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.

Breakthroughs in Medicine

UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Research Institute clinician scientists were integral in two of the seven “breakthroughs that changed medicine in 2024” highlighted in a retrospective article published by National Geographic in December.

One of the breakthroughs was the development of “partial heart transplants” to provide lifesaving replacement heart valves that will continue to grow with infants who are born with faulty heart valves. Dr. Taufiek Konrad Rajab, Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery, pioneered the procedure. His collaborative work with coauthors at Duke University was published in JAMA last January.

National Geographic also noted the FDA approval of the drug Omalizumab to reduce the risks posed by life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. The approval stemmed from the work of Dr. Stacie Jones and Dr. Amy Scurlock, Professors in the Department of Pediatrics Section of Allergy and Immunology, and their peers in the NIH Consortium for Food Allergy Research. The Omalizumab trial was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February.

Congratulations to these outstanding faculty members and their research teams!

Distinguished Service Award

Congratulations to Dr. Alan Diekman, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Urology, on being selected to receive the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Andrology (ASA). Dr. Diekman is nationally recognized for his research into the molecular mechanisms of reproductive biology and has been active in the ASA for over two decades. He has served in numerous leadership roles and as ASA Treasurer coauthored the organization’s five-year strategic plan in 2021. He will be recognized in a March 30 ceremony at the annual conference of the ASA and the International Society of Andrology (ISA). 

National Family Medicine Programs

A shout-out to Family and Preventive Medicine Assistant Professors Dr. Lauren Gibson-Oliver and Dr. Rachael Goodwin, who have been selected to participate in faculty development programs sponsored by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) in 2025. Dr. Gibson-Oliver, Program Director of the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency, will participate in the STFM Emerging Leaders Fellowship. Dr. Goodwin, who practices and teaches at the UAMS North Central Campus in Batesville, has been chosen for the STFM New Faculty Scholars Program.

Clinical Documentation Stars

Kudos to Dr. Katy Marino, Associate Professor in the Division of Thoracic Surgery, and Dr. Stephen King, Assistant Professor in Family and Preventive Medicine, who were recently named Chart Champion Stars by the UAMS Medical Center Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) team. Dr. Marino was recognized for her detailed, well-explained query responses that “vastly improve the DRG assignments for her patients and accuracy in coding and billing.” The CDI team noted that Dr. King frequently contacts coding specialists to provide polite, personable feedback and rationale for codes he is dropping, and that he helps to “improve understanding of the standpoints between the physicians and the coders.” Both were highlighted in the November-December Chart Champions newsletter. 

Mobile Vision Screening Hits the Road

A shout-out to the Department of Ophthalmology on the successful rollout of the new GoVision mobile vision screening unit. As Professor and Chair Dr. Paul Phillips notes in this UAMS news story, the initiative is poised to significantly improve vision care access for children and adults across Arkansas. UAMS received a grant from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas to support the program. Special thanks to resident Dr. Zain Chauhan, who was the lead grant writer, along with resident Dr. Abdel Elhusseiny and Professor Dr. Ahmed Sallam, for their work on the initiative. Kudos also to Shelli Madison, Sajida Chauhan, Megan Brown and Angela Johnson, and to residents Dr. Alex Kwok and Dr. Joshua Shin, who joined Dr. Chauhan for the inaugural screening event at the Huda Academy in Little Rock.

National Behavioral Neurology Leadership

Dr. Anthony Davis, Associate Professor of Neurology, has been elected Vice Chair of the Behavioral Neurology Section of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). His two-year term will start in April. The election is a wonderful recognition of Dr. Davis’ national stature in the field. Kudos to Dr. Davis as well for his ongoing work to expand behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry services at UAMS.

CMS Expert Panel Appointment

Dr. Stephen Foster, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) at the UAMS Northeast Regional Campus in Jonesboro, has been selected to serve on the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic Clinical Quality Measure (eCQM) Development and Maintenance for Eligible Clinicians project. At UAMS, Dr. Foster also serves as Director of the DFPM Office of Digital Health and as Medical Director of Population Health for the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line. As a member of the TEP, he will join with other experts and stakeholders to provide input on the prioritization and development of eCQMs that support CMS’ quality program goals.

