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!

International Collaboration
Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and a leading expert on thyroid diseases in pregnancy, is the senior author on an article published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, the world-leading endocrine research journal. The article stems from an international collaboration across institutions from 12 countries that aimed to assess whether thyroid function test abnormalities during pregnancy are associated with gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. Dr. Maraka also was recently invited to serve on the American Thyroid Association Task Force that is updating guidelines for the diagnosis and management of thyroid disease during preconception, pregnancy and postpartum. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom. Congratulations on these latest accomplishments, Dr. Maraka!

Fellowship Accreditation
A shout-out to Dr. Rebecca Cantu, Associate Professor of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and Director of the newly established Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship, for her hard work and success in achieving initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Dr. Cindy Nguyen will pause from her role as an Assistant Professor to train as the state’s first pediatric hospital medicine fellow starting in July. Pediatric Hospital Medicine is the newest pediatric subspecialty, with Arkansas’ four board-certified pediatric hospitalists all at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s.

Sharing Pathology Expertise
The Department of Pathology will be well represented at the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) annual meeting later this month. As a member of the USCAP education committee, Dr. Matt Quick will be faculty for a special course, “Seeing the Light: How to Help Medical Students Discover the Hidden Gem of Pathology,” as well as serve as an invited speaker for “Hot Topics: Diagnostic Issues in Vulvar Pathology” and in other integral activities. Third-year resident Dr. Azin Mashayekhi, who is mentored by Dr. Quick, will present her research on P53 expression in mucinous borderline tumors with intraepithelial carcinoma.

In addition, Dr. Murat Gokden has served as the American Association of Neuropathologists Liaison officer to USCAP for six years and co-chairs and moderates the AANP Companion Society Meeting. Pathology Chair Dr. Jennifer Laudadio has been invited to serve as faculty for a short course, “Minding your Ps and Qs: Process and Quality Improvement in Anatomic Pathology,” for the third year.

Med School in the Pandemic
The pandemic has reshaped the medical school experience for aspiring physicians across the country. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) talked with five medical students about their experiences, including UAMS junior Austin Morgan. In the newly released video, Austin comments on how students entering clinical training had to “learn on the fly” a little more than their predecessors due to limitations on pre-clinical simulations with standardized patients. But Austin astutely noticed something that hasn’t changed. “What I have seen in the hospital,” he said, “is the continued diligence by the attendings and the residents, the nursing staff and all of the health care professionals, in providing high-quality patient care, even during the pandemic.” Great job, Austin!

Three-Minute Thesis
Bravo to all of the competitors and finalists in UAMS’ annual Three-Minute Thesis (3 MT) competition – and congratulations to the winners. COM senior Jackson Mosley won first place for “Correlating Ytrium-90 PET/CT Absorbed Dose with Tumor Response from Glass-Microsphere Radio Embolization.” His mentors were Dr. Jeff Lynch (Interventional Radiology resident) and Dr. James Meek (Radiology). Second place went to third-year medical student Christine Hsu, for “Authentic versus Replica: Diagnosis of Papilledema versus Pseudopapilledema in Children Using Oral Fluorescein Angiography.” Her mentor was Dr. Paul Phillips (Ophthalmology).Graduate School Ph.D. candidate Lance Benson received the People’s Choice Award for “A Salty Immune System: CD8+ T Cells and the Pathogenesis of Salt-Sensitive Hypertension.” His mentor was Dr. Shengyu Mu (Pharmacology/Toxicology).

Kudos to Dr. Melanie MacNicol (Neurobiology/Developmental Sciences), Dr.Tom Kelly (Pathology) and Dr. Antino Allen (College of Pharmacy) for serving as judges at the finals, all of this year’s mentors, and very special thanks to Dr. Bobby McGehee, Graduate School Dean and Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics..    

Arkansas Children’s Honors Excellence
Finally this week, congratulations to the phenomenal faculty members and teams at Arkansas Children’s who recently received annual awards for their contributions to clinical care, research, quality improvement, teamwork and more. If you check out the video tributes for each of these awards, you will see dedication and passion for improving the health of children in action!

 Dr. Franscesca Miquel-Verges, neonatologist and Medical Director of Neonatal Transport at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, received the Ruth Olive Beall Award for exemplifying the values of safety, teamwork, compassion and excellence, and for championing recent efforts related to communication and handoff. Learn more in this video tribute.

The Section on Community Pediatrics, led by Dr. Eddie Ochoa, received the Drs. Joanna J. & Robert W. Seibert Award for outstanding teamwork, communication and collaboration in the care of patients and their families. Learn more in this video tribute.

Dr. Jessica Snowden, who serves as Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vice Chair for Research among many other leadership roles, received the Dr. Robert H. Fiser Jr. Research Achievement Award for her impact on research to improve the health of children in Arkansas and beyond. Learn more in this video tribute.

Dr. Snowden and Dr. Rebecca Cantu received the Diane S. Mackey Quality Award for their leadership of a hospital-wide project to improve influenza rates in children. Learn more in this video tribute.

