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.

MVPs Rock!

Congratulations to the five College of Medicine team members who were named Most Valuable Players (MVPs) for 2023. Nominated by colleagues, these individuals were selected as MVPs for their exemplary contributions to their respective programs and our college’s mission, and for simply making UAMS a better place to work. I had the great pleasure of meeting them all in individual presentation ceremonies throughout November and December. The winners were announced in our Spread Kindness newsletter last week, and we will share comments from their nominators in the upcoming February COMmunication newsletter. Meanwhile, for all they do, please join me in thanking our newest MVPs:

• Dr. Mauricio Garcia
  Associate Professor and Chief, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• Dr. Diane Jarrett
  Assistant Professor and Director, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Office of Communication and Departmental Relations
• Rachel Kelley
  Office Manager, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, CORE
• Angela Kyzer
  Program Manager, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Research and Evaluation Division
• Ashley Wilson
  Physician Assistant, Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Heart Surgery

Serving Across Mission Areas

A shout-out to Dr. Tuhin Virmani, Associate Professor of Neurology, for his contributions across our missions of clinical care, research and education. Dr. Virmani is a superb physician-scientist, and he has a passion for teaching and mentoring medical students, residents and fellows in Neurology and other specialties, along with physician assistant students and other young scientists. Likewise, his educational work with patients, caregivers and the community as Director of the Neurodegenerative Disorders Program has helped UAMS to garner national recognitions of excellence for our clinical services in Parkinson’s and related disorders and Huntington’s disease. Dr. Virmani has held numerous educational roles in the department and most recently was named Vice Chair for Education.

International Digital Health Forum

Dr. Spyridoula Maraka, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Program Director of the Endocrinology Fellowship, will be an invited speaker for a forum on digital health at the University of Oxford in the U.K. this Friday. Dr. Maraka was selected for the panel because of her insights as a member of the Endocrine Society panel that wrote a Policy Perspective for the appropriate use of telehealth in endocrinology. In her presentation, she will discuss the effective use of telehealth in the field, including the potential for enhancing access and flexibility in endocrine care for some patients. Dr. Maraka is also internationally known for her expertise in thyroid disease.

Family Medicine Teaching Talks

Dr. Rajalakshmi Cheerla, Associate Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, Clerkship Site Director and Family Medicine Residency Clinic Medical Director at the Baptist-UAMS Medical Education Program, delivered multiple presentations at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Conference on Medical Student Education in Atlanta last week. Dr. Cheerla was the lead presenter for a session on conducting an innovative preventive care workshop in clerkship education and for a roundtable discussion on effective clinical teaching in the patient’s presence. She was a co-presenter for a session on designing fourth-year electives in sports medicine.

UAMS Hosts Dermatology Conference

The Department of Dermatology welcomed residents, medical students and faculty from four other schools in the region as the host of the Southern Dermatology Consortium Annual Research Day on the weekend of Feb. 2-3. UAMS residents Dr. Josh Hekmatjah and Dr. Hera Wu presented talks, and Dr. Hekmatjah won first place for his talk, “Allergenicity of 100 popular over-the-counter acne treatments.” UAMS visiting research fellow Caitlyn Dagenet (a medical student at the University of Arizona) and UAMS medical student Jordan Pilkington received first and second place, respectively, for medical student poster presentations. UAMS medical students Mary Phillips, Phoebe Bruffett, Hannah Wu, Mia Alshami and Kayla Perry also presented posters.     

EyeWiki Honoree

Third-year Ophthalmology resident Dr. Abdel Elhusseiny has won a prestigious contest sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) for the second consecutive year. Dr. Elhusseiny was one of only four residents and fellows across the country selected as winners of the AAO’s EyeWiki challenge, which recognizes outstanding articles submitted to EyeWiki, an online reference. Dr. Elhusseiny won the challenge for the article “Biosimilars in Ophthalmology.” UAMS co-authors included Professor Dr. Sami Uwaydat and medical student Ramsey Ghaleb. Dr. Elhusseiny will be honored at the AAO Mid-Year Forum in April.

Thoracic Surgery Advocacy

Dr. Matthew Steliga, a Professor in the Division of Thoracic Surgery, and General Surgery residents Dr. Seana Corbin and Dr. Lauren Johnson recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Leadership and Advocacy Program. The UAMS team met with members of the Arkansas delegation including Sen. John Boozman, Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. French Hill as well as with STS leadership, to discuss workforce shortage issues and an initiative to expand coverage for lung cancer screening. Here’s a photo of their visit with Sen. Boozman.

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 ATV Safety for Children

Dr. Dale Blasier, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, coauthored a thoughtful and informative op-ed column published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last week to raise awareness about the growing number of serious injuries involving children and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Dr. Blasier and Amber Ritchie, RN, a pediatric orthopaedic nurse at Arkansas Children’s, noted that they treat children with ATV injuries, many of them severe or tragic, almost every day at Arkansas Children’s hospitals in Little Rock and Springdale. Their article also provides ATV safety guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Here is a PDF of the article, in case you would like to read or share it.