Editorial Board Appointment

Dr. Josh Kennedy, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Allergy and Immunology Section, will lend his expertise as a member of the Editorial Board of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, for the next two years. Dr. Kennedy’s research has focused extensively on the intersection of asthma and the effects of the common cold virus, as well as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Last year, he received a $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to lead a five-year study to help clarify the viral and host factors that lead to severe disease in children infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Prestigious Echocardiography Accreditation

The UAMS Cardiac Noninvasive Laboratory has received accreditation for adult transesophageal, stress and transthoracic echocardiography from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). As Dr. Paul Mounsey, Professor and Director of the Cardiology Division in the Department of Internal Medicine, notes in this UAMS news story, the prestigious accreditation is a testament to the hard work, dedication and excellence of the entire cardiac noninvasive team. Special thanks to Dr. Srikanth Vallurupalli, Associate Professor and Medical Director, and Randi Booker, MHA, Manager and Technical Director of the lab.

Student Travel Award, Research Honor

Congratulations to second-year medical student Grace Turbyfill on her recent research honors, including a prestigious travel award from the Medical Toxicology Foundation to attend the American College of Medical Toxicology annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C., in April. She also has been invited to do an oral presentation at the Southern Society for Pediatric Research/Southern Regional Meeting in New Orleans in February. Her research, completed as part of our Pediatric Honors Program, focused on evaluating the impact of a simplified treatment regimen for acetaminophen toxicity. Dr. Erica Liebelt, Professor and Medical and Research Director for Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, is Grace’s program mentor.

Graduate School Celebrates Students and Mentors

The scientific achievements of students and contributions of their faculty mentors were in the spotlight at the recent UAMS Graduate School Winter Awards Reception. Outstanding Achievement Awards were presented to M.D./Ph.D. student Amie Brint and graduate students Katherine Deck, Christian Mitchell and Dakota Redling. Excellence in Mentoring Awards went to their mentors, respectively: Dr. Robert Griffin, Professor of Radiation Oncology; Dr. Shengyu Mu, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology; Dr. Abdel Fouda, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology; and Dr. Kimberly Stephens, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. Many other students received Achievement Awards or were recognized for other accomplishments, and several additional faculty members received Mentor Awards. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

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.

Transformative Initiative Earns Advocacy Award

Congratulations to Dr. Kapil Arya, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Pediatric Neurology, on being selected to receive the 2025 Viste Patient Advocate of the Year Award from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). Dr. Arya, who directs the Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and spasticity programs at Arkansas Children’s, will be honored at the AAN annual meeting in April for his outstanding work with SMA, including his leadership to implement statewide newborn screening for the rare disease.

If not detected and treated within a few weeks of birth, SMA can be debilitating and often fatal. The Arkansas General Assembly enacted a law requiring newborn screening for SMA in 2019, but a complex system was still needed for the screening to become routine across the state. Dr. Arya developed the system as a UAMS Translational Research Institute Implementation Science Scholar in the UAMS Center for Implementation Research in 2020. (Read more about this transformative initiative in this UAMS news story.) In addition to receiving the AAN award, Dr. Arya will present the AAN’s priorities to congressional lawmakers as part of the “Neurology on the Hill” advocacy program in 2025.

Award Honors Service in Respiratory Care

Dr. Ariel Berlinski, Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Pediatric Pulmonology, received the 2024 Albert H. Andrews Jr, M.D., Award from the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC). The annual award recognizes a physician who has contributed significantly to the development of respiratory care and the organizations supporting the profession. Dr. Berlinski has served as a consultant for the neonatal-pediatric certification issued by the NBRC for the past 17 years. At Arkansas Children’s, Dr. Berlinski serves as Medical Director of the Pulmonary Diagnostic Laboratory, Medical Director of Respiratory Care Services, and Director of the Arkansas Children’s Cystic Fibrosis Center. Dr. Berlinski also directs the Pediatric Aerosol Research Laboratory at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute.