The Dr. Tom Ed Townsend Award, presented to a community physician or practice for excellence and support of Arkansas Children’s, went to UAMS alumnus Dr. Meghan Repp of the Central Arkansas Pediatric Clinic in Benton. Here is Dr. Repp’s video tribute.

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!

Pediatric Research Excellence
I was delighted to learn that the Department of Pediatrics ranked in the top 30 departments for NIH funding in the latest rankings from the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR). In fact, the department’s faculty would rank in the top 20 if funding that flows through ACRI were included in the BRIMR department-based ranking. Regardless, the data reflects the caliber, successes and remarkable dedication of our researchers in Pediatrics and collaborators in many other departments who are involved in research at Arkansas Children’s.

I asked Dr. Jessica Snowden, Professor and Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics, for her perspective. As Dr. Snowden explains, “Research and innovation are critical to our mission to make children better today and healthier tomorrow. Our scientists are national leaders in nutrition, allergy, clinical trials, obesity and many other areas. We are looking forward to continued growth and integration of research even more into everything we do for children in the coming years.”

Community Honors
Dr. Sara Tariq, Professor of Internal Medicine and Associate Dean for Students, has served as a leader in the central Arkansas community in many capacities, including organizations devoted to the health and wellbeing of the underserved, interfaith initiatives and much more. This month, two higher education institutions are separately honoring her for her leadership and service. On March 14, Hendrix College in Conway is presenting Dr. Tariq with the Ethel K. Miller Award for Religion and Social Awareness as part of its annual Steel-Hendrix Awards celebration. And on March 29, Dr. Tariq is the honoree for the annual “Taste of Little Rock” fundraiser for UA Little Rock, her undergraduate alma mater. Congratulations Dr. Tariq. Thank you for all that you do for the community as well as UAMS.

Putting EM on the Map
Congratulations to Dr. Rawle “Tony” Seupaul, Chair of Emergency Medicine and Chief Clinical Officer, on his election to the Board of Directors of the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Seupaul’s election reflects his outstanding leadership here and nationally, as well as the increasing numbers of nationally-recognized accomplishments in clinical care, education and research of his team. UAMS Emergency Medicine is definitely “on the map.” Well done!

Cancer Coalition Award
Congratulations to Marybeth Curtis, RN, nurse planner in the Community Health & Education Division of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, on receiving the Dr. Fay Boozman Leading Light Award from the Arkansas Cancer Coalition. She will be recognized at the 23^rd Arkansas Cancer Summit next Tuesday. The ACC is honoring Marybeth for her commitment and tireless work with her team to plan and conduct multiple fall and spring educational conferences for the ACC and UAMS – efforts that have led to sustained or increased attendance at the events despite having to pivot to a virtual format during the pandemic.

Community Service Recognition
Dr. Pearl McElfish was honored by the Northwest Arkansas Council last week for her many contributions to advancing health in the region, including her research and outreach to protect vulnerable populations during the pandemic and beyond. The Council presented Dr. McElfish, Director of the Office of Community Health and Research, with its Community Service Award. Read more about this latest well-earned honor for Dr. McElfish here.

Geriatrics in the Spotlight
The Department of Geriatrics will be in the spotlight at the annual American Geriatrics Society meeting in May, with a poster by Assistant Professor Dr. Xiaomin Zhang and colleagues, “Analysis of fifteen sirtuin gene isoforms in the mouse genome,” selected for the Presidential Poster Session. Dr. Zhang’s poster was one of eight from UAMS accepted for the conference, including two with student authors. Junior Chandler Kern was first author on “Caregiver Burden Survey: A Tool for Assessing the Stress Burden in Caregivers of Elderly Patients. Junior Micah Huckabee was first author on “Difference in the Emotional Impact and Coping Strategies towards COVID-19 in Young versus Older Adults Residing in South Central United States,” with senior Anna Blach as a co-author. Many outstanding research associates and faculty contributed to the posters.

Clinical Informatics Accreditation
A shout-out to the Department of Biomedical Informatics and the Clinical Informatics Fellowship team on achieving full accreditation for the Clinical Informatics Fellowship Program from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The fellowship is one of the first in the nation to gain the national accreditation, which will help us lead the country in a field that is playing an increasingly important role in health care. Special thanks to Biomedical Informatics Chair Dr. Fred Prior, Dr. Feliciano “Pele” Yu Jr., Director of the Clinical Informatics Fellowship Program, Dr. Joseph Sanford, who directs the fellowship program at UAMS, and Program Coordinator Amy Widner. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Consultant of the Month
Dr. Bharat Dhanireddy, an Assistant Professor in the Hospital Medicine Division of the Department of Internal Medicine, has been named Consultant of the Month by appreciative Emergency Medicine residents. Residents praised him for his excellent patient care and kindness as well as his collegiality and understanding of the needs and constraints of the Emergency Department. Great job, Dr. Dhanireddy.

Victorious Videos
UAMS Ophthalmology residents dominated the competition in the 2022 USF Eye Institute and Cataract Coach Surgical Video competition, with four residents achieving top honors and Dr. Heather Broyles bringing home the First Place award. Also in the top 16 – chosen for discussion and ranking from entries submitted by residents, fellows and attendings from around the world – were videos from Drs. Abdelrahman Elhusseiny, Muhammad Shamim and Christian Ponder. For more info, see this flyer from the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute. Congratulations to all!