Dr. Blasier also deserves a shoutout for his contributions at the national level. Most recently, he was once again designated as an Elite Reviewer for the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. Orthopaedic Surgery Chair Dr. Lowry Barnes said fewer than 3% of the journal’s reviewers have achieved Elite Reviewer status, and Dr. Blasier has held the distinction for several years.

State of the Art Honorary Lecture

Dr. Laura James, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute, was nominated and selected to deliver the Hyman J. Zimmerman Hepatoxicity State of the Art Lecture at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases’ recent annual meeting in Boston. The AASLD is the leading organization of scientists and health professionals committed to preventing and curing liver disease, and The Liver Meeting is the largest conference devoted to hepatology in the world. Dr. James, an internationally recognized expert in acetaminophen toxicity, discussed new diagnostic approaches in acetaminophen acute liver injury.  

Medical Student Earns National Honor for Cancer Research

Congratulations to first-year medical student Grace Guzman on receiving an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Minority Scholar Award. Grace will present her research on the 3D-PREDICT glioma clinical trial – completed under the mentorship of Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery – at the AACR National Meeting in San Diego in April. The prestigious national award is funded by the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. Grace will receive travel funds for the meeting and the opportunity to participate in professional development activities. 

Shaping Simulation Research

Dr. Karen Dickinson, Assistant Professor and Director of IPE Simulation and Clinical Skills Training in the Department of Surgery, has been selected to serve on the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) Research Committee. Dr. Dickinson was one of just two experts named to the panel from a pool of 39 applicants following a rigorous international process. The committee shapes simulation studies around the world through its recommendations for research relating to simulation-based practice, education and facilitation of patient safety. Dr. Dickinson was recognized for the appointment at the International Meeting on Simulation Healthcare in San Diego in January.

Journal Highlights Pulmonary Expertise

For the eighth consecutive year, Dr. Manish Joshi, Professor of Internal Medicine in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, served as Section Editor for an issue of Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine focusing on obstructive, occupational and environmental diseases. Dr. Joshi contributed the introductory editorial for the issue, which also included two review articles by UAMS Pulmonary Medicine colleagues. Dr. Jose Caceres and Dr. Anand Venkata contributed an article on combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. Dr. William Atchley and Dr. Krishna Kakkera contributed an article on pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Insights into HPV Vaccine Hesitancy

A shout-out to Dr. Rachel Purvis, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, and colleagues in the UAMS Office of Community Health & Research for their work to better understand the hesitancy among some Arkansas parents to vaccinate their children against HPV. About 90% of cervical cancers are attributed to HPV. The team’s findings, published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, show that limited or inaccurate information about the vaccine in health care providers’ offices can contribute to parents’ apprehension. The study demonstrates the importance of providing clear information about the vaccine’s well-documented safety and effectiveness. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Groundbreaking Neurosurgery Care

Department of Neurosurgery faculty and trainees continue to perform groundbreaking firsts for Arkansas. In December, Assistant Professor Dr. Viktoras Palys and resident Dr. Brooke Elberson performed the first robotic cervicothoracic spine surgery in the state, just days after Associate Professor Dr. Noojan Kazemi and resident Dr. Ryan Turner performed the first robotic cervical spine surgery. On Jan. 24, Dr. Palys and resident Dr. Alaina Body implanted the first deep brain stimulator simultaneously into two thalamic nuclei (pulvinar and centromedian), in a young patient with epilepsy. This exceptionally rare surgery was preceded by another pioneering procedure to gather brain epileptic activity recordings using implanted thalamic SEEG electrodes, signaling the Arkansas Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center’s standing among the leading teams in this field.

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!

Centers on Aging to Receive National Award for Education
Congratulations to Dr. Amy Leigh Overton-McCoy and team in the UAMS Centers on Aging on being selected as the 2024 recipient of the American Society on Aging (ASA) Gloria Cavanaugh Award for Excellence in Training and Education. UAMS will be recognized for making significant contributions to training and education in the field of aging during ASA’s On Aging 2024 conference in San Francisco on March 26.

UAMS was selected from a record number of nominations from across the country. That speaks volumes about the excellent leadership of Centers on Aging Director Dr. Overton-McCoy, who also holds the Murphy Endowed Chair for Rural Aging Leadership and Policy. The honor is also a testament to the dedication of the team members in the eight Centers on Aging to transforming the lives of older Arkansans.    