Hypertension Control Champions

Congratulations to Dr. Tabasum Imran, Medical Director of UAMS’ Fort Smith Family Medical Center, and team on being designated as a 2024 Hypertension Control Champion by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as part of the agency’s Million Hearts Campaign. The national initiative recognizes clinicians, practices and health systems that have achieved blood pressure control for at least 80% of their patients with hypertension. Dr. Imran, an Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, also serves as Assistant Service Line Director for Quality in the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line. Clinical Services Manager Brenda Morris and Quality Improvement Coordinator Virginia King also had essential roles in the clinic becoming one of only two in Arkansas to achieve the designation. 

National Honor in Bioethics

A shout-out to Dr. Micah Hester, Professor and Chair of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, on his election as a Fellow of the Hastings Center, the premier interdisciplinary professional organization and research institute in the field of bioethics. Hastings Center Fellows are recognized as leaders in areas of global importance in bioethics, and whose work has informed scholarship and public understanding of complex ethical issues in health, health care, science and technology. As a leading expert in “pragmatic bioethics,” Dr. Hester has written and lectured extensively on the ethics of patient-professional relationships and end-of-life issues. The Hastings Fellow election was just the latest honor for Dr. Hester. In September, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities.

Championing Women in the Thyroid Field

Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, has been named Chair-Elect of the American Thyroid Association’s Women in Thyroidology. The organization works to address the unique challenges of women in the field, promote gender equity in the thyroidology workforce, and celebrate the achievements and contributions of women advancing thyroid research and clinical care. Dr. Maraka is an internationally recognized expert in thyroid disease. She also currently serves on an expert panel that develops clinical practice guidelines for the Endocrine Society. At UAMS, she serves as Program Director for the Endocrinology Fellowship.

Anesthesiology Diversity Teaching Initiative Earns Grant

Department of Anesthesiology Professor Dr. Faiza Khan and Assistant Professor Dr. Michelle Tenorio have been awarded a Diversity Mentoring Grant from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). The grant will support an initiative to develop an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) to teach learners behavioral skills related to communication challenges and diversity, equity and inclusion topics. The ASA grants are aimed at fostering diversity within the anesthesiology community through mentorship-focused projects involving research, education, political advocacy or an organized medicine endeavor.

Supplement Guest Editor

Dr. Bobby Boyanton, Professor of Pathology and Chief of Pathology at Arkansas Children’s, shared his expertise as guest editor for a supplement in the Journal of Infectious Diseases focusing on laboratory and point-of-care diagnostics for pharyngitis. Dr. Boyanton was the first author or lead author on three reviews covering the topics of emerging and remerging pharyngitis pathogens; current laboratory and point-of-care pharyngitis diagnostic testing and knowledge gaps; and diagnostic potential for collaborative pharyngitis biomarkers.  

Military Match

Congratulations to our medical students who matched to programs in the U.S. Military Match last week as the next step in their service to our nation and the field of medicine. They include Andrew Brown, who will train in ophthalmology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and Luke Livingston, who will train in family medicine at Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. We are all thankful to them and all our military students for their commitment to service. Meanwhile, most of our seniors will have to wait until next March 21, when the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) culminates in Match Day 2025, to learn their match location. We’re rooting for you all!

CPR Teaching Initiative Earns Prestigious Award

Dr. Steve Schexnayder, Professor and Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, was part of a team receiving a special honor at the American Heart Association’s recent Resuscitation Science Symposium in Chicago. The Ian G. Jacobs Award for International Group Collaboration to Advance Resuscitation Science recognizes international collaborations that have resulted in major contributions to fundamental or clinical science related to cardiac arrest or traumatic injury. The team’s long-running “Kids Save Lives” project has promoted CPR training in schools around the world, and the group recently published a scientific statement on the value of teaching CPR in schools. Commissioned by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, the statement was published in the journal Resuscitation.

In Arkansas, Dr. Schexnayder led an effort to begin teaching CPR at Little Rock Central High School in 2013, using UAMS medical students as instructors to teach about 600 teens each year. The program continues today as part of the required health class curriculum. Several former medical students who were part of those initial efforts are now on our faculty, including Dr. Daniel Bingham and Dr. David Fitzgerald in Anesthesiology and Dr. Garrett Williams in Pediatrics. Congratulations to Dr. Schexnayder, and kudos to all who have participated in this initiative.

