treatment) app was developed with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) by Department of Psychiatry faculty members Dr. Andrew James, Dr. Ronald Thompson and Dr. Mary Bollinger. The UAMS team collaborated with Enqbator, a digital solutions firm. OptiMAT’s features include daily monitoring of mood and craving, personalized feedback, and GPS-driven “just-in-time” intervention to prevent opioid relapse.

NICU Initiative Published in Pediatrics
A successful initiative at UAMS to reduce the amount of blood drawn from premature infants for lab tests was recently published in Pediatrics. First author Dr. Megha Sharma, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics Division of Neonatology, led the project in the UAMS Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as part of the Translational Research Institute’s Implementation Scholars Program. The work is crucial, because blood loss from repetitive lab tests has been shown to be a significant contributor to anemia in very low birth weight infants and can lead to a range of poor health outcomes. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

International Guidelines for Endocrinology
Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Endocrinology Fellowship, has been appointed as an Endocrine Society Guideline Methodologist. As a member of a panel of specially trained guidelines experts, Dr. Maraka will work to develop and co-author clinical practice guidelines for the field of endocrinology and metabolism during her three-year term. The Endocrine Society is the leading international medical organization in the field with more than 18,000 members from over 120 countries.

Award-Winning Posters
A shout-out to Internal Medicine residents Dr. Sahil Sabharwal (PGY-2 UAMS/Mercy) and Dr. Gomathy Nageswaran (PGY-2 UAMS Little Rock) for the Outstanding Poster Awards they received at the American College of Gastroenterology national meeting in Philadelphia in late October. Dr. Sabharwal was honored for one of four posters he presented, “A Rare Case of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue in Remission Re-Emerging as a Metastatic Colonic Polyp.” Dr. Nageswaran was honored for one of her four posters, “More than Just a Variceal Bleed: Multiple Portal Hypertensive Gastric Polyps in a Case of Advanced Cirrhosis.” UAMS was well represented at the meeting with several residents presenting their work. In September, we also shared the good news that Dr. Tyler Ratliff  (PGY-2 UAMS/Washington Regional) was selected to receive the Presidential Poster Award at the meeting.

National Medical Examiners Leadership
Dr. Theodore (Ted) Brown, Associate Professor of Pathology and Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Arkansas, has been elected to the Executive Committee of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). Dr. Brown has served on the Board of Directors of NAME for the past year and will begin serving on the seven-member Executive Committee in January. At UAMS, Dr. Brown also serves as Director of Autopsy.

Athlete and Scholar
And finally this week, congratulations to first-year UAMS Northwest Campus first-year medical student Lily DeSpain on a national recognition she earned outside of the academic arena as a collegiate student athlete. Lily was recently selected as one of the Top 30 NCAA Women of the Year honorees. Before her medical school days, Lily had a record-setting career as a swimmer for the Missouri State University Bears. The NCAA honor is all the more impressive considering there were 627 student athletes nominated by their institutions. You can read more about Lily in this article from Missouri State.

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.

Faculty Invested in Arkansas Children’s Endowed Chairs
Congratulations to Department of Pediatrics faculty members Dr. Maya Lopez, Dr. Ron Sanders Jr., and Dr. David Spiro on their well-earned investitures in endowed chairs at the Arkansas Children’s Fall Investiture Ceremony on Oct. 2.

Dr. Lopez, Professor and Section Chief of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, was invested in the Harvey and Bernice Jones Endowed Chair in Developmental Pediatrics.

Dr. Sanders, Professor and Section Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, was invested in the Morris and Hettie Oakley Endowed Chair in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Spiro, Professor and Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, was invested in the Log A Load for Kids of Arkansas Endowed Chair in Pediatric Emergency Medicine/Trauma.

Read more about these outstanding colleagues and the endowed chairs in the Investiture Program and in this Arkansas Children’s news release.

Champion for Hemophilia Patients
Dr. Mina Nguyen-Driver, Professor of Pediatrics, recently received the 2024 Eternal Spirit Award from the Coalition for Hemophilia B, a national non-profit focused on advocacy and education for patients and families affected by bleeding disorders. Dr. Nguyen-Driver is a clinical psychologist at the Schmieding Developmental Center and Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale. She was honored at a gala in New York City for more than 20 years of service and dedication to the bleeding-disorders community. Dr. Nguyen-Driver has spoken at national and international conferences on hemophilia, von Willebrand disease and related bleeding disorders. She is also a strong advocate for mental and behavioral health, women’s empowerment, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Clinical Documentation Stars
A shout-out to Dr. Katie Kimbrough, a Professor in the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, and Dr. Ryan Hui, a third-year resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology, who have been selected as the Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) “Stars of the Month” for their outstanding documentation practices. Dr. Kimbrough was recognized for her “quick and thoughtful responses” when asked to clarify documentation for cases and attesting housestaff notes with added details that help the CDI team immensely. Dr. Hui also was noted for completing his notes in a timely fashion, and for creating templates for fellow residents to improve the accuracy and timeliness of documentation in his department. Both were highlighted in the September-October Chart Champions newsletter.  