Teach the Teacher
A shout-out to all who made the 15^th annual Teach the Teacher Symposium a terrific success. The symposium last Friday included sessions on teaching professionalism across cultures, providing feedback in clinical teaching, and teaching professionalism in both classroom and clinical settings. Faculty presenters included Drs. Jan Shorey, Sara Tariq, Alan Diekman, Tiffany Huitt, Becky Latch, Becca Perin and Rachel Ekdahl. Many other faculty, residents and students presented posters on educational research topics. Special thanks to Dr. Karina Clemmons, Assistant Dean for Medical Education and Associate Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, for leading the symposium for the third year, Dr. Helen Hu, Director of the UAMS Educational and Student Success Center, and to Jennifer VanEcko, Program Manager in COM Academic Affairs, for her organizational contributions. Learn more about the presentations and posters here.

Kidney, Liver Transplant Teams Excel
Congratulations to the UAMS Kidney and Liver Transplant Programs on once again being ranked among the best in the nation in the newest Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) report. The report is conducted on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. UAMS shined in several areas, with both the kidney and liver programs scoring five out of five bars, the highest score, for the speed at which patients on the waiting list obtained an organ from a deceased donor. As Dr. Lyle Burdine, Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of Solid Organ Transplants, explains in a UAMS news story, “A key element of the success of our transplant programs is the effective team structure at UAMS, enabling the delivery of world-class care comparable to any top-tier hospital in the United States.” Kudos to the many departments and services that made this possible.

Thank You, CRNAs and Physician Anesthesiologists
UAMS celebrated National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) Week Jan. 21-27, and we are honoring our faculty and resident anesthesiologists during Physician Anesthesiologist Week through Feb. 3. Anesthesia professionals at UAMS are instrumental in our ability to provide outstanding and safe care for our patients. I join with Dr. Jill Mhyre, the Dola S. Thompson Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, in thanking all of you for your expertise and contributions to our clinical mission.

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. Tariq

For over two decades, Dr. Sara Tariq, Professor of Internal Medicine, has had a major influence on aspiring physicians and medical education at UAMS. She has served in many pivotal educational leadership roles, including Associate Dean for Student Affairs since 2019. Earlier, she was instrumental in developing our clinical skills programs and integrating clinical experiences into the first two years of medical school. Dr. Tariq also was a key leader in the initiative to establish our Academic Houses, the seven communities that help connect students and faculty and support peer mentoring. She has been recognized nationally and has received many honors from UAMS students and colleagues.

Dr. Tariq has always been driven by a deep commitment to patients. But it is her passion for wanting every student to thrive, professionally and personally, that has made her beloved by students.

Dr. Tariq is relocating to Virginia for family reasons at the end of this month. Fortunately, we will have an opportunity to thank Sara for her many contributions at a farewell reception this Friday, Jan. 26, from 3:00-5:00 in the Hospital Lobby Gallery. We will have remarks from colleagues and a tribute from students at 3:30. I hope you can join us.

Respiratory Therapy Expertise

Dr. Ariel Berlinski, Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Director of the Respiratory Care Department and Director of the Pediatric Aerosol Research Laboratory at Arkansas Children’s, recently participated in the American Association for Respiratory Care International Congress. Dr. Berlinski co-chaired a poster discussion session about aerosols and delivered two lectures on the roles of respiratory therapists in cystic fibrosis management and respiratory care medical directors in research. He was the senior author on three posters presented by Respiratory Care Department colleagues, including a study on Albuterol therapy that was selected for a special presentation at the Editors’ Choice Open Forum Abstract Session.

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

Mentoring Matters

Congratulations to the faculty and staff from across the College of Medicine and UAMS who received 2024 Excellence in Mentoring Awards today. Mentoring can make all the difference in professional development and personal growth at every level of the continuum of academic health. This year’s recipients, along with many additional nominees, were recognized for their dedication to making a difference in the success of UAMS students, trainees and colleagues.

The award winners are: Eddie Reed Mentoring Excellence Award: Dr. Antiño Allen (College of Pharmacy); Women Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award: Dr. Luann Racher (Obstetrics/Gynecology); Diversity Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award: Dr. Eva Woodward (Psychiatry);Clinical Emerging Mentoring Excellence Award: Dr. Lauren Gibson-Oliver, (Family/Preventive Medicine); Clinical Legend Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award: Dr. Prasad Padala (Psychiatry); Research Emerging Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award: Dr. Clare Brown (College of Public Health); Research Legend Faculty Mentoring Excellence Award: Dr. Jerry Ware (Physiology/Cell Biology); Research and Clinical Staff Mentoring Excellence Award: Oleksandra Pavliv (Pediatrics/Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center); Administration and Education Staff Mentoring Excellence Award: Sharanda Williams, M.A. (COM Assistant Dean for Student Affairs). Watch for a UAMS web story about the ceremony soon.

Family Medicine Editorial Appointment

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) has appointed Dr. Diane Jarrett Co-editor of the STFM Education Column, a peer-reviewed collection of articles that are published in the monthly STFM Messenger. Dr. Jarrett is Director of the Office of Communication and Departmental Relations in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. As Co-editor of the STFM column, she will select content, review and edit submitted manuscripts, and communicate with authors of articles focusing on innovations, experiences or reflections at all levels of family medicine education.

