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!

Congratulations, Golden Apple Winners
Every year, students in each of the four medical classes vote for the faculty member they consider to be their best teacher of the year. I am delighted to announce and congratulate this year’s winners, who will be recognized by students at Honors Convocation on May 19. Our college is grateful to all four of these colleagues for their exceptional teaching.

M1 Class – Dr. Alan Diekman, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Urology. This is Dr. Diekman’s 11^th Golden Apple from freshmen, who rave about his teaching and support as Course Director for the Molecules to Cells module. He also is Course Director for the M2 Endocrine/Reproduction course.

M2 Class – Dr. Hanna Jensen, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Radiology. Dr. Jensen directed the M2 Cardiovascular course for the first time this year – making her debut as a Golden Apple winner all the more impressive. She is also the first faculty member based at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus to receive the Golden Apple.

M3 Class – Dr. Nick Gowen, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine. Dr. Gowen is a hospitalist at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and teaches students on that service. He also conducts a highly rated weekly teaching session with all students on the Internal Medicine Clerkship.

M4 Class – Dr. Lindsey Sward, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Assistant Dean for Clinical Education. Dr. Sward, who teaches in the OB/GYN clerkship, has received the Golden Apple from the senior or junior class for the past six years. Seniors have chosen her to deliver the Faculty Address at Honors Convocation in three of the last four years, including this year’s ceremony.

National Pediatric Otolaryngology Recognition
Dr. Graham Strub, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, has been selected to receive the 2023 Richard J.H. Smith Young Faculty Award in Pediatric Otolaryngology from the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO). Dr. Strub will be honored May 6 at the ASPO Annual Meeting in Boson, where he also will present his award-winning manuscript, “Multi-omic analysis of miRNA-mRNA-protein network dysregulation in lymphatic malformation endothelial cells uncovers novel molecular targets.”

Advancing Health Care in the Criminal Justice System
Dr. Melissa Zielinski, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Health and the Legal System (HEALS) Lab in the Psychiatric Research Institute, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health. The organization is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of health care for individuals and populations within the criminal justice system.

National Pediatric Allergy & Immunology Leadership
Dr. Amy Scurlock, Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Allergy and Immunology, has been elected to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section of Allergy and Immunology (SOAI) Executive Council. The 10-member council leads SOAI’s efforts to ensure children receive the highest quality of allergy, asthma and immunology care through education, training and research programs as well as advocacy. Dr. Scurlock’s three-year term starts in November.

Leadership Development in Surgery
Dr. Mary Katherine Kimbrough, Associate Professor of Surgery, has been selected for the Southern Surgical Association’s Leadership Development Program. She is one of six members in the program’s 2023 cohort, joining peers from leading universities such as Duke, Harvard and Vanderbilt. The program pairs participants with Southern Surgical Association members for mentorship, sponsorship and networking. At UAMS, Dr. Kimbrough is doing an outstanding job in leadership roles including Program Director of the General Surgery Residency.

Genomic Surveillance Yields EHR Insights
Assistant Professor Dr. Se-Ran Jun and colleagues in the Department of Biomedical Informatics have a new article in Microbiology Spectrum that takes an innovative “top down” analytical approach – utilizing population genomics to molecular biology – to comprehensively analyze hospital-associated Enterococcus faecium and associated antibiotic resistance in cancer patients. The study provides new insights into genomic surveillance of E. faecium to help monitor and further limit the spread of multidrug-resistant E. faecium. Contributors included Instructor Dr. Zulema Udaondo (first author) along with Ph.D. student Kaleb Abram and Dr. Atul Kothari.

Gynecology Conference Presenters
Associate Professor Dr. Laura Hollenbach, Assistant Professor Dr. Kathryn Stambough and Courtney Lambert, CNP, of the Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Division of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, along with medical students Liza Hill, Emma Johnson and Sally Barnes, attended the recent North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Annual Clinical and Research Meeting in Nashville. Liza presented a poster on a case report of menstrual suppression in Ogilvie’s Syndrome. Emma presented a poster on a case report and literature review on the treatment of Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome (KTS) using PIK3CA inhibitor. Both were co-authored with Dr. Hollenbach and Dr. Stambough. Dr. Stambough also presented in the “Fellows Boot Camp” on pediatric vulvovaginal care.