Here are this week’s Accolades, a roundup of some of the honors and accomplishments of College of Medicine and UAMS faculty, staff, residents, fellows and students I’ve heard about recently!

Making an Impact
The UAMS Office of Community Health and Research, based at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus and led by Dr. Pearl McElfish, continues to excel in impactful research and outreach. The team is leading a new $10 million grant to UAMS from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to expand community-based outreach and increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence in medically underserved communities across the state.

Meanwhile, a 2021 study by the team on the links between race/ethnicity and trust or fear in COVID vaccines has earned the 2022 Clinical and Translational Science Award from the journal Clinical and Translational Science. The article was the journal’s most downloaded original article of 2021 and was judged by the editorial team as most reflective of the goals for diversity, equity and inclusion of the sponsoring organization, the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT). The team will be recognized at the ASCPT annual meeting in March. Congratulations to co-authors Drs. Don Willis, Jennifer Andersen, Keneshia Bryant-Moore, James Selig, Christopher Long, Holly Felix, Geoffrey Curran and Pearl McElfish.

Most recently, researchers in the office published four articles relating to a study they conducted that found that many Arkansans who received the vaccine did so despite having some doubts about the shot.

Diversity Leadership
Congratulations to Sharanda Williams, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Diversity, on being selected for the 2022 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Healthcare Executive Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program. The intensive program is designed to bolster skills for driving diversity, equity and inclusion as a core component of excellence in health care. As part of the program, Ms. Williams will plan and lead an institutional initiative to foster and support diversity among UAMS staff members through her new role as Co-Chair of the Staff Recruitment, Engagement and Retention Committee in the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

COVID & Breastfeeding
Dr. Aline Andres, Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) and Dr. Laxmi Yeruva, USDA ARS – Research Leader at the ACNC, were part of a research team that found that breastmilk produced by women diagnosed with COVID-19 does not contain SARS-CoV-2 RNA but had persistent levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and is likely a source of passive immunity. The team’s conclusions, published in Frontiers in Immunology, support recommendations for lactating women to continue breastfeeding during and after COVID-19 illness.

International Research Award
Congratulations to Dr. J.L. Mehta, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine and Physiology and Cell Biology, on being selected to receive the Oxford International Best Researcher Award from Oxford Research News and ISSN Awards. Dr. Mehta was selected along with his international coauthors of “Epigenetic Modification in Coronary Atherosclerosis: JACC Review Topic of the Week,” published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Many thanks to Dr. Mehta for his internationally recognized scholarly work and many contributions to the field of cardiology.

Center of Excellence
Kudos to Dr. Tuhin Virmani, Associate Professor of Neurology, and the entire Movement Disorders team for their continued diligence in the care of Arkansans with Huntington’s disease and maintaining the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) Center of Excellence at UAMS. The HDSA designation requires evaluation every year for compliance with rigorous standards and is accompanied by a nearly $20,000 grant to support the team’s outstanding efforts on behalf of their patients.

Menopause Expertise
Congratulations to Dr. Alexis White, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, on becoming a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP). Dr. White is the only clinically active physician at UAMS with this certification, which recognizes special expertise in the field of menopause. NAMS is North America’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health and quality of life during menopause. Thank you, Dr. White, for your dedication to providing the very best care for Arkansas women.

Obstetric Anesthesia Guidance
Faculty in the departments of Anesthesiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology contributed to a number of chapters in a newly published book from Springer, “Quick Hits in Obstetric Anesthesia.” Dr. Nadir El Sharawi (Anesthesiology) was a co-author for chapters relating to placenta praevia, placenta accrete spectrum and, along with Dr. Everett “Pat” Magann (OB/GYN), on intrauterine growth restriction. Dr. Muhammad Athar (Anesthesiology) coauthored a chapter on cardiotocography (CTG). Dr. Julie Whittington, who completed her Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship at UAMS in 2020, coauthored several chapters.

Student Presenters
A shout-out to fourth-year medical students Curran Henson and Brandon Leding on their excellent poster presentation at the Innovations in Medical Education Online Conference last week, and to their project mentor, Dr. Jasna Vuk in the UAMS Student Success Center. The students presented on “Board-Style Question Review as an Inter-Module Approach to Improving Medical Student Test Scores.” Well done!

COM Conversations
Finally this week, I want to thank all of you who have been joining us for COM Conversations, our informal journal club-style discussion group. Yesterday afternoon, our conversation over Zoom centered on “Creating a User Manual for Yourself.” Many of you shared insights on this creative idea for helping team members understand us better, so that we can work well together and have more meaningful, positive relationships. I am pleased to share these slides from the meeting, which include the survey responses from the instant poll. I will also share slides and materials in my At-a-Glance weekly updates. COM Conversations is held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, 4:00-4:30 p.m. Watch for an announcement about our March session soon!

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!

