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 Women
Dr. Theresa Wyrick, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, will help lead efforts to support the advancement of women in the field as 2021 Co-Chair of the Academic Orthopaedic Consortium (AOC) Women’s Leadership Forum. This important leadership post reflects Dr. Wyrick’s personal commitment, as with her department’s efforts, to make diversity “not just a checkbox, but a mission.” Kudos to Dr. Wyrick for her outstanding work at UAMS and at the national level.

Military Match
Congratulations to our graduating seniors who matched into military residency training programs. Having completed my own residency training in superb military facilities, and having retired after 26 years of service in the Army and Air Force, I am thrilled for these aspiring physicians. Our thanks to each of you for your commitment to serve!

Jackson Arnold – Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii
Billy Christy – Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia
Matthew Cordell – Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia, General Surgery
Evan Laman – Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland
Joel McGowan – Naval Medical Center San Diego, Emergency Medicine
Nicole Mercier – Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center, Ohio, Pediatrics
Alex Rivas – William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso
Catherine Nicole Thomas – Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Family Medicine

In the Spotlight
Dr. Jason Mizell, Associate Professor of Surgery, received a well-earned shout-out in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this morning for his pioneering work in financial education for aspiring physicians. Financial consultant and author Sarah Catherine Gutierrez lauded Dr. Mizell in a column, “Physician, heal thyself – with solid financial know-how.” Ms. Gutierrez, who teaches a session in Dr. Mizell’s award-winning course, explains how and why it has expanded into an extremely popular four-year honors track that has served as a model for financial education courses at medical schools around the country.

Above & Beyond
The rollouts of COVID-19 vaccinations for UAMS and Arkansas Children’s team members have been monumental efforts. I want to take a moment to thank the many team members who have been involved in these operations on both campuses. Special thanks to three faculty physicians who have been instrumental at UAMS – Dr. Michelle Krause, Dr. Robert Hopkins and Dr. Keyur Vyas. Likewise, many thanks to Dr. Jessica Snowden for providing medical and scientific input and leading messaging efforts at Arkansas Children’s. Your expertise, hard work and dedication have helped to ensure the success of these crucial efforts. Thanks to all of you, better days are on the horizon.

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!

Transplant Excellence
Kudos to the Solid Organ Transplant team for their outstanding work to achieve some of the best outcomes in the nation. In the latest data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) and its “5-tier” outcome rankings, the program is second nationally among all kidney programs, 10th in liver programs, and third among the nation’s combined kidney/liver programs. The overall end-goal measurement is for organ function, speed to transplant, and patient survival at one year. These excellent results are only possible through excellent collaboration with several great groups at UAMS including Anesthesiology, Interventional Radiology and Advanced Endoscopy, and they reflect exceptional institutional care overall.

Top Article
An article by Dr. Rosalia C.M. Simmen, Professor of Physiology and Cell Biology, and her research team, “Metformin Promotes Anti-tumor Biomarkers in Human Endometrial Cancer Cells,” has been selected as the most popular basic science original article published by Reproductive Sciences in 2020. The study was conducted with postdoctoral fellows Dr. John Mark Pabona (lead author) and Dr. Maria Theresa Montales; collaborators Dr. Alexander Burnett (Obstetrics & Gynecology), Dr. Charles Matthew Quick (Pathology), Dr. Frank Simmen (Physiology & Cell Biology), Dr. Shi Liu (College of Pharmacy) and Eric Siegel, M.S. (Biostatistics); along with medical students Dustin Brown, Tyler Rose and Iad Alhallak. The award will be recognized at the Society for Reproductive Investigation annual meeting in July. Congratulations to all!

ENT Leader
Congratulations to Dr. Gresham Richter, Professor, Vice Chair and Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, on his election to a two-year term as President of the Society for Ear, Nose and Throat Advancement in Children (SENTAC). SENTAC is a collective group of health care professionals involved in the care of children with otolaryngology, hearing, speech and swallowing disorders. Dr. Richter was also recently selected to serve as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Vascular Anomalies.

Student Published
Third-year medical student Austin Brown is co-first author on a paper published this week in Neuromodulation. The article, “Allergy Complications in Implanted Neuromodulation Devices,” reviews research into the clinical management of poorly understood, and fortunately rare, complications of neuromodulation device implantation. He collaborated with Dr. Diana Munoz-Mendoza (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology) and the Department of Neurosurgery’s Dr. Viktoras Palys and Dr. Erika Petersen (senior author), along with researchers at several other institutions including New York University, Dartmouth and Johns Hopkins University. Great job!

Geriatrics Research
A shout-out to the Department of Geriatrics’ Dr. Gohar Azhar and Dr. Xiaomin Zhang and their colleagues on their excellent recent publications. Dr. Azhar was the lead author on “Potential Beneficial Effects of Dietary Protein Supplementation and Exercise on Functional Capacity in a Pilot Study of Individuals with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction,” published in Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Zhang was the lead author on “Alternative Splicing Increases Sirtuin Gene Family Diversity and Modulates Their Subcellular Localization and Function,” published in a special issue, “Molecular Mechanisms of Gene Expression: Bioinformatics of Gene Regulations and Structure,” from the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

COVID Image Sharing
An article in Nature, Scientific Data highlights work by data experts at UAMS to share clinical images of COVID-19 patients with scientists across the country through The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA), a publicly available national database housed at UAMS and supported by the National Cancer Institute. The work was part of an effort led by TCIA Principal Investigator and Department of Biomedical Informatics Chair Dr. Fred Prior and Dr. Ahmad Baghal, Director of the Arkansas Clinical Data Repository at UAMS. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Tops in Ortho
Congratulations to Dr. C. Lowry Barnes, Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, on being recognized as one of the nation’s top orthopaedic surgeons by Becker’s Healthcare, an industry leader in health care information. Dr. Barnes was named one of “65 total knee replacement surgeons to know” and was the only Arkansas surgeon on the list.