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Teaching
Dr. Megan Scarbrough, a second-year Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow in the Department of Pediatrics Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, served as a teaching aide for the American Academy of Pediatrics Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Fundamentals and POCUS Critical Care courses at the recent AAP national conference in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Scarbrough did a great job sharing the expertise she gleaned while completing the UAMS Clinical Ultrasound Fellowship. 

Student Volunteers are Key to “Girlology” Success
UAMS’ latest “Girlology” workshop was once again a great success with the help of medical student volunteers. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has hosted the popular workshops for girls ages 8-14 and their caregivers on campus about twice a year since 2022. As Professor and Chair Dr. Nirvana Manning explains, “We literally could not do this without these amazing students who took time out of their Sunday to help.” With 355 participants at the Sept. 22 workshop and more than 250 on a waiting list, Dr. Manning and colleagues hope to find a larger venue for future workshops. The program was highlighted in an article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.     

Special thanks to student volunteers Kaleigh “Ashton” Jones, Lizzie Stevens, Amy Schexnayder, Siddhi Bhat, Macie Cain, Lane Tupa, Sophie Meyers, Lauren Pierce, Mersady Redding, Cassandra Gormley and Jade-Michael Matthews. (Here’s a group photo!)

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.

Championing Equity in Cancer Care
Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Director of Neurosurgical Oncology and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurosurgery, shared her expertise on a panel focusing on cancer health equity during the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week. Dr. Rodriguez spoke on the topic of “Ensuring Cancer Care for All: Tackling Persistent Health Inequities in the Cancer Care Continuum.” She was joined by other experts and cancer equity advocates from institutions including the American Cancer Society, Harvard and Emory University. Learn more about the event and watch a recording here. (This panel’s discussion is the second segment, starting about 17 minutes into the event recording.) Kudos to Dr. Rodriguez for her excellent work at UAMS and her many contributions to national initiatives aimed at increasing diversity and reducing health disparities in cancer research.

Boosting Scholarly Discussion in Anesthesiology
Dr. Jarna Shah, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, got a well-earned shout-out from the editorial board of Anesthesia & Analgesia, the journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) for her innovative efforts in reader engagement. Dr. Shah, who serves as the journal’s social media editor, spearheads a popular online journal club that helps to disseminate important points from research articles, generate meaningful discussions around the topics, and enable IARS members to ask the authors’ questions. Her contributions were highlighted at the journal’s most recent editorial board meeting. 

National Otolaryngology Recognition
Dr. Larry Hartzell, Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, is being recognized with a 2024 Honors Award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS). Dr. Hartzell was an integral member of the small group that established the AAO-HNS Cleft and Craniofacial Committee in 2020, and he remains involved in the group’s collaborative efforts. For more than a decade, he also has provided a comprehensive continuing education course on cleft care, initially in collaboration with former faculty member Dr. Lisa Buckmiller and then with UAMS Associate Professor Dr. Adam Johnson, who completed his pediatric otolaryngology fellowship training at Arkansas Children’s Hospital with Dr. Hartzell and the other pediatric otolaryngology faculty.

National Recognition for Work with Students
Congratulations to Jennifer VanEcko, Program Manager for COM Academic Affairs, on receiving the Susan Shultz Award for Professional Staff from the Learning Communities Institute (LCI). Jennifer was honored at the LCI annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sept. 22. The prestigious national award honors non-faculty staff members who work with students in learning communities such as our college’s seven Academic Houses. Jennifer works passionately to coordinate house events, connect students with their faculty mentors, and support students in many other ways.  

Improving Outcomes in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Dr. Amit Agarwal, a Professor in the Section of Pediatric Pulmonology, is an author on four recent publications focusing on bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common complication of preterm birth. The articles stem from his research as part of a national BPD collaborative that is working to improve clinical outcomes. Dr. Agarwal is the lead and corresponding author on “Factors associated with liberation from home mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy decannulation in infants and children with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia,” published in the Journal of Perinatology. Another article by members of the collaborative has been accepted for publication in Pediatric Pulmonology and reports on the first national survey on outpatient care of children with BPD.

Inspiring Future Women Orthopaedic Surgeons
The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery recently hosted its 11^th workshop as part of the Perry Outreach Initiative, an annual program designed to introduce female students to the fields of orthopaedic surgery and engineering – fields where women are dramatically underrepresented. Special thanks to Associate Professor Dr. Theresa Wyrick for leading the hands-on workshop in The Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital with help from department staff and residents. This year, 17 medical students participated in an evening session, and 40 high school students participated in a day session. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

UAMS Well Represented at Arkansas ACP Conference
The annual meeting of the Arkansas Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) was a great success thanks to the contributions of many UAMS faculty, residents and students and the leadership of Chapter Governor Dr. Keyur Vyas, Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Faculty presenters included Dr. Matthew Deneke (Gastroenterology), Dr. Omar Atiq (Hematology/Oncology), Dr. Joseph Henske (Endocrinology), Dr. Nick Gowen (General Internal Medicine), Dr. Tuhin Virmani (Neurology) and Dr. Leslie Harrell (Radiation Oncology).