NCI Investigator Development
Congratulations to Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of Neurosurgical Oncology, on being accepted for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Early Investigator Advancement program (EIAP). The program facilitates the advancement of scientists from diverse backgrounds to become independent investigators, providing professional and career development for new and early-stage investigators from institutions around the country. This wonderful news comes on the heels of the recent selection of Dr. Rodriguez for the first cohort of the Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Program sponsored by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, National Medical Fellowships and the American Association for Cancer Research. Well done, Dr. Rodriguez!

Ensuring Good Health for All
This week, I had the privilege of talking with Dr. Omar Atiq, Professor of Internal Medicine and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, about why it is so crucial for us to strive to eliminate health disparities here in Arkansas and across the country. I interviewed Dr. Atiq for the newest video in our Spotlight on Excellence series. Dr. Atiq has just been voted President-Elect of the American College of Physicians, and he has been a leader in major, evidence-based ACP initiatives to address health disparities and ensure good health for all. His insights will inspire me and many others as our college and UAMS continues to make diversity, equity and inclusion – and ultimately elimination of health disparities among Arkansans – a top priority. In case you haven’t had an opportunity to watch our interview yet, here is a link to the video. 

Our Shared Responsibility
Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Executive Director of the UAMS Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, has long championed equity in health care, including initiatives to address disparities that women of color experience in reproductive medicine. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) featured a column by Dr. Richard-Davis on its website to mark Black history month. In “Our Shared Responsibility,” Dr. Richard-Davis touched on some of her work with the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion working committee, which she chairs, and efforts in Arkansas to increase the numbers of Black women and others in the pipeline for physicians and health professionals.

“Community leaders such as doctors should be leading conversations and initiatives to change policies to drive equity,” she wrote. “We are in positions of influence and should leverage our influence in every possible way to support equity.” Thank you for your leadership here in Arkansas and nationally, Dr. Richard-Davis.

Clinical Chemistry Reviewer
A shout-out to Dr. Hoda Hagrass, Assistant Professor of Pathology, on being selected to serve a three-year term as a poster abstract reviewer for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Scientific Meeting. In Arkansas, 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 Hospital.

Prestigious Summer Fellowship
And finally this week, congratulations to Megan Clark, a first-year medical student at the UAMS Northwest Campus, on being selected for the 2022 New York University Bellevue Summer Fellowship in Emergency Medicine for Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine. Megan was one of only five students from across the country selected for the highly competitive fellowship. Program officials wrote that her application was a standout in part because of the extensive health care and community volunteer work she has already undertaken in Northwest Arkansas. Additionally, as Dr. Linda Worley, Associate Dean for Northwest Arkansas, said in her letter of support, “Megan is courageous, intelligent, motivated, compassionate, altruistic and inspirational. She lights up a room with her refreshing spirit of cooperation and optimism.” We are proud of you, 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!

Kindness Beats Bad Weather
Last week’s icy conditions were no match for the kindness and dedication of team members throughout our college and UAMS. I want to take a moment to thank all of you who helped patients, colleagues and others weather the storm. Third-year Radiology resident Dr. Razvan Zemianschi is a great example. Dr. Zemianschi came in early and stayed late while on call, and he literally went the extra mile by giving rides to fellow on-call residents in his truck, so the call team could get to campus and back home safely. It was heartwarming to hear about this and other examples of team members’ kindness, such as Geriatrics faculty members offering to deliver medications and groceries for patients, and much more. Thank you all for being the best part of UAMS.

Honoring a Pediatric Radiology Icon
A shout-out to the Department of Radiology for doing a fantastic job hosting a three-day educational celebration last week in recognition of Emeritus Professor Dr. Joanna Seibert. Dr. Seibert was Arkansas’ first pediatric radiologist and led the program at Arkansas Children’s for 23 years. In 2021, she received the Gold Medal Award, the top honor from the Society for Pediatric Radiology. The virtual UAMS conference included Visiting Professor lectures on topics relating to Dr. Seibert’s career contributions and a capstone CME course co-directed by Assistant Professor Dr. Sumera Ali and Professor Dr. Charles James with 10 speakers including a keynote address from Dr. Dorothy Bulas of Children’s National Medical Center.

The event, which drew 75 attendees from across North America, also featured a Regional Pediatric Interventional Radiology Challenging Case Conference and a UAMS Radiology Residents Challenging Case submission contest. Congratulations to residents Dr. George Vilanilam and runner-up Dr. Joyce Joseph on topping the field in the residents’ competition, and to Assistant Professor Dr. Spencer Lewis, runner-up in the Pediatric IR contest.

Eliminating Child Abuse
Congratulations to Dr. Nicola Edge, Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, and Dr. Sufna John, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, on their appointment by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Blue Ribbon Task Force to End Child Abuse. Created during last year’s regular session of the Arkansas General Assembly, the task force will pursue a systematic and holistic approach to eliminating child abuse in the state. Dr. Edge and Dr. John are Co-Directors of the ARBEST (Arkansas Building Effective Services for Trauma) program, which works to improve outcomes for children and families who have experienced trauma through activities promoting excellence in child care, advocacy, training and evaluation.