Distinguished Alumnus
I recently had the honor of presenting the College of Medicine 2020 Distinguished Alumnus Award to Dr. Jack Blackshear, a 1968 graduate who has been a true ally for UAMS and our college. Before the pandemic put a halt to my in-person weekly breakfasts with first- and second-year medical students, Dr. Blackshear joined us for some of these meetings, and his devotion to future physicians was obvious. That dedication goes back decades. Read about Dr. Blackshear and our virtual celebration in the UAMS Newsroom.

Kindness Exemplified
A remarkable act of kindness by Dr. Omar Atiq, Professor of Internal Medicine and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, has made news across the nation and beyond. The cancer treatment center Dr. Atiq founded in Pine Bluff nearly 30 years ago closed early last year. As 2020 was winding down, Dr. Atiq decided to forgive all remaining balances – totaling almost $650,000 – of nearly 200 former patients. His generosity was highlighted in many local and national news reports, such as this feature on the ABC World News Tonight.

Meanwhile, Dr. Atiq continues to work tirelessly on behalf of patients at UAMS and as a national leader in internal medicine. You may know that he served as the 2019-2020 Chair of the American College of Physicians (ACP) Board of Governors. He continues to serve on the ACP Board of Regents and as Chair of the ACP Health and Public Policy Committee, which has just published a position paper on disparities and discrimination in health and health care, of which he is also an author. We are so fortunate and proud to have Dr. Atiq as a colleague!

Above & Beyond
I am continually amazed at the selfless spirit of UAMS team members, even in the most difficult circumstances. Second-year Internal Medicine resident Dr. Connor Rayburn recently experienced the tragic loss of his grandfather due to COVID, and he had other loved ones who were affected with the virus. Despite these immense stresses, Dr. Rayburn continued to have an exemplary work attitude day after day in the ICU, while completely refraining from visiting his family during their quarantine. He took no time off except for a day to attend the post-quarantine funeral. Dr. Anand Venkata, who shared this story, said, “I cannot commend him highly enough for placing service ethos before personal grief.”

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!

Recognizing Kindness
My first accolade of the New Year is about the importance of kindness during difficult times. When the pandemic began last March, the College of Medicine was tasked with coordinating logistics and scheduling for entrance screening sites throughout the UAMS main campus. Renee Raines and fellow research administration team members Anna Evatt and Ashley Gregory led the effort to schedule, train and support hundreds of volunteers to cover screening stations for a combined total of 2,500 work hours per week – for four months. This was an extraordinary, round-the-clock administrative feat.

But it was their kindness toward volunteers – and the kindness of their army of volunteers – that made all the difference.

I had the pleasure of recently presenting Renee, Anna and Ashley our first-ever Kindness Award. The colleagues were nominated by Danele Poole, Assistant Chair and Administrator for the Department of Neurosurgery. When we informed Renee about the award and our plans for a Zoom presentation, she invited several other screening site managers and core volunteers to join in the celebration. “I wanted to make sure the people who really, really gave 110% were here, because without them the whole process would not have been possible,” Renee explained. Thank you, Renee, Anna, Ashley – and all of our amazing volunteers!

Insights on Equity
A shout-out to the Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics’ Dr. Laura Guidry-Grimes and Dr. Brian Gittens, UAMS Vice Chancellor and Director of the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, for their insightful contributions to a recent podcast on racism in patient care. Dr. Gittens and Dr. Guidry-Grimes were among the expert guests on the Beyond the White Coat podcast from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The episode explored how academic medicine can help to prepare and train future physicians to provide patient care that is more equitable for all. The podcast was highlighted in the AAMC Group on Educational Affairs Weekly Roundup on December 18.

National Leadership
Dr. Michael Wilson, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry, has been named Chair-Elect of the Coalition on Psychiatric Emergencies (COPE). The coalition of behavioral health, psychiatry and emergency medicine professionals is headed by the Emergency Medicine Foundation. With representation from 13 professional organizations, it is the country’s largest collaborative in the field of emergency psychiatry. My thanks to Dr. Wilson for his outstanding work at the national level as well as here at UAMS, where he serves as Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine’s Behavioral Emergencies Research Lab and the department’s Research Associates Program.

In the Spotlight
Congratulations to Dr. Sacha McBain, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Surgery, and Dr. Marie Mesidor, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, on their recent honors from the Arkansas Psychological Association (ARPA). Dr. McBain, who was named Early Career Psychologist of the Year, is doing wonderful work in her roles as a clinical psychologist for the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery and as Associate Director in the Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Trauma Prevention, Recovery and Innovation. She also has been instrumental in developing mental health resources to help medical residents, Arkansas physicians and other health professionals cope with stress and anxiety during the pandemic. Dr. Mesidor received the ARPA Medical Center Provider of the Year Award for her exceptional work at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.

Editorial Appointments
Congratulations to the Division of Endocrinology’s Dr. Spyridoula Maraka on two new editorial board appointments. She was named to the Editorial Board of Thyroid, the official journal of the American Thyroid Association, after being highly recommended for her expertise and prior contributions as a reviewer. She will also serve on the Editorial Board for Clinical Thyroidology, which provides summaries and insights into the most cutting-edge and relevant scholarly articles for clinicians.

Kindness Heals
I will end this week’s Accolades as I started, with another story about the power of kindness. The adult daughter of a patient of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Dr. Simon Mears commended Dr. Mears, nurses and other staff for their kindness. “It helped my father heal more quickly,” she wrote in the patient survey. “He is recovering with so much positivity due to the personal attention given to him. Thank you, Dr. Mears. We truly appreciate your magic.” The writer noted that her father occasionally lost his patience and became a little upset after his surgery. “Even after that, the staff and nurses gave him full attention and treated him with so much love. We are truly speechless. Thank you, thank you, 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!

On the Forefront
College of Medicine faculty are on the forefront of the historic efforts to test, evaluate and roll out promising new vaccines for COVID-19. They are lending their expertise at the national level to ensure approval and prudent distribution of safe and effective vaccines, while also championing science and preventive practices in news interviews and other venues.

Dr. Robert Hopkins is providing superb leadership as Chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in addition to serving on the frontlines at UAMS and educating Arkansans about the virus. Dr. Jose Romero serves as Chair of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, while also leading COVID efforts in Arkansas as Secretary of Health. Dr. Jeannette Lee is serving on the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which approved emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine last week and will consider the Moderna vaccine this week.