Congratulations to Dr. Sri Obulareddy, Associate Professor of Hematology/Oncology, on receiving the ACP Early Career Physician Award. In the Student Poster competition, UAMS Northwest Campus M2 Calvin Walker took first place, and Northwest Campus M4 Tim Frerking placed third. In the Resident Poster competition, UAMS-Mercy Regional Internal Medicine PGY-2 Dr. Sahil Sabharwal won first place. In the Oral Clinical Vignette contest, UAMS Internal Medicine PGY-2 Dr. J. Curran Henson took first place, and Dr. Chris Blum, a PGY-2 in the UAMS-Washington Regional Internal Medicine program, placed second. Highlights and photos from the conference are available in an article by Assistant Professor Dr. Ples Spradley in the September issue of the Department of Internal Medicine’s IMpact newsletter (Sway file) or this text-only article.  

Radiology Challenging Case Competition
A shout out to everyone who participated in the Department of Radiology’s third annual Challenging Case Competition. The project matches senior medical students who are applying for radiology residency training with faculty mentors to format and present a challenging Diagnostic Radiology or Interventional Radiology case. Faculty members Dr. Sateesh Jayappa and Dr. Charles James co-directed this year’s expanded competition. Congratulations to M4 students Mason Belue (mentor Dr. Tarun Pandey) and Dylan Dominguez (mentor Dr. Josh Eichhorn) on winning Best Presentation Awards. Runners-up included Mark Odom (mentor Dr. Kumar Shashi), Nadia Nelson (mentor Dr. Rachel Taylor) and Sam Massey (mentor Dr. Charles James). Current Radiology Interest Group President and M4 student Humam Shahare and Past-President and Radiology resident Dr. Dhruba Dasgupta encouraged student participation. Thanks also to moderators Dr. Kelli Schmitz and Donna Ashlock, assistant Stacey Thompson, and faculty judges Dr. Gitanjali Bajaj, Dr. Shobhit Sharma, Dr. Adam Berry, Dr. Joe Jose, Dr. Uma Mahesh Matapathi and Dr. Kumar Shashi.

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.

Frontiers in Nucleic Acid Research
Dr. Kevin Raney, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been invited to share his expertise in the chemistry of nucleic acid enzymes and nucleic acid metabolism in a plenary lecture at the Southeast American Chemical Society Meeting in Atlanta in October. Dr. Raney’s talk, part of a symposium on “Frontiers in Nucleic Acids Research,” will discuss helicase-catalyzed unwinding of double-stranded DNA and G-quadruplex DNA unfolding. Congratulations also to Dr. Raney for recently attaining a milestone in his scholarly work, the publication of 100 scientific papers that are indexed by PubMed at the National Library of Medicine.

On the Forefront of Liquid Biopsy Science
Physician-scientist Dr. Donald Johann, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, recently had his fourth Nature publication, “Targeted DNA-seq and RNA-seq of Reference Samples with Short-read and Long-read Sequencing,” published in Nature Scientific Data. Additionally, his 11^th article concerning liquid biopsy science, “Towards Preanalytical Best Practices for Liquid Biopsy Studies: A BLOODPAC Landscape Analysis,” was published in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Dr. Johann is on the forefront of liquid biopsy science and advanced molecular diagnostics, which are transforming clinical medicine and drug development by allowing routine blood draws to be used for Next Generation Sequencing assays.

New Book Focuses on Childhood Glaucoma
Congratulations to PGY4 Ophthalmology resident Dr. Abdel Elhusseiny on the publication of his new book, “Childhood Glaucoma: Current Trends and Future Prospects.” Dr. Elhusseiny is Co-Editor as well as a contributing author on the book. Published by Springer, the book is a comprehensive overview of the clinical and surgical aspects of childhood glaucoma – a challenging condition that relatively few specialists take on. Dr. Abdel’s contributions will help to save vision in many children now and in the future.

Pediatric Pulmonary Research Presentations
Research by Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine team members, medical students in the Honors in Research program, and others from UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) will be featured at upcoming national conferences. Senior author Dr. Astryd Menendez, Professor of Pediatrics and ACNW Pulmonary Medicine Director, will present a poster discussing a longitudinal assessment of body composition of pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis at ACNW at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Boston. At the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in Orlando, M3 student Larry Hill will present a poster describing barriers to respiratory virus vaccination in high-risk pediatric populations, based on a multi-year survey at Arkansas Children’s. Dr. Menendez is senior author on the work. Additional coauthors are M3 Hannah Hale and M2 Whitney Skaggs, along with Dr. Hanna Jensen, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Radiology and M2 Cardiovascular Module Course Director.