Giving Matters
Finally this week, I would like to mention something that has become so clear over the months I have been at UAMS. Your excellent work in all of our mission areas and across our state continues to inspire generous contributions from patients, philanthropists, foundations and many others. For instance, the Don and Carolyn Kirkpatrick family recently gave $1 million to create an endowed chair in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. The endowment will provide crucial support for Division Director Dr. J. Paul Mounsey, who will become the inaugural holder, and his outstanding team in the UAMS Health Heart Center.

Meanwhile, the Share Foundation pledged $1.5 million to help establish a UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program in El Dorado at what will become UAMS’ ninth regional campus. Kudos to Amy Wenger, MHSA (now Vice Chancellor for UAMS Northwest) for the outstanding leadership she brought to UAMS Regional Campuses, and to Dr. Richard Turnage, current Vice Chancellor for Regional Campuses, for his ongoing work on the El Dorado campus. I plan to highlight more examples of inspiration and generosity in future Accolades, because they reflect how you are making a difference for UAMS and those we serve. Thank you.

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!

Mentoring Heroes
First this week, let’s have a round of applause for the recipients of the inaugural UAMS Excellence in Mentoring Awards. It was an honor to pay tribute to these exemplary faculty members at the Mentor Appreciation Day virtual ceremony last Thursday.

Women Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Melissa Zielinski, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry

Diversity Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Billy R. Thomas, Professor, Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology

Clinical Emerging Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Joana M. Mack, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology

Clinical Legend Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Larry G. Johnson, Professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Research Emerging Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Taren M. Swindle, Associate Professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Community Research

Research Legend Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award
Dr. Geoffrey M. Curran, Professor, College of Pharmacy

You can read about the honorees here, and watch a video of the ceremony here. I also want to emphasize why having outstanding mentors is so important for our students, residents, fellows and faculty colleagues.

“Mentoring helps all of us succeed and be a better version of ourselves,” explains Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Executive Director of the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DDEI). “A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself, and helps you reach your full potential. We all have benefited, and continue to benefit, from mentoring. Whether you are the mentee or the mentor, mentoring relationships are good for you.” Thank you, Dr. Davis. I couldn’t agree more.

DDEI supports a campus-wide diversity mentorship platform to connect interested students and residents with faculty members and alumni who will serve as informal mentors. The voluntary program, called Prometheus, has a searchable database of faculty mentors that students and residents can use to identify a great match. Participants can exchange messages, request meetings, and meet via a Zoom-generated invite. To get started, visit the Up Squad website to create a profile. Click “Yes” on the Community Subscription Code option and enter “DDEI2020” in the Community Code field. Faculty or students interested in serving as a mentor can contact Sharanda Williams, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Diversity, or Renisha Ward, DDEI Director of Outreach Programs, for more information.

AAAS Elected Fellow
Dr. Kevin Raney, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. This is a prestigious and well-earned honor for Dr. Raney, who was recognized in the chemistry category for his important contributions to the field of molecular motor proteins on nucleic acids and the function of G-quadruplex nucleic acids during response to cellular stress. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom. Congratulations, Dr. Raney!

Level 1 Excellence
Arkansas Children’s Hospital has been reverified as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons – a reaffirmation of the exceptional care provided to patients with traumatic injuries. As Arkansas Children’s President and CEO Marcy Doderer, FACHE, notes, this verification reflects “the tremendous work of many teams who deliver unparalleled care, giving children every chance to recover and reach their full potential.” I would like to thank pediatric surgeons Dr. Deidre Wyrick, Trauma Medical Director, and Dr. Todd Maxson, Associate Trauma Medical Director; nurses Kathy Dyck, Trauma Program Manager, and Kirsten Johnston, Patient Care Services Director-Trauma; along with the entire Arkansas Children’s team. Read more in this Arkansas Children’s news release.

National Leaders in Psychiatry Education
The American College of Psychiatrists (ACP) places a high value on creativity in residency programs across the country. Dr. Molly Gathright, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education, has been named Vice Chair of the ACP committee that selects a residency program for the annual Award for Creativity in Education. Meanwhile, Dr. Jim Clardy, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the UAMS Center for GME, is completing his term as Chair of the committee, where he will continue to serve as a member for another year. Dr. Gathright and Dr. Clardy’s roles on this committee are great examples of the UAMS Psychiatry team’s ongoing national leadership in psychiatry education. Congratulations and kudos, Dr. Gathright and Dr. Clardy.

ACGME Institutional Accreditation
Speaking of excellence in residency education, we just received notification from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) that the College of Medicine has achieved another successful annual institutional accreditation. Congratulations to Dr. Molly Gathright and the entire GME team. We are grateful for your hard work and commitment to excellence.

International Presentation
Dr. Indranil “Neil” Chakraborty, Professor of Anesthesiology and Director of the Division of Neuroanesthesiology, presented a well-received virtual guest lecture on “Awake Craniotomy: Challenges and Solutions” at the recent annual conference of the Indian Society of Neuroanesthesiology and Critical Care in Kolkata, India. His talk highlighted the success of the awake craniotomy program at UAMS led by Dr. J.D. Day, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. Kudos to Dr. Chakraborty for sharing his expertise and helping to shine the spotlight on the world-class care at UAMS.