Meanwhile, as the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrive, vital vaccine research continues, including the launch of the UAMS test site for Janssen’s vaccine candidate under the leadership of Dr. Kristine Patterson and with coordination by the Translational Research Institute. These efforts and many others by UAMS colleagues provide hope, and we are grateful.

EPIC Achievement
Thanks to teams across UAMS, the UAMS Regional Campus clinics are now “live” on the Epic electronic health records system. I join with the project leader, Dr. David Nelsen, in thanking everyone who contributed to this massive undertaking. Kudos to team members in IT, especially project management, ambulatory, lab, radiology and interface teams. In addition, thanks go out to UAMS Clinical Informatics, Instructional Designers (trainers), UAMS Executive Project Leadership and operational leadership from nursing, billing and scheduling.  As Dr. Nelsen notes, “The real superstars of this project, however, were the UAMS Regional Programs clinics in Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Helena, Jonesboro, Magnolia, Pine Bluff, Springdale and Texarkana.” This is great news for patients across the state.

Students & Mentors
College of Medicine students are doing excellent scholarly work with the support of the Division of Surgical Research and faculty mentors from several departments. Juniors Helena Drolshagen and Dillon Wade gave virtual presentations on their original research at the Americas Hernia Society annual meeting this fall. Sophomore Hunter Rose presented his research at the International Geriatric Fracture Society meeting last week. John House, Joey VanScoy, Zain Alfanek, Tommy Christensen, Hayden Hairston and Liza Hill were the first authors on six abstracts accepted for presentation at the 2021 Academic Surgical Congress.

Their faculty mentors include Surgery’s Drs. Hanna Jensen, Kevin Sexton, Kyle Kalkwarf, Katie Kimbrough, Avi Bhavaraju and Lyle Burdine; Dr. Simon Mears (Orthopaedic Surgery); Dr. Martin Radvany (Radiology); Dr. Tina Ipe (Pathology); and Dr. Saleema Karim (College of Public Health). Many others have contributed to the prolific output in clinical and basic research supported by the Surgical Research team, including Drs. Marie Burdine, Sacha McBain (Psychiatry); and Rebecca Reif, Judy Bennett, Monica Kimbrell and Kim Gates, along with Dr. Manos Giorgakis and Surgery Chair Dr. Ron Robertson. My thanks to all for your great work with our students!

Thyroid Expertise
As one of the world’s leading experts in thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy, Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology, was invited to present on maternal hypothyroxinemia this week during the 16^th International Thyroid Congress, a conference held only every five years. In more good news, the VA Health Services Research and Development Service just awarded Dr. Maraka a $163,670 pilot grant for the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, safety and effects on quality of life of discontinuing levothyroxine therapy (thyroid hormone replacement) in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.

Cover Author
Dr. Surjith Vattoth, Associate Professor in the Division of Neuroradiology, is a cover author on the recently published fourth edition of “Diagnostic Imaging: Brain” along with world-renown authors including neuroradiology legend Dr. Anne Osborn. Dr. Vattoth authored or coauthored 104 chapters in this highly prestigious textbook published by Elsevier, which is also available online in STATdx. Congratulations!

Pitching In
As UAMS began offering weekly antigen COVID-19 testing for employees who work directly with patients this week, several Department of Pathology faculty and residents volunteered to be trained and perform the testing in the initial days until a stable workforce could be put in place. Kudos to Dr. Ericka Olgaard, who oversaw the effort, along with faculty volunteers Drs. Nicole Massoll, Daisy Alapat, Kandi Stallings-Archer and Hoda Hagrass. Thanks also to redeployed residents including Drs. Alyssa Higgins, Anna Tart, Richard Dunn, Ivette Perez, Brannon Broadfoot and Azin Mashayekhi.

Up & Coming
Congratulations to Dr. Gregory Snead, Professor and Chief of Emergency Medicine Ultrasound, on being selected for the 2021 Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine (AACEM) Chair Development Program. Emergency Medicine Chair Dr. Tony Seupaul notes that the highly selective program is known for developing future leaders in academic emergency medicine, and Dr. Snead will represent UAMS exceptionally well.

Ask-a-Chair
Speaking of Dr. Seupaul, a colleague points out that he did a great job as the guest for a recent episode of the Residency and Medical Student Section of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s “Ask-a-Chair” podcast. Dr. Seupaul, who also serves as Chief Clinical Officer for UAMS Medical Center, discusses the challenges of holding a senior leadership role in an academic medical institution, his longtime interest in evidence-based medicine, and tips for medical students and residents as they transition to new roles through their academic career.

MVPs Make a Difference
And finally, let’s have a round of applause for the 10 stellar College of Medicine team members who were named our Most Valuable Players – MVPs – this fall! I had the great pleasure of paying tribute to each of them in Zoom celebrations over the past few weeks. As Sara Windsor, COM Director of Strategic Initiatives and Engagement, explains: “MVPs love what they do and love helping others find their own strengths. MVPs exemplify the qualities of a great teammate.”

I couldn’t agree more. I would also like to give a shout-out to the colleagues who took the time to nominate these MVPs. They wrote eloquently about what makes these team members so special. Please visit our new MVP Webpage to read about the honorees. Meanwhile, very special congratulations to our newest MVPs:

Michael Blackburn, B.S.
Pediatrics/Developmental Nutrition

Joana Mack, M.D.
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Renee McGraw, M.D.
Obstetrics/Gynecology

Priya Mendiratta, M.D., M.P.H.
Geriatrics

Tamara Perry, M.D.
Pediatric Allergy/Immunology

Roopa Ram, M.D.
Radiology

Denise Thomas, B.S.
Obstetrics/Gynecology

Misty Virmani, M.D.
Pediatrics/Neonatology

Keyur Vyas, M.D.
Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases

Jennifer White, B.S.N.
COM Graduate Medical Education

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

Culture of Health
Congratulations to Dr. Rosemary Nabaweesi, Assistant Professor in the Community Pediatrics Division of the Department of Pediatrics, on being selected for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ) Culture of Health Leaders program. Dr. Nabaweesi, who also serves as Senior Director of Research and Evaluation for the UAMS Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, will use skills developed through the three-year curriculum, along with RWJ funding support, to develop a community-based, cross-sector strategic initiative focused on creating an optimal culture of health and addressing health inequity in the Arkansas Delta. Read more here.