Tops in Brain & Behavior
Second-year medical student Madeline Richards was honored by educational leaders on April 5 for earning the top score in the M1 Brain and Behavior Module as a freshman last year. In recognition of her excellent work in the foundational course, she received a plaque, letter of commendation from the Dean in her file, and a monetary award. Her name also will be added to the Neuroscience Award plaque located on the south wall of the ground floor of the Education II building. I join with Brain and Behavior Co-Module Directors Dr. Shona Ray-Griffith, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and Dr. Laura Stanley, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, in congratulating Madeline. 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!

Ensuring Good Doctors through NBME Service
The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the United States Medical Licensing Program (USMLE) are essential to our profession, ensuring the highest quality assessments of competencies relevant to medicine. The NBME depends on the expertise and service of medical school faculty from around the country to contribute to NBME exams and fulfill this mission. Each year, a number of our outstanding faculty serve on NBME or USMLE committees. I join with the NBME in expressing gratitude for our colleagues who served in 2022: Dr. James Graham, Professor of Pediatrics and Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Dr. Rachel Slotcavage, Assistant Professor of Surgery; Dr. Neil Masangkay, Associate Professor of Neurology; Dr. Tobias Vancil, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine; and Dr. Stacy Rudnicki, Adjunct Basic Science Professor in Neurology. Their service is noted in this letter from the NBME.

Spina Bifida Presentations
Pediatrics faculty members Dr. Laura Hobart-Porter, Associate Professor and Section Chief for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Dr. Rachel Millner, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Nephrology, presented three abstracts at the World Congress on Spina Bifida Research and Care in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Hobart-Porter presented research conducted with coauthor Dr. Supriya Jambhekar, Professor in Pediatric Pulmonology: “Strategies to improve polysomnography access for children and adolescents with spina bifida: an implementation science approach.” This work was part of Dr. Hobart-Porter’s research as an Implementation Science Scholar, with mentorship from Dr. Geoffrey Curran and funding support from the UAMS Translational Research Institute. She also presented “Rates of autism in children with spina bifida higher than general population.” Dr. Millner presented “Prevalence of elevated blood pressure in a pediatric spinal cord disorders clinic,” which was done in collaboration with Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation resident Dr. Neha Anand.

Surgical Oncology Presenters
Dr. Michail Mavros, Assistant Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, had one of the top abstracts submitted for the recent Society of Surgical Oncology meeting in Boston and was given the rare honor of presenting the research during the plenary session. His oral presentation discussed the use of extended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after complex gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Also recently, Assistant Professor and Surgical Oncology Division Director Dr. Sonia Orcutt and Surgery resident Dr. Lauren Johnson presented a poster on the clinicopathologic features of colloid carcinoma at the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association meeting in Miami.

Building Compassion for Patients with Rare Diseases
Congratulations to second-year medical students Melanie Beehler and Claire Peterson on being accepted into the 2023 RARE Compassion Program, a yearlong experience that helps medical students learn about the unique needs and challenges faced by patients and families living with an undiagnosed or rare disease. The international program connects students with patients virtually, to discuss how their rare disease diagnosis has impacted their lives. Kudos to Melanie and Claire for their commitment to the program’s goals of building compassion, understanding and communication skills for working with such patients, and to learning about medical specialties relevant to rare disease. 

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!

Matched!
Let’s have a round of applause for members of the Class of 2023 on their matches to outstanding residency programs here and around the country. This class had a medical school experience like none before them. They started with us in the fall of 2019, and by the end of their freshman year, the entire world had changed with the emergence of COVID-19. But these students persevered. They pivoted to new ways of learning (with the help of many College of Medicine faculty and staff) and overcame numerous obstacles. Because of their hard work and dedication, they will be strong assets to the programs they are joining. Click here to see where our graduating seniors will be heading this summer. Congratulations to all.

Top 20 Anesthesiology Chairs
Dr. Jill Mhyre, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, has been elected to the Morton Society, a select group of leaders considered as the top 20 Anesthesiology department chairs in the country. Morton Society members nominate and vote to accept new members, and Dr. Mhyre was one of two chairs selected to join the group. The society serves as a network focused on innovative solutions to align and advance the academic missions of clinical service, education and research in Anesthesiology departments nationwide.