Journal Guest Editor

Dr. Jill Mhyre, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, served as the Guest Editor for a special themed issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia this month focusing on quality and safety in obstetric anesthesia. Dr. Mhyre, who is the section editor for the topic on the journal’s editorial board, also recorded podcasts to accompany the issue and will lead a webinar on quality and safety in obstetric anesthesia in January. Interestingly, the cover of the issue features a reinterpretation of a masterpiece by Gustav Klimt, “Hope II,” that evokes the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth while also signifying the efforts of health care providers to keep women safe.     

Multiple System Atrophy Center of Excellence

A shout-out to Dr. Tuhin Virmani, Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the Movement Disorders Program, Neurology Chair Dr. Rohit Dhall, and colleagues on being selected as a 2025 Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) Center of Excellence by Mission MSA. The renewal of the designation for UAMS reflects the ongoing dedication to providing the best possible multidisciplinary care, support services and clinical trials opportunities for individuals and families affected by MSA. Along with Dr. Virmani and Dr. Dhall, the Movement Disorders team includes Dr. Hillary Williams, Dr. Aditya Boddu and APRNs Rachel Sloan and Tim Paslay.

International Otology Teaching

Dr. John Dornhoffer, Professor and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, is sharing his expertise at several presentations, panel discussions and other sessions at the 8^th Munich Hearing Implant Symposium in Germany this week. Dr. Dornhoffer is internationally renowned for his expertise in cochlear implantation and other areas of otology. In addition to presenting at events conducted in English, he will be teaching a number of lab sessions in German.

Novel Method for Identifying Infection

Robert Brand and Caroline Geels, seniors at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, collaborated with the University of Arkansas Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington Regional Medical Center and others on a small trial for a novel spectroscopy method to determine whether synovial (joint) fluid is infected. The team’s encouraging preliminary findings into the use of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were recently published in the Journal of Biophotonics. Dr. Hanna Jensen, Assistant Professor of Surgery, also was on the research team and mentored Robert and Caroline.   

Career Service Awards

Congratulations to the many College of Medicine and UAMS team members who were recognized for their years of service this week. It was an honor to join with Chancellor Cam Patterson and other UAMS leaders to recognize employees with 20-plus years of service at a ceremony on Tuesday. The celebration continued this afternoon with a reception for those with 5, 10 and 15 years of service.

Three UAMS team members were recognized for their incredible 50 years of service, including College of Medicine faculty Dr. Linda McGhee and Dr. James Suen. Dr. McGhee, an Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, has inspired countless residents and students through her teaching, mentorship and devotion to patients. Dr. Suen, a Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, chaired the department for 43 years and co-founded what is now the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

The Department of Neurology’s Gwenn Higginbotham marked her 45^th year at UAMS this year, and COM team members Rhonda Anthony, Selma Chandler, Dr. William Golden, Anjacnette Harris, Jannetta Palmer, Michele Perry, Tom South and Dr. Joanne Szabo all earned their 40-year pins. Many others aren’t far behind, so I encourage you to take a moment to check out the lists of honorees on the Employee Service Awards website. (Please note that team members may be included under institutes and other units besides the COM.)

Thank you all for your service through the years, and in the years to come. We couldn’t do it without you.

Important Statistical Concepts – Simplified

The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and USDA National Agricultural Library invited Dr. Reid Landes, Professor of Biostatistics, to explain basic statistical concepts of experimental design and statistical analysis of animal experiments at the 11th Annual 3Rs Symposium: Practical Approaches to Each of the 3Rs. His excellent talk, “Think big, not small, to reduce N overall” covers two common scenarios in animal experiments: experiments with same-group cage-mates and replicating experiments for reproducibility’s sake. For each scenario, Dr. Landes provides a practical question and fact to consider when developing, or when reviewing, animal experiments.  