Setting Standards
Congratulations to Dr. Lawrence Tarbox, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Director of the UAMS Center for High Performance Computing, on his re-election to a second two-year term as the User Co-Chair of the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) Standards Committee. DICOM is the international standard for medical images and related information.

COVID Research
Faculty researchers continue to fight COVID-19 on many fronts in labs across UAMS and our partnering institutions. At the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, a prolific colleague is Associate Professor of Geriatrics Dr. Kalpana Padala. Among many activities, Dr. Padala is the site Principal Investigator for both the Romark/VA Nitazoxanide study for prophylaxis against COVID infection among residents in long-term care facilities and the Janssen/ENSEMBLE vaccine trial (which is also being conducted separately at UAMS). Dr. Padala’s team recently published nine COVID-related publications addressing a wide range of issues, including disproportionately lower internet access and capability for video visits among older rural veterans. Her team also found that the pandemic has increased loneliness, worsened behavioral problems in the context of dementia, and disrupted care in those with serious mental illness.

Implementation Scholars
The Translational Research Institute (TRI) and UAMS Center for Implementation Research (CIR) have selected five faculty members as the 2021 Implementation Scholars. Congratulations to Dr. Laura Jean Hobart-Porter (Pediatrics and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation); Dr. Kyle Kalkwarf (Surgery); Dr. Riley Lipschitz (Internal Medicine); Dr. Aravindhan Veerapandiyan (Pediatrics); and Dr. Elizabeth Riley (College of Nursing). Read more about the scholars and their projects for the two-year program in the TRI newsroom.

GME Grant
Associate Dean Dr. Molly Gathright and the Graduate Medical Education team are doing a great job to support and improve our internal residency and fellowship programs and graduate medical education across the state. An important initiative, the Pathway to Program Excellence educational program, recently got a boost with a $30,000 Chancellor’s Circle Grant. My thanks to the GME team, and congratulations on the grant!

Active Learning Insights
Congratulations to Dr. Stanley Ellis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of Education for the Institute for Digital Health and Innovation, and Dr. Taren Swindle, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine,for their recent publication in MedEdPublish, an official journal of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE). Their article, “Exploration of an Integrated Active Learning Strategy to Balance Student Workload in a Mixed Level Research Methods Course,” addresses how integrating active learning strategies from Team Based Learning (TBL) and Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) pedagogies aids in reducing the perceptions of workload imbalance among team members in a research methods course.

Service to Arkansas
Emergency Medicine physicians and their patients throughout Arkansas will benefit from the leadership of Dr. Brian Hohertz, Professor of Emergency Medicine, as the newly installed President of the Arkansas Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Assistant Professor Dr. Lauren Evans was selected as President-Elect during the annual chapter meeting last week. Thank you both for your service to our state.  

Case Series
Anesthesiology colleagues presented an excellent case series, “Erector Spinae Blocks for Axillary Pain Not Covered by Interscalene Blocks in Shoulder Patients,” at the American Society of Regional Anesthesia’s recent virtual Annual Pain Medicine Meeting. The case series was produced by residents Dr. Cash Arcement and Dr. Duy Ha; faculty members Dr. Trina Kleiver and Dr. Matthew Spond; and Floyd Nutter, RN.

National Scholarship
Congratulations to M4 student Jasmine McKissick on receiving a 2021 STFM Foundation Student Scholarship from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. The highly competitive scholarship recognizes some of the best and brightest medical students nationwide who have shown strong potential for a career in academic family medicine through their scholastic, volunteer and leadership pursuits. Jasmine and fellow honorees will attend and have the opportunity to present posters at STFM’s virtual annual conference next February.

Giving Back
The pandemic thwarted the Department of Pathology’s annual volunteer service day with the Arkansas Food Bank – but not the team’s determination to make a difference for those in need. Staff, faculty and residents raised $2,045 in monetary gifts and collected 148 pounds of food items, supporting an incredible 10,403 meals through the Food Bank. Kudos to project lead Dr. Sara Shalin and all who pitched in.

Brighter Holiday
A shout-out to second-year medical students Anapaula Rojas and Vanessa Bastidas for their work to make this holiday season a little brighter for older Arkansans. Working with the UAMS Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC), Anapaula and Vanessa recently presented a virtual program, “Festive Crafts for Seniors.” They also organized a “Holiday Note of Cheer” drive to have medical students make cards for residents of a local nursing home, on behalf of the UAMS Student National Medical Association Outreach Committee and AGEC. The projects, supported with a HRSA COVID Cares grant to AGEC, are designed to help decrease feelings of isolation and loneliness in older adults due to the pandemic.

Ironman Extraordinaire
And finally this week … COVID-19 forced many changes this year, but it certainly didn’t stop Medicine-Pediatrics resident Dr. Tommy Martin in his tracks. Far from it! Dr. Martin, an Ironman triathlete, was scheduled to race in Florida in November. With the race canceled, he completed his own personal challenge: successfully swimming, biking and running five Half Ironman races – a total of 350 miles – on five consecutive days. With the help of many contributors, the effort raised at least $8,255 for the Hematology-Oncology program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, which had to cancel its annual fall fundraiser, the Super Hero Dash-and-Bash, due to the pandemic. The annual event funds toys, snacks, toiletries and much more for patients and families. Way to go! 

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!

Stepping Up
Kudos to our colleagues at Arkansas Children’s for stepping up to the plate in the escalating battle against COVID-19. Arkansas Children’s Hospital has begun to take certain adult trauma patients and adult critically ill transfer patients to help offset the rise in hospitalizations at UAMS. Thanks to the strong leadership at Arkansas Children’s and the dedication of outstanding faculty physicians and clinical team members, these adult patients are receiving excellent care in a very difficult time. I join with President and CEO Marcy Doderer, FACHE; Drs. Rick Barr, Greg Sharp and Todd Maxson; Chief Nursing Officer Lee Anne Eddy and Patient Care Services Vice-President Mary Salassi-Scotter in expressing gratitude to all team members.