National Medical Examiners Recognition

Dr. Ted Brown, Associate Professor of Pathology, recently received an Outstanding Service Award from the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). The organization recognized Dr. Brown for his contributions to NAME and to the advancement of the medicolegal investigation of deaths in the United States. He also began serving a three-year term on the NAME Board of Directors this month. Dr. Brown’s roles at UAMS include Founding Program Director of the Forensic Pathology Fellowship and Medical Director for the Autopsy Service. Dr. Brown also directs the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory and serves as Chief Medical Examiner for Arkansas.

Insights into the Pandemic & WIC Participation

UAMS researchers, including first author and medical student Savannah Busch, discovered significant declines in WIC participation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, assessed changes in participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) among Medicaid-covered births in the United States between 2016 and 2022. The findings highlight one way the pandemic may have further widened gaps in disparate maternal and infant health. Dr. Clare Brown, an Assistant Professor in the College of Public Health, was senior author on the study. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

AHA Predoctoral Fellowship Award

Congratulations to UAMS graduate student Katie Deck on her predoctoral fellowship award from the American Heart Association. Katie, who works in the lab of Dr. Shengyu Mu, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, will use her award for a project that aims to reveal critical mechanisms that establish kidney tissue-resident memory (TRM) CD8+T cells in hypertension and confer the “salt memory” contributing to the progression and recurrence of hypertension. The $67,388 grant will cover her stipend for two years and additional research-related expenses. Along with mentor and sponsor Dr. Mu, faculty collaborators include co-sponsor and Department Chair Dr. Nancy Rusch, Associate Professor Dr. Yuet-Kin (Ricky) Leung and Assistant Professor Dr. Lu Huang (Microbiology/Immunology).

Well-Earned Retirement

Almost 15 years ago, I was fortunate to recruit Dr. Clint Kilts from Emory University to serve as the Founding Director of the Helen L. Porter and James T. Dyke Brain Imaging Research Center in the Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI). Dr. Kilts was nationally known for his expertise in brain imaging even then, and his leadership in this area at UAMS has been stellar. In addition to serving on more than 80 NIH Study Section panels and other national roles, Dr. Kilts co-designed PRI’s Resident Academic Track career development program. He has directed UAMS’ T32 Translational Training in Addiction Program since 2011. He was invested in the Wilbur D. Mills Endowed Chair in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention in 2014 and accepted into the Arkansas Research Alliance Academy of Scholars and Fellows in 2018.

In short, Dr. Kilts’ retirement at the end of this month is well earned. Thank you, Clint, for your remarkable impact on brain research today and into the future.

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 Contribute to AAMC Toolkit for Students

A shout-out to Dr. Karina Clemmons, Assistant Dean for Medical Education and Associate Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, and Dr. Jasna Vuk, Associate Professor in the UAMS Educational and Student Success Center, for their excellent work on a comprehensive new resource for students that is being disseminated nationally on the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) website. The new Presentation Skills Toolkit will help students create and deliver effective formal presentations, informative posters and abstracts, and clear patient presentations, and prepare them to confidently lead small groups.

Dr. Clemmons and Dr. Vuk were members of the working group of the AAMC Undergraduate Medical Education Section of the Group on Educational Affairs that developed the toolkit over the past year. Learning to communicate effectively in patient settings, in the classroom and among colleagues is an essential aspect of becoming a good physician, and I encourage our students to take advantage of this new resource. And the next time you are working with Dr. Clemmons or Dr. Vuk, be sure to give them a tip of the hat!

CF Team Presents at National Conference

The Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Care Team at Arkansas Children’s was well represented at the recent North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Phoenix. Dr. Ariel Berlinski, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the CF Care Center, co-authored four abstracts that were presented at the meeting. Dr. Kanjanamala Agoramurthi, a senior pediatric pulmonology fellow, gave an invited podium presentation on her study of the performance of a breath-enhanced nebulizer after repeated cycles of thermal and chemical disinfection. The study was completed in the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute’s Pediatric Aerosol Research Laboratory, which Dr. Berlinski directs. The CF team also was invited to present its quality-improvement initiative focused on reducing acid suppressor therapy in children with cystic fibrosis, which was done in conjunction with a national collaborative sponsored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

National Family Medicine Resident Honor

Dr. Amrutha Denduluri, a third-year resident in the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency Program, has won the 2024 Faculty for Tomorrow Resident Scholarship from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM). In recognition of her outstanding potential as a future family medicine educator, she will receive free registration for the STFM Annual Conference in Los Angeles in May and participate in a special workshop with targeted discussions on academic career advice and how to learn change as a physician.