Odyssey Medal for Research
I was delighted to hear that Dr. Alan Tackett, Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Executive Associate Dean for Basic Research, is receiving a prestigious honor from his undergraduate alma mater, Hendrix College in Conway. Dr. Tackett will receive the Hendrix Odyssey Medal for Research from the college, where he graduated with a degree in chemistry with distinction in 1998. Dr. Tackett, who also serves as Deputy Director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, will be honored at a Sept. 26 ceremony. He is being honored for his research leadership and internationally recognized work to uncover new therapeutic strategies to treat metastatic melanoma and develop the next generation of molecular profiling technologies to identify cancer biomarkers. Last year’s winner of the medal hails from the same UAMS department – Professor and Chair Dr. Kevin Raney.

AAFP Fellow
Dr. Lauren Gibson-Oliver, Assistant Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and Program Director of the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency, has been named a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The designation recognizes AAFP members who have distinguished themselves among their colleagues, in their communities, and through their work to advance the practice of family medicine. Dr. Gibson-Oliver will be recognized during a Sept. 27 induction ceremony at the AAFP’s 2024 FMX Conference in Phoenix.

Leadership through Scholarship
Dr. Wayne Bryant Jr., Assistant Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and Associate Director of the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency, has been accepted into the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Leadership through Scholarship Fellowship Program. The yearlong fellowship offers training and mentorship for early-career underrepresented in medicine faculty with a focus on developing scholarly writing skills for academic advancement and leadership.

Predoctoral Fellowship Award
Congratulations to graduate student Katie Deck on receiving a highly competitive, two-year NIH Predoctoral Fellowship grant – her second prestigious national fellowship award this year. Katie, who works in the lab of Dr. Shengyu Mu, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, is using the NIH F31 grant to study the critical mechanisms by which kidney-resistant CD8T cells contribute to hypertension. This phenomenon of “salt memory” drives the progression and recurrence of hypertension. With earlier funding from the American Heart Association, her grant funding now totals nearly $78,000. In addition to Dr. Mu, her mentor and sponsor, collaborators include Dr. Yunmeng Liu and Dr. Yuet-Kin (Ricky) Leung (Pharmacology and Toxicology) and Dr. Lu Huang and Dr. Lin-Xi Li (Microbiology and Immunology).    

ENT Surgical Training Video
Medical students, residents and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery faculty collaborated on a surgical video distributed internationally by CSurgeries, a leading peer-reviewed online platform. Collaborators included M4 students Ashton Rogers and Noah Slater, PGY4 resident Dr. Courtney Hunter, former fellow Dr. Soroush Farsi, Professor and Chair Dr. John Dornhoffer and Assistant Professor Dr. Robert Saadi. The video offers a detailed look the precise techniques involved in cartilage tympanoplasty, a procedure to repair a perforated eardrum. It is a follow-up to a previous video by UAMS team members on graft harvest and formation.

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.

10 Years of National Recognition for Stroke Care
A shout-out the UAMS Stroke Program for receiving the highest level of recognition for stroke care from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association for the 10^th straight year. In addition to the Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, the AHA recognized UAMS with additional Honor Roll awards for quick treatment of stroke patients after arrival and evidence-based care for stroke patients with Type 2 diabetes. Paige Womack, RN, serves as Director of the UAMS Stroke Program. Dr. Sanjeeva Onteddu, Associate Professor of Neurology, serves as Medical Director. Kudos to them and the entire Stroke Program team. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.   

Strategies for Improving Maternal Health
Dr. Pearl McElfish, Director of the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation, was among the leaders and health care experts who served on a recent roundtable discussion in Northwest Arkansas focusing on strategies for improving the state’s maternal mortality and morbidity rates. The panel featured U.S. Sen. John Boozman and was moderated by Olivia Walton. The event was a follow-up to a roundtable hosted by Sen. Boozman and held at UAMS in February. Dr. McElfish highlighted the need for innovative strategies to meet mothers where they are throughout Arkansas, including outreach through telehealth, remote monitoring, and more. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Research Collaboration Exemplifies Translational Spirit
A research collaboration between basic science researchers in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology and clinicians in the Department of Ophthalmology is helping to ensure that findings in the laboratory relating to retinal ischemic diseases will translate into better care for patients. The collaboration was launched in 2021 when Pharmacology & Toxicology Chair Dr. Nancy Rusch introduced a new faculty member, Dr. Abdel Fouda, to Ophthalmology Chair Dr. Paul Phillips. Additional experts were soon on board, including Ophthalmology faculty members Drs. Ahmed Sallam, Sami Uwaydat, Florin Grigorian and Paula Grigorian. The efforts have resulted in a number of projects and scholarly work, training collaborations and external funding. Read more on the Pharmacology & Toxicology or Ophthalmology websites.

Pediatric Otolaryngology Textbook
Dr. Gresham Richter, Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, is Senior Editor on a new textbook, “Essential Pediatric Otolaryngology, Volume I: General Principles, Otology, and Aerodigestive.” The textbook, published by Nova Science Publishers, is the first of two volumes of a comprehensive review of pediatric otolaryngology. Dr. Richter brings extensive, internationally recognized expertise to the publication. At UAMS and Arkansas Children’s, he serves as Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology and holds the James Hamlen and Robert Siebert Endowed Chair in Pediatric Otolaryngology at ACH. Associate Professor Dr. Andre Wineland is a contributing author of the textbook.