Legacy of a Leader
Dr. Sam Smith improved the lives of countless children and their families during his 28 years of service as Chief of Pediatric General Surgery. The legacy of this retiring leader extends through the ACGME-accredited Pediatric Surgery training program and the excellent surgical research training program he founded after joining our faculty and Arkansas Children’s in 1992. Dr. Smith developed the trauma program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Among many leadership roles, he served as Interim Chair of the Department of Surgery in 2007-2008. Dr. Smith also trained Dr. Sid Dassinger, who succeeds him as Division Chief. Read more about Dr. Smith (and Dr. Dassinger) in this tribute from Dr. Todd Maxson. Please join me in wishing Dr. Smith a joyful retirement!

Newly Invested
Congratulations to recently invested Geriatrics colleagues Dr. Steven Barger and Dr. Denise Compton. Dr. Barger, an exceptional neuroscience and neurological disease researcher, was invested in the Louise G. Hearn Chair in Dementia and Long-Term Care. Dr. Compton, a clinical psychologist and geriatric neuropsychologist specializing in seniors and cognitive disorders, was invested in the Magalene McKinnon Ingram Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Education. These are well-earned honors for Dr. Barger and Dr. Compton, who will have an even greater impact through their endowment-supported initiatives.

In the Spotlight
A recently published paper by Executive Associate Dean for Research Dr. Richard P. Morrison, Microbiology and Immunology Research Associate Sandra G. Morrison, B.S., and colleagues at the University of Indiana School of Medicine has been highlighted in a news brief by the prestigious Nature Reviews Microbiology. “A Genital Infection-Attenuated Chlamydia Muridarum Mutant Infects the Gastrointestinal Tract and Protects Against Genital Tract Challenge” was first published in the high-impact journal mBio. The paper identifies a promising path toward a live-attenuated vaccine for Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection.

Rural Research
Congratulations to the many UAMS faculty and staff who contributed to three publications in a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science devoted to research focused on improving rural public health. I join with Translational Research Institute Director Dr. Laura James in applauding the interdepartmental and cross-college research collaborations that led to the articles on topics including a digital health platform to support rural communities; field assessment of a safe-sleep instrument using smartphone technology; and mapping mammography access across Arkansas.

Editorial Appointment
Dr. David Nagy, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Director of Trauma Anesthesia at UAMS, will lend his expertise to the Editorial Committee of the Trauma Anesthesia Society. The Society works to advance the field of trauma anesthesia through education and research. Congratulations!

Dispelling Fears
Dr. Sarafina Kankam, Pain Medicine fellow in the Department of Anesthesiology, did a great job in an interview with KTHV-TV last week discussing the nationally noted concerns that many Black Americans have about the emerging COVID-19 vaccines. For some, fear and mistrust of government and the medical field stems from the grave mistreatment of Black Americans in the Tuskegee trials of the 1930s and other health system failings. Dr. Kankam emphasized the extensive scientific work that has gone into ensuring the safety and efficacy of the new vaccines, and she encouraged viewers to trust their health care providers on this important issue.

COVID & the Kidneys
Dr. Jawahar L. “Jay” Mehta, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics and the Stebbins Chair in Cardiology, Internal Medicine resident Dr. Husam Salah and Dr. John Arthur, Professor and Director of the Division of Nephrology, are the authors of an insightful editorial in the European Heart Journal, the highest-ranking cardiology journal. “Implications of renal ACE2 expression in the age of COVID-19” provides context for recent research involving angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a receptor for the virus that causes COVID-19, and comorbidities involving the renal system.

Cancer Insights
A shout-out to Tracy Nolan, Instructor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, who was recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for her contributions as a co-author on an important paper about patients with cancer who had exceptional responses to therapy. The research, published in the journal Cell, revealed molecular changes in the tumors of these patients that may help explain their response to treatment. The team at the UAMS-housed Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) has been working with the NCI on the project for several years. The study was highlighted in an NCI news release.

UAMS at AAO
The Department of Ophthalmology and Jones Eye Institute were well represented at the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology virtual meeting with an incredible seven presentations. I join with Ophthalmology Chair and Jones Eye Director Dr. Paul Phillips in congratulating all who participated. Presentation leaders included residents Dr. Kinza Ahmad and Dr. Zia Siddiqui; faculty members Dr. Sami Uwaydat and Dr. Ahmed Sallam; orthoptist Kathy Fray, CO; and award-winning medical student Michelle Huynh. Well done!

Consultant of the Month
Emergency Medicine residents selected Kyle Brewer, a peer-support specialist who helps address substance-use disorders in Emergency Department patients, as the newest Consultant of the Month. Residents praised Mr. Brewer for helping patients behind the scenes, sometimes influencing life-changing decisions through his own story and heart for service. One appreciative resident said he is “making us better doctors.” Thank you for you service Kyle, and congratulations!

No Hesitation
The Department of Surgery’s Dr. Conan Mustain recently saw a returning patient whom he realized needed to be evaluated for an unrelated and undiagnosed issue. A quick conversation with the Head and Neck Oncology Clinic’s Samantha Rose, CNP, was all it took to initiate life-saving care by Dr. Emre Vural, Ms. Rose and their team. “There was no hesitation on the part of the HONC staff to add this patient on to their already busy schedule,” Dr. Mustain told me. “It was great to see simple, in-person communication and a patient-first attitude expedite the care of this patient.”

Resident Heroes
Second-year Internal Medicine resident Dr. Ples Spradley wrote to me to share a story of heroism by a fellow UAMS resident. While driving on a major Little Rock street one recent evening, Dr. Spradley came upon a three-car pile-up that had just occurred in the opposite lanes – and he was stunned to see an injured driver collapse onto the median. He called 9-1-1 and quickly made his way back to the scene. Upon arrival, he discovered that first-year Surgery resident Dr. Megan White also had stopped to help. Dr. White was softly comforting the injured woman. When paramedics arrived, she provided a succinct summary of the patient’s condition. Dr. Spradley was amazed at Dr. White’s compassion and professionalism. I am proud of both of these selfless residents and am honored to have them training with us at UAMS.