Healthcare Communication Leader
Dr. Laura Sisterhen, a Professor in the Section of General Pediatrics, has become a faculty member of the Academy of Communication in Healthcare (ACH) following completion of the ACH faculty-in-training program. The professional development program is highly selective with a small number of health care leaders accepted each year. Its goal is to improve health care through better communication. Participants work to enhance, and then teach, skills in group facilitation, coaching and workshop content and development, along with interpersonal skills relating to leadership, diversity, teamwork and conflict engagement. At Arkansas Children’s, Dr. Sisterhen serves as Medical Director for the General Pediatrics Clinic and for Quality Improvement for Primary Care. (By the way, Dr. Calvin Chou, Senior Faculty Advisor for External Education with the Academy of Communication in Healthcare, will be speaking at UAMS on April 12.)

Arkansas Dentistry Leadership
Dr. Laurence Howe, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry, has been elected to a three-year term as Secretary/Treasurer of the Arkansas State Dental Association (ASDA). Dr. Howe is a Life Member of the American Dental Association and has been an active member of the ASDA for over 35 years. At Arkansas Children’s, he provides prosthetic treatment for cleft palate and craniomaxillofacial patients.

Surgery Residents Present Trauma Projects
General Surgery residents Drs. Andrew Smedley, Joe DeLoach, and Garrett Klutts recently presented trauma research projects at the Southeastern Surgical Congress in Savannah, Georgia – and all three of the projects have been accepted for publication in The American Surgeon. Dr. Smedley’s podium presentation was on the availability of blood products in trauma centers in the Arkansas Trauma System. Dr. DeLoach’s podium presentation was on the accuracy of initial imaging to predict pneumothoraces (collapsed lungs) in trauma patients. Dr. Klutts’ quickshot presentation used geospatial analysis to evaluate prehospital triage of potentially preventable trauma deaths. Dr. Kyle Kalkwarf, Assistant Professor of Surgery and UAMS Trauma Medical Director, mentored the residents and was the senior author of the projects.

Orthopaedic Conference Speakers
Dr. Lowry Barnes, Professor and Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Dr. Jeffrey Stambough, Assistant Professor, shared their expertise with over 1,000 participants as invited speakers for the Combined Hip and Knee Society Specialty Day during the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery Annual Meeting in Las Vegas on March 7. Dr. Barnes discussed the use of medial pivot as part of the program section on total knee arthroplasty. Dr. Stambough presented on the use of cemented vs. cementless stems during a section on revision knee implants.

Patent for Clot Detection
Congratulations to Dr. Vladimir Zharov, Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and Dr. Ekaterina Galanzha, Associate Professor, on their latest U.S. Divisional Patent for “Device and method for in vivo detection of clots within circulatory vessels. This is their fourth patent for early noninvasive detection of clots followed by well-timed treatment to prevent lung emboli, stroke, and possible heart attacks. Major collaborators in this research were Dr. James Suen (Otolaryngology), Drs. Laura Hutchins and Issam Makhoul (Internal Medicine), and Eric Siegel, M.S., (Biostatistics).

Bioinformatics Conference
A shout-out to the many faculty and staff who contributed to the Arkansas Bioinformatics Consortium Annual Meeting on March 13-14. The conference centered on the interrelated areas of bioinformatics, big data, artificial intelligence and public health. Keynote speakers included Dr. Joseph Sanford and Dr. Kevin Sexton, and faculty from multiple departments presented talks or posters. Two of the three Student Poster Awards were presented to individuals associated with UAMS. First place went to Michael Rutherford, a doctoral student and Instructor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), who collaborated with DBMI and Myeloma Center colleagues on “Toward Automation of Diagnosis for Multiple Myeloma using Natural Language Processing.” Third Place was awarded to Anu Iyer – a senior at Little Rock Central High School – who worked closely with Dr. Fred Prior and others in DBMI along with the Department of Neurology’s Dr. Tuhin Virmani on “A Novel Multimodal Machine Learning Method to Detect Parkinson’s Disease and Assess Severity.”