National Award for Pediatric CF Care Team
Congratulations to the Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Care Center team at Arkansas Children’s Hospital for being selected to receive the 2024 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Quality Improvement Award. The center is the only accredited pediatric center in the state of Arkansas. Dr. Ariel Berlinski, Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, directs the center, and Assistant Professor Dr. Matthew Pertzborn serves as Associate Director. The team will be recognized at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Boston late this month. (As previously shared in Accolades, the UAMS Adult CF Care Center also is being honored!) The Pediatric CF center’s quality improvement initiatives include reducing the use of acid suppressor therapies that are known to have multiple side effects and increase the risk for complications.

National Pathology Recognition
Dr. Hoda Hagrass, Assistant Professor of Pathology, was recently recognized in Medical Laboratory Observer magazine’s “55 Under 55.” The special feature honored laboratory professionals from across the country who are making a significant contribution to their organization’s success. The feature was published as part of the magazine’s 55^th anniversary celebration. Dr. Hagrass serves as Medical Director of the Clinical Chemistry and Immunology Laboratories at UAMS and the Clinical Chemistry and Metabolic Diseases Laboratories at Arkansas Children’s.

Pediatric Emergency Medicine at National Meetings
The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics will be well represented at academic national meetings this fall. Assistant Professor Dr. Hannah Wilkins will present “Characteristics of Severe Pediatric Intentional Ingestions Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic” at the American Academy of Pediatrics Meeting. Meanwhile, three others have had abstracts accepted for oral presentations at the American College of Emergency Physicians Meeting. Fellow Dr. Ryan Waddell will present “Gender Identity and Gender Dysphoria in Adolescent Patients Presenting to Pediatric Emergency Department with Positive Behavioral Health Screens;” Fellow Dr. Lyndsay Fisher will deliver “Characteristics and Length of Stay of Children with Bronchiolitis with and without Intravenous Hydration;” and Assistant Professor Dr. April Clawson will discuss “Keeping up with the Flow: Strategic Initiatives to Manage an ED with Reduced Pediatric Resident Workforce.”

Pediatric Sedation Expertise
Pediatric Anesthesiology faculty at Arkansas Children’s have earned a national reputation for providing excellent training in pediatric sedation for non-anesthesiologists in other specialty areas and heath care disciplines. Since 2011, Associate Professors Dr. Anna Maria Onisei and Dr. Saif Siddiqui have served as invited faculty for the annual Pediatric Sedation Outside of the Operating Room Conference hosted by Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. UAMS faculty will lend their expertise at the upcoming American Academy of Pediatrics conference for a second year. Assistant Professor Dr. Meenakshi Atteri and Professor Dr. Destiny Chau were invited faculty at the inaugural and well-received 2023 AAP sedation workshop, which was developed by former faculty member Dr. Meera Gangadharan, who has maintained strong ties with Arkansas Children’s. The 2024 workshop is being expanded to train 50 participants, and Dr. Onisei will join Dr. Atteri and Dr. Chau on the team of experts.

Presidential Poster Award
Dr. Tyler Ratliff, a second-year resident in the UAMS-Washington Regional Internal Medicine Residency, has been selected to receive the Presidential Poster Award from the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) for his abstract “Jejunal Diverticulosis as a Rare Cause of GI Bleeding.” The award is given to the top 5% of submitted posters, from among over 6,000 submissions, for the ACG National Meeting. Dr. Ratliff will present his work and receive the award at the meeting in Philadelphia in October.

Newly Published
Second-year UAMS Internal Medicine resident Dr. J. Curran Henson is first author on an article published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Hakan Paydak, Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Program, is senior author. Additional coauthors are M.D./Ph.D. M4 student Lauren (Clai) Morehead, M3 medical student Niroshi Wijewardane and third-year Internal Medicine resident Dr. Joshua Hagood. The article describes the use of Theophylline for management of sinus node dysfunction in a patient with acute lithium toxicity as a means to avoid further invasive measures such as hemodialysis and temporary transvenous pacing.

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.

Medical Humanities in Spotlight at National Conference
Congratulations to Dr. D. Micah Hester, Professor and Chair of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, on being selected to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH). Dr. Hester will be honored during the organization’s annual meeting in St. Louis next month for his leadership in advancing the goals of the ASBH, the largest society devoted to bioethics and health humanities professionals. He has served in many ASBH roles, including Chair of the Annual Conference Program Committee, member of the Nominating Committee, and At-large Director on the society’s Board of Directors. Dr. Hester has served at UAMS for 20 years, including the past 13 as Department Chair.

The department will be well represented at the ASBH conference. Assistant Professor Dr. Lauren Bunch will present a paper exploring practical considerations with “trust” in health care. Assistant Professor Dr. Eva Regel will present on a humanistic approach to health care with refugees. Dr. Hester will discuss the ethics of the relationship between hospital and organ procurement organizations.