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!

Quality First
The latest report from the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Project (TQIP) reflects the UAMS Trauma Team’s continuing excellence and commitment to quality improvement. The program ranked in the first decile in a number of metrics and categories, and the UAMS Level 1 Trauma Center continues to be one of the nation’s top performers for ventilator-associated pneumonia in all patients and traumatic brain injury patients. This is all the more impressive in light of the ongoing pandemic and with several new surgeons on the team. I want to thank Surgery Chair Dr. Ron Robertson for his leadership, and I join with him in thanking the entire Trauma Team for their outstanding work.

Surgery Scholars
I also recently learned of several scholarly accomplishments in the Department of Surgery. For example, Dr. Garrett Klutts, a third-year General Surgery resident, presented excellent and timely original research at the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Regional Meeting last week. After noticing that the amount of trauma seemed to increase during the pandemic, Dr. Klutts led a retrospective review of the UAMS trauma database during the period of strict quarantine in Pulaski County last spring and found that penetrating and violent trauma rates had indeed gone up. This trend has been described to a limited extent at other institutions, but there has been a dearth of published data. Dr. Klutts is collaborating on a manuscript with Drs. Kyle Kalkwarf, Kevin Sexton, Hanna Jensen, Saleema Karim and Avi Bhavaraju.

COVID Task Force
UAMS colleagues will lend their expertise to the COVID-19 Winter Task Force established by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson last week. The panel will advise the Governor as the state battles the increasing challenges of the pandemic in the months ahead. The initial 19 appointees include Chancellor and UAMS Health CEO Dr. Cam Patterson, Dr. Jerrilyn Jones of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Keyur Vyas of the Division of Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Jose Romero, Arkansas Secretary of Health and Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Greg Bledsoe serves as Vice-Chair, and colleagues from the Department of Health, other agencies and health care systems, hospitals and organizations around the state round out the Task Force. Please join me in expressing gratitude to all of these members for their service at this critical time.

First in the Nation
A shout-out to Dr. Bobby Boyanton, Professor of Pathology, who is the first physician nationwide to receive the American Board of Pathology Focused Practiced Designation in Microbiology. Dr. Boyanton was also invited to serve on the ABPath Certlink Test Development and Advisory Committee for continuing certification in Clinical Pathology. As recognized experts in their field, committee members develop, edit and critique exam questions and provide guidance on content.

ELAM Nominee
Congratulations to Dr. Jessica Snowden, Associate Professor and Director of the Infectious Diseases Section in the Department of Pediatrics, on her selection and nomination by UAMS for the prestigious Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program at Drexel University. Dr. Snowden’s work in many areas, including her co-leadership of the Data Coordinating and Operations Center for the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network, make her an exceptionally strong candidate for the highly competitive ELAM program.

International Presentation
Dr. Vishank Shah, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery, presented research as a platform presentation at the combined European Stroke Organization and World Stroke congress this month. His presentation, “One year fate of survivors of large intracerebral and intraventricular hemorrhage with poor outcome at day 30,” was the result of a collaboration with mentors at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where Dr. Shah completed a clinical and research fellowship before his recruitment to UAMS in 2018. Great job!

Two in a Week
The Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism’s Dr. Spyridoula Maraka and colleagues had two articles published last week in Thyroid, the journal of the American Thyroid Association. One article, “Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and treatment burden related to the use of levothyroxine in hypothyroid pregnant women in the United States” was a collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The second article is “Clinical Outcomes After Discontinuation of Thyroid Hormone Replacement – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Well done!

Poster Presentation
Congratulations to the Department of Ophthalmology’s Dr. Sami Uwaydat for his contributions to an excellent poster presentation at the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s virtual annual meeting this past weekend. Dr. Uwaydat was a co-author on “One Year Outcomes of Anti-VEGF Therapy in Peripapillary CNV.”

Applied Informatics
Congratulations to Mitra Rocca, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, on being inducted as a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association (FAMIA) during the AMIA annual symposium this week. The FAMIA program recognizes the contributions and professional accomplishments of AMIA members who apply informatics skills and knowledge in their professional setting. Her primary mentor is Professor and Biomedical Informatics Chair Dr. Fred Prior.

Getting Through This, Together
Finally this week, my thanks to Dr. Erick Messias and the many faculty members from throughout our college who participated in a working group and additional conversations to find solutions to some of the logistical challenges and stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group held two productive open forums as part of their efforts over the past few months, and their suggestions were shared with clinical leaders and others.

A key accomplishment was the compilation of a comprehensive resources guide to help faculty, residents, staff and students, as well as their families during the pandemic. These resources address wellness and many other areas, and I encourage COM team members to explore them.

Special thanks to the working group. Joining Dr. Messias were Drs. Renee Bornemeier, Romona Davis, Molly Gathright, Katie Kimbrough, Michelle Krause, Abby Nolder, Melda Onal, Sowmya Patil, Tamara Perry, Angie Scott, Tony Seupaul, Sara Tariq and Puru Thapa, along with Emily Freeman, MHSA, UAMS Faculty Center Director. Associate Provost for Faculty Dr. Wendy Ward and her team were instrumental in preparing the resources guide.

This outstanding effort proves, once again, that we will get through this together.

Accolades will return December 2. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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!

STEM Outreach
A shout-out to Dr. E. Robert Burns, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, for his newly published analysis of the Partners in Health Science (PIHS) Program, which he directed for 28 years until his retirement last year. “Professional Development for PreK-12 Teachers in Health Science Content Using a ‘Train and Equip’ Approach: 28 Years’ Experience” was published in the Journal of STEM Outreach. The program provided workshops on health sciences content, along with take-home resources, for 22,731 pre-K through 12^th grade teachers from 1991 through 2019. That translates to a phenomenal impact on health sciences teaching in Arkansas.