Students Help Make ‘Girlology’ a Success
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology did a great job this month hosting its second “Girlology” workshop – and 16 medical student volunteers helped make it possible. The 2½-hour course provided information on topics relating to puberty for girls ages 8-14 and their parents or other caregivers – 236 attendees in all. OB/GYN Chair Dr. Nirvana Manning and faculty members Dr. Laura Hollenbach and Dr. Kate Stambough led the event, which you can read about in the UAMS Newsroom. The medical student volunteers, all female, didn’t just help ensure a smooth-running event – they also served as role models for the young girls in attendance. Maybe we will see some of them in medical school one day.

I join with Dr. Manning, Dr. Hollenbach and Dr. Stambough in thanking student leaders Sally Barnes and Bailey Sutliff and fellow volunteers Anna Benafield, Savannah Busch, Mallory Caldwell, Carolina Coleman, Lindsey Herberger, Sarah Jong, Savana Kuhn, Jade Matthews, Sophie Meyers, Laura Miron, Anna Claire Pilkington, Alleigh Stahman, Kristen Stringfellow and Blaire Taggart.

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!

National Recognition for Championing Research
Congratulations to Dr. Lawrence Cornett, Distinguished Professor of Physiology and Cell Biology, on receiving the prestigious W. Fred Taylor Ph.D. Award in recognition of his extensive contributions to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program. Dr. Cornett was honored in Washington, D.C., at the annual meeting of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)/IDeA Coalition and Foundation. Dr. Alan Tackett, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Deputy Director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, highlighted Dr. Cornett’s impact at the state and national level in a talk at the event.

As Director of the Arkansas IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Program since 2001, Dr. Cornett has strived to expand research infrastructure and capacity at undergraduate campuses across Arkansas. In his current role and in past leadership posts at UAMS including  Vice Chancellor for Research, he has helped to bring in more than $200 million in IDeA funding, championed the funding of six Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) programs and much more.

At the national level, Dr. Cornett has served as Chair of the EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation Board; as an Executive Committee member, and as a National Committee member for the National Association of IDeA Principal Investigators. In short, this is a very well earned national honor. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

‘Basic Science’ for the 21^st Century
Data and population health management are sometimes dubbed the new “basic science for the 21^st century” as a reflection of the need for future physicians to develop a new skillset to provide effective and equitable care. Dr. Riley Lipschitz, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, and Dr. Karina Clemmons, Assistant Dean for Medical Education and an Associate Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, are co-authors on an article on the topic published in the Society of General Internal Medicine Journal. The article describes an innovative curriculum, developed by Dr. Lipschitz at UAMS and Dr. Shira Yun at the University of Michigan Medical School, for teaching medical students about data and population health management. UAMS graduate Dr. Zain Alfanek, now a second-year Internal Medicine resident at Brown University, also is a coauthor on the article.

National Academies Presenters
Dr. Corey Hayes, an Assistant Professor in the departments of Biomedical Informatics, Psychiatry and Pharmacy Practice, and Dr. Bradley Martin, a Professor in the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmacy Practice, Division of Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy, were invited presenters at a meeting sponsored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The March 9 session focused on evaluating the effects of opioids and benzodiazepines on all-cause mortality in veterans. Dr. Hayes and Dr. Martin presented virtually on their research into prescribed opioid use and associated issues.

International Leadership in Pediatric Neurosurgery
Dr. Eylem Öcal, Associate Professor in the Pediatric Neurosurgery Division of the Department of Neurosurgery, has been elected Vice-Secretary for the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgeons. The organization promotes the health and welfare of children around the globe who require neurosurgical care, through research and international cooperation. At Arkansas Children’s, Dr. Öcal practices the full range of pediatric neurosurgery with an emphasis on the management of infants with myelomeningocele and other congenital anomalies.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Insights
Dr. Amit Agarwal, Associate Professor in Pediatric Pulmonology, is an author on two recent articles relating to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common complication of preterm birth, both of which were published in Pediatric Pulmonology. He was the senior author on a review article on transitioning children with severe BPD from the intensive care unit to a portable home ventilator. As a member of a multicenter BPD collaborative, he was a co-author on an article about validation of an outpatient questionnaire for BPD control. Dr. Agarwal also has been invited to serve on the editorial board for Pediatric Pulmonology. In another national role, he is serving on the planning committee for the 2023 annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society.