Quality Improvement Recognition for CF Team
Congratulations to the UAMS Adult Cystic Fibrosis Care Center team on being selected to receive the 2024 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Quality Improvement Award for their work to ensure the very best care for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The center is directed by Dr. Larry Johnson, Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. The team (click here for a photo and names) will be recognized at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Boston in late September. The center’s quality improvement initiatives include increasing referrals for colonoscopies, because patients with CF patients can have significantly earlier onset of colorectal cancer than the general population.

AAP Presentation to Highlight QI Project
Dr. Rebecca Martin, a third-year fellow in the Section of Pediatric Critical Care, has been selected to present an ongoing QI projected titled “Improving PICU Fellow Feedback” at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference in Orlando, Florida, in September. Additional authors are faculty members Dr. Katherine Irby (Pediatrics-Critical Care); Dr. Deidre Wyrick (Surgery-Pediatric General Surgery); and senior author Dr. Tyler Cunningham (Pediatrics-Cardiology). Their early interventions have improved feedback delivered to PICU fellows from 17.2% in academic year 2022-2023 to 46.7% in the first quarter of academic year 2023. The project also received an AAP Section of Critical Care Early Faculty Travel Award as the highest-scoring abstract.

Monkeypox’s Neuropsychiatric Side Effects
Dr. Abhilash Thatikala, Academic Chief Resident in the Department of Neurology, is first author on an article in the journal Heart and Mind discussing the neuropsychiatric manifestations of monkeypox. The World Health organization declared monkeypox a global health crisis in 2022, and the disease has been in the news recently with cases once again rising in Africa. The research team included colleagues from the departments of Neurology, Radiology and Psychiatry. They found that neuropsychiatric symptoms such as pain, headache, mood disorders, emotional issues and/or anxiety were present in about one-third of the monkeypox cases documented in the retrospective cross-sectional study, warranting awareness by clinicians.

Inspiring Future Doctors & Health Professionals
Medical students juggle a heavy load of classwork, studying and other obligations, and yet many, like M2 Grant Broadway, still manage to find time to pay it forward. Grant recently organized outreach activities for students in a summer program at That After School Place in Little Rock. He first presented a talk at the center for elementary and middle school students to help raise awareness of medical careers. Most recently, he organized a tour of UAMS for 10 middle school students. (Here are a couple of photos.) Other tour volunteers included College of Medicine Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Sharanda Williams and Nick Pettus with UAMS Academic Pathways and Workforce Partnerships. Kudos to these team members and all who take the time to inspire future health professionals.

Nationally Recognized Breast Cancer Care
A shout-out to Dr. Ronda Henry-Tillman, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Breast Oncology, and the entire team in the Breast Cancer Program in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, for their work to achieve reaccreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). The NAPBC designation from the American College of Surgeons distinguishes the program as one of the best breast cancer treatment programs in the nation. The UAMS Breast Center, a part of the Breast Cancer Program, is likewise designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. The Breast Center is directed by Dr. Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, Professor of Radiology. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

UAMS Top Docs (and more!)
Finally this last week, congratulations to the many College of Medicine faculty physicians honored in the annual health care-focused “Best of” lists of two Little Rock publications. The August issue of Little Rock Soirée features its Little Rock’s Top Docs 2024 list, a compilation of outstanding physicians as voted on by peer physicians across many specialties. The August issue of AY About You features the 2024 AY’s Best Health Care Professionals, as voted on by readers. UAMS honorees who have provider profiles on the UAMS Health website are also showcased on these webpages: UAMS Top Doctors/Soiree 2024; UAMS/AY Best of 2024. Kudos to all for your dedication to excellent patient care.

Meanwhile, UAMS team members, clinics and UAMS as a whole are among the Top 5 finalists in 11 categories of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Best of 2024 competition – and you can help push them all on to victory. Voting is open through Aug. 26. More information and ballot links are available in this UAMS Announcement.

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.

The Case of the Killer Agar
Scientists are inherently sleuths, but the description would be especially apt for members of the laboratory of Dr. Wayne Wahls, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. A news article published last week by Science tells of the mystery of how toxic agar – used to grow colonies of microbes in petri dishes – was killing the yeasts being studied in the Wahls lab and other laboratories around the world.

“This was a major problem,” explains Dr. Wahls, “because it interrupted our NIH-funded research on how chromosomes behave during cell divisions.” Staff Scientist Dr. Reine Protacio discovered the nature of the problem and diagnosed the bad agar last summer. Dr. Wahls posted about it on an international email list, setting off a concerted effort by scientists around the world to try to get to the bottom of the matter. Professor Dr. Mari Davidson also shares insights in the news article in Science. If you like a good mystery – or a great story about the scientific community – check out the Science article or read more on the Biochemistry website.

UAMS Named MDS Center of Excellence
UAMS has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the MDS Foundation, an international organization dedicated to improving the lives of patients and families impacted by myelodysplastic syndromes. MDS is a group of bone marrow disorders that can cause infection, anemia, spontaneous bleeding and bruising, and which sometimes progresses to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The Center of Excellence designation was the result of multifaceted efforts including scholarly work and outstanding patient care. Kudos to Dr. Muthu Veera Kumaran, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Clinical Director of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, and everyone on the Hematology and Myeloma teams, for their dedication to patients with MDS. Dr. Kumaran and Dr. Ankur Varma, Associate Professor, will focus on further enhancing MDS patient care.