Prolific Pathologists
The Department of Pathology’s Dr. Terry Harville and Dr. Soumya Pandey are collaborators on eleven chapters in the recently published edition of “Pediatric Autoimmunity and Transplantation,” published by Springer. Dr. Harville and Dr. Pandey shared their expertise for chapters relating to autoimmunity, secondary immunodeficiency and transplantation. Great work!

Dedicated Resident
I heard two glowing reports recently about Ophthalmology resident Dr. Heather Broyles and her dedication to clinical care, scholarly work and teaching. The Department of Emergency Medicine’s Dr. Chris Fowler wrote the Ophthalmology team to applaud Dr. Broyles for going the extra mile on a complicated case as well as for her ongoing graciousness and excellent work on consults and teaching in the Emergency Department. I also join with Ophthalmology Chair Dr. Paul Phillips in congratulating Dr. Broyles for her work as the first author on a paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology. The article by multiple colleagues in the Jones Eye Institute describes a retinal finding that will enable earlier detection and treatment of temporal arteritis to reduce blindness. Great job!

Epilepsy Symposium
Kudos to everyone who made the second annual UAMS Epilepsy Symposium a great success. In keeping with Epilepsy Awareness Month, the November 7 virtual event focused on the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and seizure disorders. This year’s speakers included the Department of Neurosurgery’s Dr. Gregory Albert and Dr. Viktoras Palys; Dr. Sisira Yadala of the Department of Neurology; the Division of Pediatric Neurology’s Dr. Freedom Perkins and Dr. Kapil Arya; and Neuropsychology fellow Dr. Chrystal Fullen.   

Research Society
Dr. Abdallah Dalabih, Associate Professor in the Critical Care Medicine Section of the Department of Pediatrics, has been accepted into the national Society of Pediatric Research. Dr. Dalabih was nominated by Pediatrics colleagues Dr. Parthak Prodhan and Dr. Michael Stroud. Congratulations!

EM Education
The Department of Emergency Medicine’s Dr. Chris Fowler and Dr. Amanda Young, Assistant Professors in the Division of Education, are among the authors of a recently published, peer-reviewed eBook, “Education Theory Made Practical (Volume 3).” The publication is associated with the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator Program. Dr. Young and Dr. Fowler contributed to a chapter on the Kirkpatrick Model for evaluating results of training programs. 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!

Successful Conference
Kudos to the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine’s Community Health and Education Division for their excellent work on the 24^th Annual Family Medicine Update with Tobacco and Disease Symposium. More than 150 health care providers attended the department’s first virtual CME/CE conference, which featured faculty and clinician presenters from multiple departments and UAMS colleges. Special thanks to planners Alysia Dubriske, M.Ed., Marybeth Curtis, RN, BSN, and Andrea Hooten, M.B.A., along with Annemarie McGahagan, B.S.E., Leesa Freasier, M.Ed., Matt Mitchell, B.S., Colleen Lassiter and staff from UAMS Learn on Demand and UAMS audiovisual. Read more about the event and the outstanding presenters here.

Making a Difference
Congratulations to the Department of Emergency Medicine’s Dr. Casey Smolarz on becoming the first person to be re-elected as Chief of Staff for Baptist Health-Conway. Dr. Smolarz, Emergency Department Medical Director for the hospital, was also named Physician of the Year by the Conway Chamber of Commerce early this year. We’re proud of the difference Dr. Smolarz is making in patient care in the Conway community as well as here on the UAMS campus!

Cardiotoxicity Research
The Division of Hematology and Oncology’s Dr. Valentina Todorova continues to do superb research into cardiotoxicity from the chemotherapy agent doxorubicin (DOX). Most recently Dr. Todorova was the co-first author with the College of Public Health’s Dr. Ping-Ching Hsu on a paper in the American Journal of Cancer Research, “Biomarkers of inflammation, hypercoagulability and endothelial injury predict early asymptomatic doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer.” Dr. Todorova and Dr. Hsu collaborated with faculty from multiple departments on the study.

Motivational Interviewing
A shout-out to Dr. Nihit Kumar, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, for his work to train clinicians in Motivational Interviewing. The intervention can be used to strengthen the commitment to change behaviors and improve outcomes for patients with chronic health conditions. It can also assist with treatment compliance in physical therapy, smoking cessation and weight loss, as well as in substance-use behaviors. Dr. Kumar recently chaired an extended workshop on Motivational Interviewing during the American Academy of Adolescent Psychiatry’s Virtual Annual Meeting, and he is available to conduct similar training for UAMS clinicians. Medical professionals interested in learning more can contact Dr. Kumar at NKumar@uams.edu

Graduate Scholars
UAMS Graduate School Ph.D. students Lance Benson and Brian Parks have been named the inaugural Dr. Glenn and Lori Millner Distinguished Scholars in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Mr. Benson is working with the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology’s Dr. Shengyu Mu to study how salt-sensitive high blood pressure develops. Mr. Parks is working with Pharmacology’s Dr. Lisa Brents to study the effects of prenatal opioid exposure. I join with Graduate School Dean Dr. Bobby McGehee in congratulating these outstanding doctoral students, thanking their stellar mentors, and expressing gratitude to the Millner family for making the Distinguished Scholars scholarships possible. Read more here.

On the Case
Jace Bradshaw, a fourth-year College of Medicine student planning to train in emergency medicine, did a great job presenting at the “Case-Con” competition sponsored by the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA) at the American College of Emergency Physicians virtual annual conference. He took second in the October 25 student competition for his poster presentation on a case of myxoma – a non-cancerous tumor in the heart – that led to a stroke. Way to go!

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!

Thank You, Dr. Marsh
This month marks the close of Dr. James Marsh’s 16-plus years of service as the Nolan Family Distinguished Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Marsh has provided superb leadership for one of our largest and most critical departments, overseeing the growth and strengthening of numerous divisions. He has made extensive contributions to our educational, research and clinical mission through his leadership and his own masterful teaching, collaborative scientific work and highly regarded, compassionate care as a cardiologist.