Neurosciences Chairs Conference
Dr. Gwen Childs, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, was an invited speaker for two panels at a recent conference of the Association of Medical School Neurosciences Chairs. Dr. Childs presented information about managing change and unexpected events in department leadership in a “New Chairs Boot Camp.” She also was a panelist for a session focusing on space and finance. Dr. Paul Drew, Professor and Vice-Chair, also attended the conference, which was open to Vice-Chairs for the first time.

Virtual Reality & Brachytherapy
Dr. Gary Lewis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, shared his expertise in the use of virtual reality technology in conjunction with gynecologic cancer radiation/brachytherapy at the annual Virtual Reality and Healthcare Global Symposium in Philadelphia this month. Brachytherapy is an essential component of standard-of-care treatment for gynecologic cancers. Unfortunately, many patients do not receive brachytherapy as recommended, resulting in decreased survival for these patients. Virtual reality has the potential to mitigate contributing factors including lack of patient understanding, lack of access to practitioners skilled in brachytherapy, and suboptimal patient experience during the treatment. Dr. Lewis has opened a pilot clinical trial at UAMS studying the use of virtual reality to improve the patient experience during gynecologic brachytherapy.

UAMS Hosts International Training Course in Digital Health
A shout-out to the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation (IDHI) for hosting a three-day digital health training course for 13 health and technology professionals from developing countries around the world. The course, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute, provided a comprehensive overview of UAMS’ digital health programs and how to develop a multiple-site digital health network. I join with IDHI Director Dr. Joseph Sanford in thanking all of the staff and faculty who contributed to the course. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Groundbreaking Lung Cancer Trial
Under the leadership of Dr. Matt Steliga, Professor and Chief of Thoracic Surgery, UAMS contributed to a ground-breaking lung cancer clinical trial demonstrating that select patients with early-stage lung cancer can be treated with sublobar resection instead of the more-aggressive lobectomy. The trial results were published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Steliga was among the surgeons at 83 centers across the United States to enroll patients in the Phase 3 study. The findings are welcome news for Arkansas, where lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death. Our thoracic surgeons – Dr. Steliga, Dr. Katy Marino and Dr. Jason Muesse – are all experienced in sublobar resection, to offer the best treatment options for Arkansans. 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!

Patent for Stroke Treatment
Congratulations to Dr. William Culp, Professor Emeritus in Radiology, and Dr. Robert Skinner, Professor Emeritus in Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, on their new U.S. patent for “Dodecafluoropentane Emulsion as a Stroke and Ischemia Therapy.” Dodecafluoropentane Emulsion (DDFPe) efficiently takes oxygen from the lungs and releases it to ischemic tissues in patients. In a Phase Ib/II clinical trial at UAMS, DDFPe was shown to be safe. Their work, published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology in 2019, also showed that the treatment resulted in significant improvements in acute stroke patients. Dr. Evan Unger of the University of Arizona also is a holder on the patent. Major collaborators in the research of DDFPe included UAMS’ Dr. Aliza Brown (Neurology), Dr. Sanjeeva Onteddu (Neurology), Dr. John Lowery (Laboratory Animal Medicine) and Dr. Paula Roberson (Biostatistics).

Spinal Cord Disorders & Women’s Health
Dr. Laura Hobart-Porter and Dr. Kathryn Stambough presented on gynecological and reproductive considerations in females with spinal cord disorders at the recent national meeting of the Academic Association of Physiatry in Anaheim, California. Dr. Hobart-Porter, Associate Professor and Section Chief for Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the Department of Pediatrics, served as Course Director for the educational session. Dr. Stambough, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, specializes in pediatric and adolescent gynecology and presented along with Dr. Hobart-Porter.

Emergency Ultrasound National Appointment
Dr. Jason Arthur, Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, has been elected as an Education Officer on the Academy of Emergency Ultrasound (AEUS) Executive Committee. AEUS is an international forum of clinician sonologists with the common goal of advancing patient care and safety through the use of bedside ultrasound. As an Education Officer, Dr. Arthur will help to develop the educational program for the annual AEUS Business Meeting and didactic submissions for the Society of Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Annual Meeting, along with other educational initiatives related to emergency ultrasound.