Assessing Parkinson’s Disease
First-year Neurology resident Dr. Jennie Burns is first author on a new article that analyzes how gait markers track with the progression of Parkinson’s disease severity. The article, accepted for publication in the journal Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, discusses how tandem gait step-width increases more rapidly in individuals who are more severely affected with Parkinson’s disease. Tandem gait refers to walking with very small steps in a straight line, and it is used by neurologists to diagnose and assess disorders such as Parkinson’s. Dr. Burns conducted the research while still in medical school at UAMS under the mentorship of Dr. Tuhin Virmani, Associate Professor, Chief of the Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Neurology, and Dr. Reid Landes, Professor in the Department of Biostatistics. 

Summer is for Science
Summertime may conjure images of the beach for some, but at UAMS, it’s an opportunity for medical students, undergraduates and even high school students to hit the lab or join in other activities where the focus is on science. Researchers across the College of Medicine and UAMS devote countless hours to mentoring students at every level and helping them understand how they can be a member of the next generation of scientists devoted to improving health. The 11^th Annual Arkansas Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium, where students from 39 colleges and universities presented research, is a great example. Another, the National Institutes of Health-supported Partnership in Cancer Research, is now in its fourth year of providing eight-week research internships for medical students. I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to read about these outstanding programs and the faculty and staff who make them successful. We appreciate all who are involved in these programs and the many other summer research programs at UAMS.

Potential Alzheimer’s Treatment
Dr. Akshatha Ganne, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Geriatrics, is first author on a new article reporting the potential of an FDA-approved cholesterol drug, ezetimibe, as a treatment for Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Joining her in the study were senior and corresponding authors Dr. Srinivas Ayyadevara, Associate Professor of Geriatrics, and Dr. Robert J. Shmookler Reis, Professor of Geriatrics, and colleagues from multiple departments at UAMS. The team’s findings were published in the journal Aging Biology. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Hello, Class of 2028!
Finally this week, a very special welcome to our incoming M1s. It was a joy to see all of you on the first morning of Freshman Orientation yesterday. I hope the rest of your week and the start of classes next Monday go well. All of us in the College of Medicine wish you the very best during your four years of medical school. We are excited to think about the great things you will do while you are here and in the decades ahead.

As we welcome these future doctors, I also want to take a moment to thank all of you who have been working hard to ensure the Class of 2028 gets off to a great start. Kudos to our Academic Affairs and Admissions leaders, faculty and staff, including Program Manager Jennifer VanEcko, who has worked tirelessly on activities for incoming freshmen.   

A shout-out as well to the 20-plus student volunteers who have been helping this week and/or with the MedEd Ready program last week. MedEd Ready provided a jumpstart for 13 incoming freshmen, with tours, workshops, lectures on study skills, and more. The M2 volunteers for this program, all of whom participated in MedEd Ready last year, included M2 Class President Harmoney Overturf, Andria Carter, Jason Muka and Grace Tidwell.   

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.

New Hope for Fighting Cervical Cancer
The results of an international clinical trial led by Dr. Michael Birrer, Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, may offer hope for women with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer. The results were published last week in JAMA Oncology. Dr. Birrer led the two-year, multi-site study of a novel bispecific antibody, Bintrafusp alpha, in 146 women with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer that had progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy. The treatment resulted in a tumor response in 22% of the patients, and more than half of these patients had a durable response of six months or more.

The pursuit of better treatments for cervical cancer is imperative. As discussed in this UAMS news release, an estimated 4,360 women in the United States will die from cervical cancer this year. Arkansas has one of the highest incidence and mortality rates per capita for cervical cancer. There are currently only two FDA-approved treatments for recurring or metastatic cervical cancer, and neither is curative. Dr. Birrer is on the forefront of international efforts to move the needle on cervical cancer treatment and outcomes.

World-Class Epilepsy Care
The UAMS Comprehensive Epilepsy Center has again been accredited as a Level 4 epilepsy center, the highest designation from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. UAMS first earned the two-year accreditation in 2018 for professional expertise, facilities, and dedication to providing world-class medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy. Special thanks to Dr. Sisira Yadala, Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the Division of Electrodiagnostics (Epilepsy and Neuromuscular Disorders); Dr. Viktoras Palys, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Surgical Director of the Epilepsy Center; neurologists Drs. Harshad Ladha, Dr. Salman Zahoor and Dr. Taqi Zafar; and Taneicie Sabb, APRN.

Training the Next Generation of Addiction Researchers
A shout-out to the UAMS Addiction Research Training Program and the many colleagues across UAMS who have ensured its success over the past 15 years. The program has supported the development of 104 trainees since 2009 and recently received a $2.4 million grant renewal from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to continue its important work for another five years. Dr. Melissa Zielinski, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and Dr. William Fantegrossi, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, serve as Co-Directors. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

National Recognition for Surgical Teaching
Congratulations to Dr. Mary Katherine Kimbrough, Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Surgery, on her induction as an Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons’ prestigious Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. At UAMS, Dr. Kimbrough is an award-winning educator with tremendous impact on our residents and students through many roles, including current Program Director of the General Surgery Residency and previous Program Director for the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, which she built from the ground up. Read more about the honor and Dr. Kimbrough here.