National Student Award
And finally this week, a shout-out to MD/PHD student Lauren “Clai” Morehead, who just received a 2022 Medical Student Research Award from the Melanoma Research Foundation. The grant is the latest honor for Clai, who has presented nationally and garnered acclaim for her research into potential treatments for melanoma with mentors Dr. Alan Tackett and Dr. Isabelle Racine Miousse in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Well done!     

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!

Landmark Study
Congratulations to Dr. Stacie Jones, Professor in the Allergy and Immunology Division of the Department of Pediatrics, and colleagues on the publication of a landmark study into oral immunotherapy for life-threatening peanut allergy. The study was published in The Lancet, one of the top scientific journals in the world, and touted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci in a NIH news release. The trial, called IMPACT, found that providing oral immunotherapy to highly peanut-allergic children ages 1-3 safely desensitized most of them to peanut and induced remission of peanut allergy in one-fifth.

Dr. Jones, Director of the Food Allergy Research Program in the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, co-led the study and was first author on the publication. It was the result of many years of outstanding work by Dr. Jones along with former faculty member and co-leader of the study Dr. Wesley Burks, who is now Dean of the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Health; UAMS Pediatrics faculty Dr. Amy Scurlock and Dr. Robbie Pesek; and others at five study sites. At Arkansas Children’s, many research coordinators, nurses, dietitians and others contributed to the pivotal study. Read more in the Arkansas Children’s Newsroom.

Global Health Honor
Fourth-year Anesthesiology resident Dr. Mi Mi Kim is one of just four residents nationwide to receive the prestigious 2021-2022 Resident International Anesthesia Scholarship from the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Committee on Global Humanitarian Outreach. The award will support a one-month rotation at the University of Botswana in Gaborone, Botswana. While there, Dr. Kim will gain experience delivering safe anesthesia in a resource-poor setting as well as participate in training and education of local anesthesia providers. Well done Dr. Kim!

Leadership Development
Congratulations to Dr. Tisha Deen, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, on being accepted into the American Psychological Association’s 2022 Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology. The program for mid-career women psychologists prepares, supports and empowers participants to work toward positive changes in institutional, organizational and practice settings and seeks to increase the diversity, number and effectiveness of women psychologists as leaders. At UAMS, Dr. Deen serves as Director of Behavioral Health Integration for the Integrated Medicine Service Line.

Coronavirus Mutation Limits
Dr. David Ussery, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, led a multinational research team that found that coronavirus – despite its ability to create dangerous variants – has limits to its ability to mutate, which should help drug and vaccine manufacturers trying to fight the virus. The team’s observations were published in FEMS Microbiology Reviews. Drawing from global databases of millions of sequenced SARS-CoV-2 genomes, Dr. Ussery and colleagues learned that the virus’ structure makes it slower to mutate with fewer mutation possibilities. The team also included UAMS Biomedical Informatics postdoctoral fellow Dr. Visanu Wanchai. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

The Amazing Case
PGY-4 Diagnostic Radiology resident Dr. Ron Mora returned from the recent International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET) with more than just new insights into endovascular therapy. He also brought home bragging rights in the “FellowLuminaries: the Amazing Case Competition.” Dr. Mora won first place in the Peripheral Embolization category for his case titled “Massive Hematuria Due to Ectopic Vesical Varices in a Patient with Portal Hypertension.” The presentation stemmed from a case that came in to the UAMS Emergency Department and required emergent interventional radiology intervention with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and embolization. Great job!

More than a Random Act
Finally this week, I would like to share a thoughtful essay that just came to my attention, “More Than a Random Act of Violence,” by Dr. David Spiro, a Professor in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, that was published last fall in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. “Our own Dr. Spiro at ACH writes about an awareness that I think makes us more compassionate physicians when we practice with intentionality and empathy,” Dr. Sara Tariq, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, wrote in an email to students accompanying the article. In telling the tragic story an 18-year-old shooting victim on a Thanksgiving Day, Dr. Spiro discusses his own awareness of privilege – and the realities that many who lack such privilege face. He calls on fellow physicians to acknowledge and address systemic racism and gun violence. Thank you, Dr. Spiro.

Here are this week’s Accolades, a roundup of some of the honors and accomplishments of College of Medicine and UAMS faculty, staff, residents, fellows and students I’ve heard about recently!

Newly Endowed Chair
Congratulations to Dr. Ozlem Tulunay-Ugur, Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, on her investiture last week in the Patricia and J. Floyd Kyser, M.D., Chair in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. This is a well-earned honor for an exemplary colleague. A member of our faculty since 2008, Dr. Tulunay-Ugur directs UAMS’ Laryngology Program and is nationally known for her expertise in geriatric laryngology, including voice and swallowing disorders. Among many national and statewide leadership roles, she is immediate Past President of the American Society of Geriatric Otolaryngology and Past President of the Arkansas Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, for which she currently serves as Secretary-Treasurer.

Welcome, and Thank You
This week we welcome Dr. William Steinbach as he begins his service as Professor and Chair of Pediatrics and Associate Dean for Child Health in our college and Pediatrician-in-Chief for Arkansas Children’s. Dr. Steinbach brings extensive leadership experience in pediatric care, research and education to Arkansas and will be a driving force in UAMS and Arkansas Children’s initiatives to enhance the health and wellbeing of the children of our state. (Read more about Dr. Steinbach here.) We look forward to working with you, Bill!