Pediatric Grand Rounds Speaker
Dr. Ariel Berlinski, Professor of Pediatric Pulmonology, recently shared his expertise on aerosol delivery in children at the University of Mississippi Medical Center Pediatrics Grand Rounds. 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.

Students Present at National Conference
A shout-out to second-year medical student Cade Haynie and third-year student Robert Kiss for doing a great job on their podium presentations at the Carrell Krusen Neuromuscular Symposium, an annual national conference held at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Neurology, mentors the students. Cade discussed his research into caregivers’ opinions on multidisciplinary care for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Robert presented his research on pathological variability of ACTA1 myopathy, a congenital neuromuscular disease.

Putting Patients First
UAMS team members in the Pulaski County Regional Crisis Stabilization Unit and the Northwest Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSUs) are steadfastly focused on providing excellent care for persons in mental health crisis who encounter law enforcement due to their psychiatric condition. Some of the patients, also called guests, in these CSUs are dealing with opioid use disorder – and even more have lost a friend or family member to an opioid overdose.

Both of the CSUs have been approved to participate in the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership’s Naloxone Community Hero Project. The Pulaski County unit received a credit, worth almost $50,000, to purchase 1,000 doses of naloxone, a medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, from the Arkansas Naloxone Bank. The Northwest CSU received a $14,250 credit to purchase 300 naloxone kits. These doses will be available to send home with guests, who will also receive training on how to use the medication. The program will help prevent future overdoses, which is truly putting patients first. Kudos to CSU Directors Dr. Lisa Evans (Pulaski County) and Kristen McAllister, LCSW, (Northwest) and their teams.

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!

Arkansas Children’s Honors Excellence
Each year, Arkansas Children’s honors individuals and teams who exemplify its core values and mission to improve the health and lives of children across Arkansas. Congratulations to the College of Medicine faculty who are among the honorees of the 2022 awards announced last week. The links below are videos featuring the honorees. If you have a moment to watch, you’ll see that all of these awards are richly earned. Thanks to all of these honorees for their service to our college, Arkansas Children’s and our state.

Ruth Olive Beall Award
Two physicians were presented this award for consistently displaying Arkansas Children’s core values:Dr. Charles Bower, Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Arkansas Children’s Northwest; and Dr. Kendall Stanford, Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 

Drs. Joanna J. & Robert W. Seibert Award
The Pediatric Psychology Team received this award for teamwork, communication and collaboration. Dr. Brandi Whitaker, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Section Chief for Pediatric Psychology, directs this team. Dr. Nicholas Long, Professor of Pediatrics, served as Director from 1987 to 2022.

Dr. Robert H. Fiser Jr. Research Achievement Award
Dr. Elisabet Børsheim, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center Physical Activity Core Laboratory, received this honor. The award is presented to a scientist in the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute for extraordinary research that will have a lasting impact on the health, development and well-being of children and their families.

Diane S. Mackey Quality Award
This award recognizes a team whose project utilized rigorous scientific methods resulting in meaningful improvements in care. It was presented to the “Improving the Identification and Diagnosis of Pediatric Hypertension in Primary Care” Project Team. Dr. Laura Sisterhen, Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Director of the General Pediatric Clinic, leads this team.

Prestigious Grand Rounds
Dr. Laura Hollenbach, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecologyand Director of the Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Division, recently shared her gynecological expertise as the Pediatric and Obstetrics and Gynecology Grand Rounds speaker at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Dr. Hollenbach represented the Arkansas Children’s Vascular Anomalies Multidisciplinary Team in educating trainees and faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine on the presentation, evaluation and treatment of vascular anomalies of the female pelvis.

Passing it On
Senior medical student Caleb Nissen did a great job presenting his educational research on peer mentoring at the Innovations in Medical Education virtual conference hosted by the University of Southern California. Caleb discussed the positive effects of peer mentoring of third-year medical students by fourth-year medical students on clinical skills and stress. Most importantly, the insights Caleb gleaned from his project with mentor Dr. Jasna Vuk, Associate Professor in the Educational and Student Success Center, will be shared with next year’s M3s and M4s to help organize their peer mentoring.