One mark of Dr. Marsh’s leadership has been that while always thoughtful and diplomatic, he has unfailingly stood firm on matters of principle. Jim is a collegial and gracious colleague, and he will be missed when he moves on to retirement in January. Fortunately, Dr. Marsh will remain with us as a senior cardiologist for a couple of more months as we welcome incoming Chair Dr. Edward Yeh.

Dr. Marsh has been appointed to the rank of Distinguished Professor, and I am struck by how truly distinguished he is. I know I speak for all of us at UAMS in expressing our gratitude for his extraordinary service and wishing Jim all the best in his retirement.

Life Support Leader
Dr. Steve Schexnayder, Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, is the senior author of the American Heart Association (AHA) 2020 Pediatric and Advanced Life Support Guidelines. The guidelines, published in Circulation, serve as the gold standard for pediatric CPR and resuscitation for approximately 180 countries, as well as the scientific basis for AHA courses that train more than a million pediatric health care providers around the globe each year. Dr. Schexnayder also serves as one of four U.S. representatives on the Pediatric Task Force of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. Children here and around the world are the beneficiaries of the expertise and many hundreds of hours that he devotes to this work. Thank you for your leadership in this field, Dr. Schexnayder.

Landmark Paper
Dr. Terry Harville, Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine, and Dr. Kent McKelvey, Associate Professor of Genetics and Family and Preventive Medicine, are among the eight co-authors of a landmark paper from the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. Published October 20 in the Special Communication Section of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the paper presents the first evidence-based medical care guidelines for adults with Down syndrome. The UAMS colleagues and their peers at some of the largest adult Down syndrome clinical centers in the country worked for four years on the guidelines, which include 14 recommendations and four statements of good practice. The guidelines address behavioral health, dementia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, atlantoaxial instability, osteoporosis, thyroid and celiac disease. Congratulations and kudos to Dr. McKelvey and Dr. Harville on this very important work.  

COVID Cardiology
College of Medicine cardiologists and researchers continue to publish important papers that advance the understanding of the links between COVID-19 and the heart. Dr. Jawahar L. (Jay) Mehta, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics and the Stebbins Chair in Cardiology, most recently co-authored a paper with Internal Medicine resident Dr. Husam Salah. “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and COVID-19 infection” was published in the European Heart Journal-Cardiovascular Imaging and discusses a newly defined phenomenon in some patients with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, colleagues in the Department of Pediatrics Division of Cardiology have just had an article accepted for publication in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. Fellow Dr. Lee Crawford, Associate Professor Dr. Kenneth Knecht, Professor Dr. Parthak Prodhan, Associate Professor Dr. Elijah Bolin and Assistant Professor Dr. Markus Renno collaborated on “Variable Presentation of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients,” a case series indicating at least two different pathways that can result in cardiac involvement with acute infection or delayed inflammatory response.

Resident Leadership Award
Child Neurology resident Dr. Praveen Ramani recently received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Section of the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Ramani received the largest share of nominations in the history of the award, and for very good reason. Nominators praised his commitment to patient care, exceptional clinical skills and mentorship of interns. During his rotation, he made an exceptional “catch,” saving a patient’s life by identifying a pericardial effusion in tamponade before the patient’s symptoms escalated. Congratulations Dr. Ramani. We are proud of you.

Super Symposium
A shout-out to the Department of Dermatology for their excellent work hosting the second annual UAMS Dermatology Fall Clinical Symposium last Saturday. This year’s virtual format enabled approximately 40 providers from across the state and beyond to participate. The symposium was organized by Dr. Henry Wong and Ms. Amanda Blagg. Along with Dr. Wong, presenters included Dr. Vivian Shi, Dr. Rodrigo Valdes-Rodriguez, Dr. Megan Evans and resident Dr. Hugh Nymeyer, as well as case presentations by UAMS medical students heading into dermatology: Amanda Ederle, Alyson McKinnon, Dmitry Nedosekin, Sophia Ly and Blake Richardson. 

Student Scholar
Congratulations to third-year M.D./M.P.H. student Anusha Majagi on being selected for the Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC) 2021 Geriatric Student Scholars Program. Supported by a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, the program is designed to increase health professions students’ knowledge about older adults and the specialized care they need. Anusha’s nomination was supported by Dr. Sara Tariq, Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Read more about Anusha and the program here.

Service Awards
Let’s have a round of applause for all of the outstanding, dedicated colleagues being honored with UAMS Employee Service Awards this week. UAMS recognizes employees after each five years of service, and many of this year’s 1,220 honorees have served on Team UAMS for three, four or even five decades. Six College of Medicine faculty and staff are being honored for an incredible 40 years of service: Dr. Teresita Angtuaco (Radiology), Dr. Robert Bradsher Jr. (Internal Medicine), Dr. Lawrence Cornett (Physiology/Biophysics), Wyvonne Ora (Northwest Arkansas IM Residency), Dr. Robert Reis (Geriatrics) and Dwana McKay Yarberry (Housestaff Affairs). We are grateful for the service of these and other COM colleagues as well as our friends in ICE, other colleges and areas throughout UAMS.

Grateful Students
The College of Medicine freshman class hosted a beautiful and moving ceremony last week to express gratitude for the anatomical donors who helped them learn the intricacies of anatomy during their Human Structure course this fall. While the foundational course lasts only a matter of weeks, the memory and impact of the gift of an anatomical donor stays with a physician throughout their lifetime. Many thanks to M1 Class President Tamanna Basri and fellow 2024 Class Officers for planning and conducting the largely virtual event, along with ceremony speakers Dr. David Davies and Dr. Edgar Meyer and all of the Human Structure faculty.

Above & Beyond
A patient recently wrote to thank UAMS for the exceptional care provided by the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery’s Dr. Mauricio Moreno, Dr. Jumin Sunde and Samantha Rose, APRN. The multi-page letter made it clear that this patient faced an extremely serious and frightening condition. The patient was grateful for the expertise of the Otolaryngology team – but something else meant just as much. “The clarity and kindness that they provided was far beyond just being conventionally compassionate and dramatically exceeded any type of expectations,” the patient wrote. Kudos to these colleagues for their exceptional work. This is what we are all about!