Geriatrics Research in Spotlight

Department of Geriatrics faculty, trainees and medical students presented 10 abstracts and took home honors at the recent annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Seattle. Presidential Poster Awards went to postdoctoral fellow Dr. Pankaj Patyal and colleagues for “Cardiac overexpression of serum response factor alters mitochondrial structure and function,” and to postdoctoral fellow Dr. Ambika Verma and colleagues for “P. gingivalis-LPS promotes AD/ADRD via Caspase-4-Mediated Noncanonical Inflammasome Pathway.” Medical students Lauren Camp, Riley Swafford, Esther Park and Milenko Petrovic were coauthors on three abstracts presented at the meeting.

Consult-Liaison Psychiatry National Conference

The Department of Psychiatry was well represented at the recent Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry annual conference in Miami. Third-year residents Dr. Molly Wootten, Dr. Christopher Parrill and Dr. Catey May-Martin presented posters. Dr. Wooten won the Best Case Report award for “Hard Choices: A Case of Antipsychotic Induced Priapism in Treatment Resistant Schizoaffective Disorder with Recurrent Catatonia.” Faculty members and Psychiatric Research Institute consult-liaison physicians Dr. Payton Lea, Dr. Samidha Tripathi and Dr. Amy Grooms also attended. Dr. Tripathi joined with collaborators from four other institutions to present a pre-conference skills course, “C-L Admin 101: What every CL psychiatrist should know.”

A Toast to Great Communicators!

Communication skills are important to the professional success of both future and practicing physicians. Many of our students are honing their skills in speaking, presenting and leadership as members of Confident Communicators, the Toastmasters Club for students at UAMS. Medical students Melanie Beehler, Quincy Gragg and Harrison Jenkins did a great job discussing the benefits and their experiences with the club as members of a panel at the Toastmasters International Summit held at Philander Smith University in Little Rock in November. And congratulations to Sharanda Williams, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, who received the Director’s Choice Award at the conference for her outstanding service to District 43 Toastmasters. Sharanda is a member of Bridge Builders, the Toastmasters club for UAMS staff.

Top Doctors

Finally this week, congratulations to the many faculty physicians who were named to the 2024 Castle Connolly Top Doctors list, published this month in Arkansas Times. The list includes outstanding College of Medicine physicians who practice at locations including UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and Baptist Health. UAMS is always a strong presence on the list, and this year is no exception. Kudos to all for your dedication to providing world-class clinical care along with your service in education, research and service to communities across the state.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Newly Invested

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

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

Arkansas Health Impact Honorees

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

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

Neurosurgery Editorial Board

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

Opioid-Focused Smartphone App Earns Honors

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

NICU Initiative Published in Pediatrics

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

International Guidelines for Endocrinology

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

Award-Winning Posters

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

National Medical Examiners Leadership

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

Athlete and Scholar

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

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

Faculty Invested in Arkansas Children’s Endowed Chairs

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

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

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

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

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

Champion for Hemophilia Patients

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

Clinical Documentation Stars

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

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Teaching

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

Student Volunteers are Key to “Girlology” Success

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

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

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

Championing Equity in Cancer Care

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

Boosting Scholarly Discussion in Anesthesiology

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

National Otolaryngology Recognition

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

National Recognition for Work with Students

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

Improving Outcomes in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

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

Inspiring Future Women Orthopaedic Surgeons

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

UAMS Well Represented at Arkansas ACP Conference

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

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

Radiology Challenging Case Competition

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

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

Frontiers in Nucleic Acid Research

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

On the Forefront of Liquid Biopsy Science

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

New Book Focuses on Childhood Glaucoma

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

Pediatric Pulmonary Research Presentations

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

Odyssey Medal for Research

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

AAFP Fellow

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

Leadership through Scholarship

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

Predoctoral Fellowship Award

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

ENT Surgical Training Video

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

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

10 Years of National Recognition for Stroke Care

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

Strategies for Improving Maternal Health

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

Research Collaboration Exemplifies Translational Spirit

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

Pediatric Otolaryngology Textbook

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

National Award for Pediatric CF Care Team

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

National Pathology Recognition

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

Pediatric Emergency Medicine at National Meetings

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

Pediatric Sedation Expertise

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

Presidential Poster Award

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

Newly Published

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