I want to express my gratitude to Dr. Renee Bornemeier for doing an outstanding job as Interim Chair for more than a year. Dr. Bornemeier has led faculty initiatives on many fronts, and she will now focus on her new role as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development. (Read more about Dr. Bornemeier here.) Thank you for your ongoing leadership and service to our college, Renee!

Spotlight on Excellence
If you haven’t had a chance yet, be sure to check out the newest video in our Spotlight on Excellence Series. I had a great conversation with Dr. Brian Koss, an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and researcher in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Dr. Koss is Arkansas’ first recipient of the prestigious Director’s Early Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health. Brian and I discussed his innovative approach to cancer research and his goals for making the most of the award. Well done, Dr. Koss. I can’t wait to see what you accomplish!

Journal Leadership
Dr. Rosalia C.M. Simmen, Professor in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, has been named to the new position of Deputy Editor of Endocrine Connections for a three-year term. Dr. Simmen will oversee the Reviewer Board’s makeup and mentorship and contribute to overall strategies to expand the journal’s emphasis on innovative research and scientific quality. Endocrine Connections is an open-access official journal of the Society for Endocrinology (UK) and the European Society of Endocrinology. The journal publishes basic, translational and clinical research and reviews in all areas of endocrinology.

Pediatric Sedation Insights
Dr. Deepak Choudhary, Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, is the lead author on a study into pediatric procedural sedation (PPS) practices among pediatric emergency medicine practitioners in the United States. The article was published in Pediatric Emergency Care. In a nationwide survey, Dr. Choudhary and collaborators at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital/University at Buffalo, New York, and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, found wide variability in several aspects of pediatric procedural sedation and low adherence to national PPS guidelines.

Tops in Brain Surgery, Stroke Care
A shout-out to our colleagues in Neurosurgery and the Stroke Program on UAMS’ latest recognitions from Healthgrades. UAMS ranked in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for cranial neurosurgery, earning a 2022 Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award. Healthgrades also named UAMS a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke. Kudos to Neurosurgery Professor and Chair Dr. J.D. Day, neurosurgeons Drs. Viktoras Palys, Erika Petersen and Analiz Rodriguez, and Ebonye Green, APRN, for their world-class neurosurgical care. Special thanks also to the Department of Neurology’s Dr. Sanjeeva Reddy Onteddu, Medical Director, and Marzella Backus, MNSc, RN, Director of the Stroke Program, for ensuring the very best stroke care for Arkansans.

Radiation Oncology Reaches APEx
Congratulations to Professor and Radiation Oncology Chair Dr. Fen Xia and the Radiation Oncology Center team on leading UAMS to become the first health care institution in Arkansas to achieve full accreditation from the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx). APEx is the society’s highest honor, recognizing centers that meet the most rigorous standards for safety and performance. A tremendous amount of multidisciplinary work went into the accreditation process. Kudos to Medical Director Dr. Sanjay Maraboyina, Clinical Operations Director Greg May, Chief Physicist Dr. Zhong Su, Melissa Peterman, RN, and Radiation Therapist Ashly Cummings.

Service and Compassion in the Wake of the Storm
And finally this week, I’m sure all of us remember the devastating tornadoes that hit northeastern Arkansas on the evening of Dec. 10, destroying the Monette Manor Nursing Home and taking the life of one of the nursing home’s residents. The resident physicians of the UAMS Northeast Family Medicine Residency are the primary care providers for those who lived at Monette Manor. Residency Program Director Dr. Scott Dickson recently wrote to let me and other UAMS leaders know about the residents and a student who truly put patients first that night.

Two second-year residents, Dr. Andrew Bryson and Dr. Logan Bevill, took it upon themselves to travel to Monette to help authorities triage and treat patients, while the program’s other residents and faculty responded to St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Meanwhile, fourth-year medical student Anna Brickell was at home with her family in nearby Caraway when the news hit. She, too, went to Monette to help out.

“It makes me immensely proud that our residents responded so quickly and selflessly, and particularly proud that Drs. Bryson and Bevill went that extra mile to help where needed,” Dr. Dickson wrote. “Anna also should be commended for her dedication to her community and her selflessness.” I couldn’t agree more. Kudos to these outstanding members of the UAMS family!

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!

Groundbreaking Study
Congratulations to Dr. Intawat Nookaew, Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics, and colleagues on the publication of a groundbreaking study into the presence of extrachromosomal circular DNA in the human male germline (sperm cells) and its connection to the recombination rate of different chromosomes. The article was published in and featured on the cover of Molecular Cell. Dr. Nookaew collaborated on the study with researchers in Denmark along with former UAMS post-doctoral fellows and lecturers Dr. Piroon Jenjaroenpun and Dr. Thidathip Wongsurawat. The team provided high-resolution experimental results using third-generation (long read) sequencing and advanced bioinformatic algorithms, which were essential for this discovery.