International IR Training Support

Dr. Bob Dixon, Professor of Radiology, and PGY-6 Interventional Radiology (IR) resident Dr. Andrew Buchan recently traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, with RAD-AID International to support the IR program at the University of Nairobi/Kenyatta National Hospital. Dr. Dixon has been working with the University of Nairobi since 2018 and helped start its IR fellowship, the only IR training fellowship in Kenya and one of only a few such programs in Africa. Dr. Dixon and Dr. Buchan also attended the Society of African Interventional Radiology and Endovascular Therapy Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, where Dr. Dixon delivered talks on complex inferior vena cava retrieval and renal cell carcinoma management. Dr. Dixon and Dr. Buchan hope to establish a formal RAD-AID chapter at UAMS and continue supporting the University of Nairobi as well as other sites.

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!

AAMC Chief Medical Officers Leadership
Dr. Ahmed Abuabdou, Chief Clinical Officer for UAMS Medical Center, has been elected to the Steering Committee of the Chief Medical Officers’ Group (CMOG) at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Dr. Abuabdou has served on our faculty in the Division of Hospital Medicine, where he is an Associate Professor, since 2012 in addition to holding a number of clinical leadership positions. He has served as Chief Clinical Officer since 2022. Kudos to Dr. Abuabdou for his national service in academic medicine as well as his outstanding work at UAMS.

NIMH Mental Health and Aging Scholar
Dr. Tatiana Wolfe, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and medical physicist in the Psychiatric Research Institute’s Brain Imaging Research Center, has been awarded a two-year Scholar position in the 2024 cohort of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Advanced Research Institute (ARI) on Mental Health and Aging. As part of the application process, Dr. Wolfe submitted an R01 prospectus to study myelin mechanisms of geriatric risk for neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological conditions. She will present the study to the ARI during the program’s spring retreat next April. Psychiatry Chair and PRI Director Dr. Laura Dunn is a former participant in the ARI scholarship program.

Champion for Breastfeeding Moms and Babies
A shout-out to Dr. Sarah Sobik, Assistant Professor in the Community Pediatrics Section of the Department of Pediatrics, for her work to ensure excellent lactation support for mothers and babies. Dr. Sobik has expanded the Breastfeeding and Lactation Clinic at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, enhanced breastfeeding education for pediatric residents, and conducted pioneering research related to human breast milk at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center and the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute. Most recently, Dr. Sobik was in the first cohort of physicians to take the certification exam newly offered by the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine. She is now the first in Arkansas to be double board-certified in pediatrics and breastfeeding/lactation medicine. 

Robotic Shunt Surgery Advance
Dr. Viktoras Palys, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery resident Dr. Brooke Elberson, Dr. Benjamin Davis, Associate Professor of Surgery, and General Surgery resident Dr. Ali Wenholz recently performed the first robotic ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery in Arkansas. The procedure is used to treat hydrocephalus, excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. The UAMS patient had sustained a brain trauma. Performing the procedure robotically is minimally invasive and provides the highest level of navigational accuracy for brain surgeries.

Ally of the Year
The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine’s Courtney Hampton recently was named Ally of the Year by the non-profit Strilite Foundation for her long commitment to addressing the continuum of care for patients with HIV and for her work during the pandemic to help ensure that available health resources were directed to highly impacted communities. As Research Program Manager for the Research and Evaluation Division’s HIV Education and Prevention Team, Courtney is instrumental in a variety of projects to educate and reduce the stigma related to HIV. She also worked with colleagues to develop UAMS Gap Services offices in two rural communities, Prescott and McGehee.  

Students Host SNMA Conference
Hats off to the Edith Irby Jones Chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) for doing a great job hosting the recent SNMA Region III Medical Education Conference, a first since before the pandemic for the UAMS chapter. About 150 medical students and Minority Association of Pre-med Students (MAPS) members from seven states attended the three-day conference. The event featured informational presentations, inspirational speakers, networking opportunities, 30 vendors from residency programs from across the region, and more. Special thanks to UAMS medical students and chapter Co-Presidents Kayla Jimmerson and Evan Hicks, Regional SNMA Delegate Carlon Gragg and Regional Treasurer Brianna Long, and the faculty advisors to the Edith Irby Jones Chapter, Dr. Billy Thomas (Pediatrics) and Dr. William Greenfield (OB/GYN). 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!

Top-Tier Honorific Society Recognition

Dr. Susan Emmett, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, has been selected for election to the prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Dr. Emmett will be only the sixth otolaryngologist in the country and the fifth individual from UAMS in any specialty to be elected to the society, which honors the top echelon of physician-scientists. ASCI selects only 100 physicians each year across all specialties for membership. One of the most highly funded investigators in otolaryngology, Dr. Emmett has led groundbreaking research in hearing health disparities and the use of telemedicine to improve access to care. At UAMS, she directs the Center for Hearing Health Equity and holds an additional appointment in the College of Public Health Department of Epidemiology. 

This is great news for UAMS in addition to a well-earned honor for Dr. Emmett. Having faculty who are members in top-tier honorific societies helps to raise our national profile among academic medical centers and research institutions. Congratulations, Dr. Emmett.