Abdominal Pain Management Insights
Anesthesiology resident Dr. Shawn Shoham is first author of a new article on a novel use of botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) for treatment of chronic focal abdominal pain. The article, accepted for publication in the journal Pain Medicine, discusses the use of BoNT-A in Celiac Plexus Block, which has been shown to be an effective intervention for the complex challenge of managing chronic focal abdominal pain. Dr. Jarna Shah, Assistant Professor and Program Director of the Pain Medicine Fellowship, is senior author on the article.

BioVentures Launches Podcast
UAMS-based BioVentures has launched the BioVentures Podcast to showcase some of its many initiatives and success stories. BioVentures manages the intellectual property generated at UAMS and helps inventors and startups to commercialize their technology. The impact extends far beyond the borders of UAMS, as the first episode, highlighting the Arkansas Collaborative for Technological and Innovative Venture Equality (ACTIVE), shows. This summer, ACTIVE began working with the inaugural 25 health care and health technology companies from across Arkansas under a four-year, $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency. Outreach Coordinator Joe Schaffner, MPA, led the development of the podcast and serves as host. Senior Program Manager Dr. Stefanie Kennon-McGill and Program Manager Dmitri Scott joined him to talk about ACTIVE.  

Medical Student Olympian
Many at UAMS are following the thrills of competition at the Summer Olympics in Paris, but the games and events leading up to them are a particularly exciting and familiar experience for fourth-year UAMS Northwest MD/MPH student Megan Clark. In June 2021, just a couple of months before matriculating at UAMS, the accomplished pole vaulter competed at the U.S. Olympic trials for track and field.

Megan has since retired from pole vaulting and devotes her time to being an outstanding medical student. Last week, she was one of a handful of medical students around the country to be highlighted in a feature on current and former medical student Olympians on the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) website. Congratulations, Megan!

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.

Generating Primary Care & Rural Physicians for Arkansas
We are thrilled with the news this week that UAMS has again been recognized as a national leader for educating graduates who go on to practice primary care and serve in the areas of Arkansas where they are needed most. U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 list of Best Medical Schools ranked UAMS fourth nationally for primary care education, ninth for most graduates practicing in health professional shortage areas, and 11^th for graduates practicing in rural areas. We have seen steady improvements in these annual rankings, and this year’s marked a significant jump. (Read more here.)

Our college is committed to generating more physicians for communities across our state, to ensure all Arkansans have access to high-quality primary care. Many of you have impacted our impressive national rankings and what they signify for the future of our state. Thank you for your inspired teaching and mentoring, advocacy for primary care fields and rural practice, and support for our students as they consider their specialty options and strive to become outstanding physicians.

Ensuring Good Health for Older Arkansans
As the population continues to age, the work of the Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC) to improve the health and care of older adults is more important than ever. AGEC, a part of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and Department of Geriatrics, will receive a major boost from a $5 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program grant will support AGEC’s efforts to provide specialized training for health professionals, students, caregivers and others across Arkansas who work with older adults. Kudos to Geriatrics Chair and Institute on Aging Director Dr. Jeanne Wei, AGEC Director Dr. Robin McAtee and the entire AGEC team for their work on this grant and ongoing dedication to older Arkansans. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Improving Pediatric Hypertension Screening
A successful quality improvement project at Arkansas Children’s to increase and improve pediatric hypertension screening in general pediatric clinics is highlighted in a new article in Pediatric Quality & Safety. Dr. Laura Sisterhen, Professor of General Pediatrics, is senior author on the paper, which also was circulated as the “Article of the Week” by PEDHTN, an international forum for health care professionals working in the field of pediatric hypertension. Coauthors from the Department of Pediatrics included Drs. Richard Blaszak, Brendan Crawford, Mohammad Ilyas and James Magee. Former faculty member Dr. Vildan Tas was first author, and Arkansas Children’s staff members Rachel Achor Jones, MPH and Dr. John Forbus also were coauthors.

COVID & Cardiovascular Disease
Dr. J.L. Mehta, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine, Physiology and Cell Biology and Pharmacology and Toxicology, is the senior author of an article on COVID-19 and atherosclerosis published as a State-of-the-art Review in the American College of Cardiology’s JACC: Advances. The rising incidence of atherosclerotic disease globally and magnitude of the recent pandemic has illuminated the need to better understand the association between SARS-CoV-2 and atherosclerosis. Dr. Vignesh Chidambaram, a graduate of the UAMS Internal Medicine Residency Program who is now a clinical fellow at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, is first author. Additional UAMS coauthors include Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship graduate Dr. Murrium Sadaf, and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine faculty members Dr. Subhi Al’Aref and Dr. Tushar Tarun.