Clinical Informatics Honor
Dr. Feliciano “Pele” Yu Jr., Clinical Informatics Section Chief in the Department of Pediatrics, was named Volunteer of the Year by Health Level Seven International (HL7) for his longstanding dedication and contributions to the nonprofit health care data standards development organization. Dr. Yu was a founding member of the HL7 Child Health Work Group and served as its Chair in 2008-2016. Kudos to Dr. Yu for his international leadership in clinical informatics as well as his service as Section Chief, Program Director for the UAMS Clinical Informatics Fellowship Program and Chief Medical Information Officer at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Cancer Society Fellowship
Congratulations to Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute researcher Dr. Kirk West on becoming the first UAMS scientist to be awarded the prestigious American Cancer Society (ACS) Postdoctoral Fellowship. The three-year fellowship will support Dr. West’s research in the cutting-edge, ACS-funded laboratory of his mentor, Dr. Justin Leung, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Pediatric Resuscitation Leadership
Dr. Steve Schexnayder, Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, has been reappointed as one of four U.S. representatives on the 17-member International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Pediatric Task Force. Dr. Schexnayder has served on the task force since 2017. Kudos for his national and international contributions in the field as well as his leadership of pediatric critical care medicine here in Arkansas.

Winning Abstract
A shout-out to postdoctoral fellow Dr. John Sherrill and Associate Professor Dr. David Bumpass in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, who co-authored the winning basic science abstract submitted to the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS). Dr. Bumpass presented the top-scoring abstract, “Posterior Cervical Spine Fusion Assemblies Intended to Cross the Cervicothoracic Junction: A Mechanical Analysis,” at the recent annual meeting of CSRS. The full manuscript, with Dr. Sherrill as first author, has been accepted for publication in the journal Clinical Spine Surgery. Dr. Sherrill and Dr. Bumpass collaborated on the study with former faculty member Dr. Erin Mannen.

Top Posters
Congratulations to UAMS Northwest Internal Medicine residents Dr. Lawrence “Tony” Hoyt and Dr. Yash Shah on their winning posters in the Arkansas Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP)) poster competition. Dr. Hoyt, a third-year resident, took top honors for “Initial CAD Evaluation with CCTA and FFRCT” and has been invited to present the poster at the National ACP Annual Meeting in April. Dr. Shah, a second-year resident, was a third-place finisher for his poster “Mixed AIHA as initial presentation of hereditary hemochromatosis.”  

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!

MS Care Recognition
I was delighted to hear that UAMS has been designated as a Center for Comprehensive MS Care by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Kudos to Assistant Professor Dr. Erika Santos Horta, who spearheaded the effort, Department of Neurology Chair Dr. Lee Archer and the entire team in the UAMS Neuro-immunology Clinic for their commitment to providing the very best care for MS patients from across Arkansas and earning this important distinction for UAMS.

Cardiotoxicity Study
Dr. Michael Bauer, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Informatics, and Dr. Valentina Todorova, Assistant Professor in Hematology/Oncology, are co-first authors on a paper published in Cancers. Along with UAMS and VA colleagues in Geriatrics, Hematology/Oncology, Nephrology, Pathology and the College of Public Health, they examined whether the DNA methylation state of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) could predict cardiotoxicity caused by doxorubicin (DOX)-based chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. The team found a significant difference in the pattern of DNA methylation of PBMCs associated with a risk of cardiotoxicity. The study shows the potential for further personalized medicine and tailored treatments.

Telehealth in Endocrinology
Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Director of the Endocrinology Fellowship, has been appointed to a working group of the Endocrine Society that will develop a consensus statement on the appropriate use of telehealth in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is the world’s largest and most respected scientific and professional organization in the field. Dr. Maraka, who is internationally recognized for her expertise, will be a strong asset for this initiative.

ACEP Honors Resident, Student
Congratulations to Emergency Medicine Chief Resident Dr. Michael Hobensack and fourth-year medical student Morgan Sweere-Treece on their recent honors from the Arkansas chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Dr. Hobensack received the inaugural Resident of the Year Award for his clinical excellence and service in multiple leadership roles during residency, including as the Arkansas ACEP resident representative. Morgan received the inaugural Medical Student of the Year Award for her strong track record of involvement and leadership in the UAMS Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG). Under her leadership, the chapter recently received an award from the national Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association.

Women in Neurosurgery
A shout-out to fourth-year Neurosurgery resident Dr. Natalie Guley, who did a great job presenting at the recent annual meeting of the Neurosurgical Society of India. In a forum focusing on issues relating to women in neurosurgery, Dr. Guley discussed her experiences as a female neurosurgery resident along with relevant issues in the United States. The organizing team praised Dr. Guley for her contributions to the forum.

Insights into Heart Disease
Dr. J.L. Mehta, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine, Physiology and Cell Biology, and Pharmacology and Toxicology, has authored a new book, “Heart Disease: It is All in Your Head.” The book shares Dr. Mehta’s insights into the causes of heart disease based on his personal life experiences, 45 years in clinical practice and academic medicine, and extensive research. Dr. Mehta, who holds the Stebbins Chair in Cardiology, also explores the impacts of the brain and the immune system in regulating cardiovascular function and disease. Congratulations, Dr. Mehta.