Humanitarian Award

Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Executive Director of the UAMS Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, will be honored as a Humanitarian of the Year by the Just Communities of Arkansas organization at a celebration this Thursday. The annual awards recognize Arkansans who have demonstrated significant commitment to building inclusive communities. Dr. Richard-Davis is nationally recognized for her work to address health equity issues and disparities that women of color experience in reproductive medicine. She has mentored and coached students, residents and faculty at UAMS and beyond, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in women’s health. Read more about her work and why she is being honored in this profile of Dr. Richard-Davis on the Just Communities of Arkansas website. Congratulations on this special honor, Dr. Richard-Davis.

100 Top Arkansas Doctors

You can count on UAMS faculty physicians being a strong presence on the annual Castle Connolly Top Doctors list, and 2023 was no exception. The roster of UAMS faculty who made the peer-nominated, rigorously reviewed list is now available on the UAMS website. The list of top doctors across the state is also in this month’s Arkansas Times. Castle Connolly recognized 100 colleagues who practice at UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s, the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and Baptist Health. Among them are three faculty physicians who have been named Castle Connolly “Rising Stars” for demonstrating excellence in their specialty early in their career: Dr. Mitchell Jenkins (Infectious Disease), Dr. Heather Williams (Gynecologic Oncology), and Dr. Adam Wolfe (Radiation Oncology). Congratulations to all!

Global Guidelines for Down Syndrome Care

Dr. Terry Harville, Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine, will again lend his expertise to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation as national experts prepare the second edition of the “GLOBAL Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome.” Dr. Harville will write evidence-based guidelines for the evaluation of hematologic malignancies and for celiac disease in adults with Down syndrome. He was also a coauthor of the first edition, a landmark publication that was published in JAMA in 2020. Read more about the initiative in this news release from the foundation.

Family Medicine Residency Education Network

The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) will develop an Arkansas Family Medicine Residency Network Educational Collaborative with support from the American Board of Family Medicine Foundation. The foundation awarded an initial grant of $5,000 for the network, which will support graduate medical education innovation and outcomes, professional collaboration, and the sharing of best practices to enhance population care across the state. Leaders in the initiative include Dr. Shashank Kraleti, Garnett Chair of Family Medicine and Director of the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line, Dr. Julea Garner, Director of the Baptist Health/UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program, and Dr. Diane Jarrett, Director of the DFPM Office of Communication and Departmental Relations.

Myeloma Center Surpasses 1,000 Publications

A shout-out to the team in the UAMS Myeloma Center, which reached a milestone earlier this year with the publication of its 1,000^th article. The Myeloma Center has been producing internationally recognized scholarly work since the publication of an article about multiple myeloma therapy in Cancer Research in 1989. Sandy Mattox, MNSc., RN, has been tracking the publications for many of those years. Dr. Frits van Rhee, Clinical Director of the center and a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, discusses the team’s commitment to helping patients beat myeloma in a UAMS news story about the milestone. “One valuable way we show that commitment is through research that breaks new ground in understanding the disease and developing new treatments to defeat it,” he said. 

Honoring Service to UAMS

Finally this week, congratulations to team members from across the College of Medicine and university who received UAMS Employee Service Awards last week. The annual awards recognize employees after each five years of service. The College of Medicine’s Dr. Robert Arrington, Professor of Pediatrics, is being honored for a remarkable 50 years of service.

Dr. Arrington shaped neonatal care in Arkansas over the decades and has remained a steady presence in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He served as Chief of the Neonatology Section from 1980-2014, ushering in many advances in care and helping to train hundreds of pediatric residents and fellows. He has received many honors at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s for his work, including the 2019 College of Medicine Master Teacher Award.

Here are lists of recipients by years of service and by UAMS division/area. Kudos to all of this year’s honorees for your service to our college, university and 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!

Paving the Way for More Primary Care Physicians for Arkansas
UAMS’ extensive efforts to recruit and retain medical students from rural or underserved communities – with the goal of generating much-needed primary care physicians in those areas and across the state – received a boost with a recent $17.6 million grant renewal from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The four-year Medical Student Education (MSE) program award will continue and expand efforts that were initiated as part of $19.6 million in HRSA grant funding for 2019-2023.

I join with Dr. Richard Turnage, Vice Chancellor for UAMS Regional Campuses, Professor of Surgery and the Principal Investigator on the grant, in thanking the many faculty and staff members who have contributed to these initiatives. Special thanks to Dr. Marcia Byers, Senior Director of UAMS Regional Campuses and an Assistant Professor in the COM Department of Family and Preventive Medicine; Robin Howell, Senior Program Manager; and Amber Fluharty, Director of Operations, for their excellent work on the renewal. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

National Honor for Family Medicine Residency Director
Congratulations to Dr. Lauren Gibson-Oliver, Assistant Professor and Program Director for the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency Program, on being selected for the 2024 Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) New Faculty Scholars Award. The honor is part of a program to develop future leaders in academic family medicine through mentorship, networking opportunities and financial support to attend and present at the STFM Annual Spring Conference. In a congratulatory letter, the STFM noted Dr. Gibson-Oliver’s “outstanding leadership potential.” She is only the second Arkansan to receive the STFM honor in the program’s 35-year history. In 2016, the award went to Dr. Shashank Kraleti, who is now the Garnett Chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and Director of the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line.

Improving Arthroplasty Across the U.S.
A shout-out to Dr. Jeffrey Stambough, Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, for his work to improve orthopaedic care across the country as a member of the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) Steering Committee. The AJRR, which operates under the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), recently published its 2023 Annual Report on hip and knee arthroplasty procedural trends and patient outcomes. The AJRR is the preeminent registry of its kind, with the 10^th anniversary edition representing more than 3.1 million primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty procedures performed between 2012 and 2022.

Geriatrics Team Shines at Conference
Department of Geriatrics faculty and team members represented UAMS well at the recent annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Tampa, Florida, delivering 11 presentations. These included three posters co-authored by second-year medical students Mohib Hafeez, Milenko Petrovic, Esther Park and Blake Eddington; and three postdoctoral fellows: Dr. Ambika Verma, who received an award for her presentation, Dr. Pankaj Patyal and Dr. Shakshi Sharma. Assistant Director of Programs Amanda Pangle, Dr. Gohar Azhar, Dr. Xiaomin Zhang and Geriatrics Chair and Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging Director Dr. Jeanne Wei also were coauthors.

Young Research Colleague Published in Nature
Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) Chair Dr. Fred Prior and colleagues in DBMI, Neurology and Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences were understandably proud when they learned that Nature Scientific Reports had accepted an article first-authored by a junior research colleague, Anu Iyer. Ms. Iyer worked on “A machine learning method to process voice samples for identification of Parkinson’s disease” under the mentorship of Dr. Prior and other UAMS researchers while she was still a student at Little Rock Central High School. She is now a freshman at Georgia Institute of Technology. Other UAMS coauthors and research team members include Aaron Kemp, Dr. Yasir Rahmatallah, Lakshmi Pillai, Aliya Glover, Dr. Linda Larson-Prior and Dr. Tuhin Virmani. Read the Nature Scientific Reports article here. You can also learn more about her work at UAMS in this 2022 feature on the DBMI website.

“Double Vision” is Good – at National Conference
Faculty and residents in the Department of Ophthalmology and UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute presented 12 papers and other publications at the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) meeting in San Francisco. UAMS was also represented at the conference by ophthalmic professionals Megan Brown, Erin Clemons and Shakellia Hawkins. Megan and Erin competed as the “Double Vision Team” in the “Who Wants to Be a Super Tech?” competition, earning first place in their round and second place overall. Congratulations!

Crossing the Finish Line
Finally this week, congratulations to Brendon Hogge, a second-year medical student at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, on competing in the Ironman World Championship in France this fall. While medical school is grueling academically, the Ironman competition challenges the physical ability and stamina of competitors with a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. Read about Brendon’s path to the championship in this UAMS web story. 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!

Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence

Five outstanding UAMS faculty members, including four from the College of Medicine, received Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence at the Chancellor’s Town Hall yesterday. The awards recognize exceptional and innovative contributions to education, clinical care, scholarly work, faculty mentorship and service. Please join me in congratulating these honorees:

Clinical Innovation | Dr. Misty Virmani

Dr. Virmani, an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, was honored for her commitment and instrumental leadership in the development of the Arkansas Milk Bank. The state’s first donor milk bank opened in September and will help ensure a ready supply of donor breast milk for sick and vulnerable infants in neonatal intensive care units around the state. Dr. Virmani serves as Executive Medical Director of the milk bank and Director of Breastfeeding Medicine at UAMS.

Scholarship | Dr. Pearl McElfish

Dr. McElfish, a Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Campus, was recognized as one of the most impactful researchers at UAMS, with more than 200 published manuscripts and extramural grants totaling more than $180 million. Significantly, her leadership in translational research and population health has improved the health of the Marshallese community and other vulnerable populations.

Faculty Mentorship | Dr. Robert E. “Bobby” McGehee Jr.

Dr. McGehee, a Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, was honored for his long commitment to mentorship at UAMS through direct mentoring of students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty, and the creation and leadership of programs designed to nurture a strong and diverse mentorship culture. Dr. McGehee has served in many leadership roles during his three decades on the faculty, including Dean of the Graduate School from 2004 until earlier this year.

Community/Institutional Service | Dr. Kevin Phelan

Dr. Phelan, a Professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, was recognized for developing and directing the highly successful ArkanSONO Outreach Program, along with development and implementation of the Clinical Procedure Teaching and Learning Laboratory. ArkanSONO has used ultrasound and other imaging modalities to enhance learning and stimulate interest in STEM careers in K-12^th grade students since 2017. The program was an outgrowth of Dr. Phelan’s pioneering teaching techniques using point-of-care ultrasound devices to teach living anatomy to medical students.

Educational Innovation | Dr. Tiffany Haynes

Dr. Haynes, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education in the College of Public Health, was lauded as an exemplary teacher, devoted mentor and student advisor, effective academic administrator, and productive researcher. She was praised in particular for encouraging her students to explore and address health disparities in their communities through visual storytelling.

Ensuring Educational Research Integrity

Dr. Carol Thrush, Professor of Surgery and Internal Medicine and an educational research leader in the COM Graduate Medical Education Office, was among the experts from educational institutions, federal funding agencies, professional associations and accreditation agencies participating in a national summit on the state of research integrity and education. The Nov. 8-9 event was hosted by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) and held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washinton, D.C. The summit’s aim was to help foster a culture that makes badly done research “unthinkable.” Dr. Thrush presented on the topic of institutional commitment and shared leadership and assessment strategies. The APPE will release a report with strategies and suggested next steps in early 2024.  

Multiple System Atrophy Center of Excellence Designation

UAMS has been selected as a 2023 Center of Excellence by the Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) Coalition, thanks to the hard work of the Movement Disorders Program team with the application process led by Dr. Tuhin Virmani, Associate Professor of Neurology. The MSA Center of Excellence Program is designed to ensure access to the highest quality of multi-disciplinary clinical care and supporting services for patients and families affected by MSA. Along with Dr. Virmani, the team includes Assistant Professors Dr. Hillary Williams and Dr. Aditya Boddu, Rachel Sloan, APRN, Kathryn Stafford, RN, Delores Chandler, RN, Kristie Cervantes, LPN, and Neurology Chair Dr. Rohit Dhall.

Influencing Molecular Pathology Clinical Practice

Dr. Susan Harley, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Director of the Molecular Diagnostics Lab at UAMS, was elected by members of the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) to serve on the AMP Clinical Practice Committee. During her two-year term, Dr. Harley will lend her expertise to the committee’s review, analysis and presentation of data that guides current test reporting and interpretation practices for clinical laboratories across the country.

Excellence in GME Administration

A shout-out to three Graduate Medical Education (GME) team members who recently achieved certification as a Training Administrator of Graduate Medical Education (TAGME). The Department of Internal Medicine’s Jennifer Cushing, Residency Program Manager, and Sarah Brennan, Program Coordinator, along with Corinne Morphew, Program Coordinator for the Pediatric Anesthesiology and Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowships, completed a rigorous and comprehensive process that demonstrates advanced competencies and a high commitment to the role of residency and fellowship administration. They join four other current UAMS GME administrators who hold the prestigious TAGME certification.  

Infectious Disease Fellow Designation

Congratulations to Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease faculty members Dr. H. Kathy Liverett, Assistant Professor, and Dr. Ryan Dare, Associate Professor, on being named Fellows of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The designation is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of infectious disease, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated exceptional professional excellence and have provided significant service to the profession.

National Pain Medicine Conference

UAMS was well represented at the recent American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine annual meeting in New Orleans. Chronic Pain Medicine fellow Dr. Bryan Slepicka was one of 25 fellows nationally selected to participate in an Advanced Interventional Pain Management Course and Workshop held during the meeting. Anesthesiology residents Dr. Humaira Saleem and Dr. Shawn Shoham and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residents Dr. Suzanne Abou-Diab and Dr. Ibrahim Samarra’e presented posters on a range of pain medicine topics. Congratulations also to Dr. Jarna Shah, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Program Director for the Pain Fellowship, on her appointment as Vice Chair for the Women in Regional and Acute Pain Medicine Significant Interest Group.

Article Showcases Pediatric Clinical Informatics Section

A new article by Dr. Obeid Shafi, Assistant Professor in the Clinical Informatics Section of the Department of Pediatrics, sheds light on the critical role of electronic health records (EHRs) in pediatric care. “Defining Electronic Health Record Standards for Child Health: A State-of-the-Art Review” was published in Applied Clinical Informatics and showcases the work of the Clinical Informatics section, positioning them as leaders who are shaping the future of pediatric health IT. Coauthors include Assistant Professor Dr. Daniel Liu and Professor and Section Chief Dr. Feliciano Yu. Read more in the Department of Pediatrics Newsroom.

Putting Patients First

A staff member recently shared an example of how compassion and going the extra mile for our patients makes all the difference for those who receive care at UAMS, along with their families. Dr. Kalaivani Sivakumar, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Director of the Heart Restoration, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Cardiac Transplant Program, and Chase Paladino, APRN, took the time to visit a patient at home and make sure she was doing well after an extensive hospitalization. “This was a compassion call, not a requirement of their jobs,” said the staff member, who is a relative of the patient. “My loved one was so happy to see them, she cried. The whole family was very impressed and thankful.” Kudos to these outstanding team members and to all of you who exemplify putting patients first.