Residents and Students Shine at Conference
A shout-out to the UAMS residents and medical students who presented at the 8^th Annual Southern Dermatology Consortium Resident Research Day last month. Third-year Dermatology resident Dr. Patrick Phelan received the resident presentation award for clinical mastery for his talk, “A Clinical Approach to Parsing Panniculitis.” Third-year resident Dr. Khiem Tran presented “A New Immune Evasion Mechanism in Melanoma.” Second-year medical student Kayla Perry presented “Dermatology Practitioners’ Perspectives Regarding Arkansas Medicaid Coverage of Dermatologic Medications,” which drew praise from participants from other states who were interested in her findings and how their state compared. Swetha Atluri, a visiting third-year medical student who is completing a research fellowship with Associate Professor Dr. Vivian Shi, received the award for the best presentation from a medical student, for “Biologic use during pregnancy and breastfeeding in dermatology – an evidence-based review.”

Pediatrics Proves Power in Numbers
UAMS was well represented at the recent Southern Regional Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Research in New Orleans. Dr. Joana Mack, Assistant Professor in the Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Program Director for the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship, led a group of over 40 Pediatrics trainees and faculty members attending the meeting. Collectively, they presented 19 oral presentations and 24 poster presentations. Peers from other states took note of how supportive the UAMS colleagues were of one another, with comments such as, “Here comes the group from Arkansas” whenever one of our trainees was preparing to present.

National Proteomics Symposium
For the seventh consecutive year, the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute hosted a national symposium that enables proteomics directors and staff from across the country to share insights and best practices for enhancing their crucial services in support of cancer research. The Cancer Institute is home to the National Institutes of Health-designated IDeA National Resource for Quantitative Proteomics, which is directed by Dr. Alan Tackett, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Deputy Director of the Cancer Institute. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Geriatric Education Development Awardee
Congratulations to Dr. Leah Tobey on being selected as an Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC) Junior Faculty Development Awardee. Dr. Tobey is a doctor of physical therapy in the Interventional Pain Clinic, an Instructor in Psychiatric Research Institute’s Center for Health Services Research, and clinical educator for AGEC in the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. She joins two awardees for the year-long program who were announced last summer, Dr. Lee Isaac, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Dr. Caitlin Price, an Assistant Professor in the College of Health Professions Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology. Dr. Tobey is dedicated to improving the quality of life for older Arkansans through self-care management, optimal, evidence-based therapies and education.

Transforming Lives
For the third consecutive year, team members in the Department of Ophthalmology and Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute volunteered their time to provide transformative, sight-giving cataract surgeries at no cost for Marshallese patients. Thanks to these volunteers, six formerly blind individuals will see spring unfold around them in Northwest Arkansas. The team effort followed on the successes of events in 2021 and 2022. I join with Ophthalmology Chair and Jones Eye Director Dr. Paul Phillips in thanking faculty members Drs. Joseph Chacko, Carina Sanvicente, and Ahmed Sallam; residents Drs. Aric Clegg and Zia Siddiqui; administrative staff members Shelli Madison, Valarie Robinson and Shannon Coleman; and all of the clinical team members who made this initiative possible.

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!

Necessity Leads to Opportunity
The temporary closure of a specialized learning laboratory for otology/neurotology trainees at Oklahoma University College of Medicine led to an enhanced learning opportunity for residents at OU and UAMS. With the OU temporal bone lab closed for renovations, OU’s Dr. Alex Bien joined forces with Dr. John Dornhoffer, Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UAMS, to conduct a combined temporal bone lab for residents of both schools over two recent weekends at UAMS. Consisting of both didactic lectures and dissections, the temporal bone lab is a crucial component of otolaryngology residency education – and UAMS’ lab is considered one of the best in the country.

Dr. Dornhoffer said the dual-institution lab gave residents a unique learning experience and an opportunity to “socialize and compare notes outside of the lab.” Now, the two programs hope to make it an annual collaboration. UAMS Assistant Professor Dr. Robert Saadi and Otology fellow Dr. Anna Bareiss also served as course instructors.

EM Leadership Development
Dr. Sarah Greenberger, Associate Professor and Residency Program Director in the Department of Emergency Medicine, has been accepted for the 2023-2024 class of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine/Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (SAEM/AACEM) Emerging Leader Development Program (eLEAD). The highly competitive, year-long program is designed to help emerging leaders in the field further develop their leadership skills, and to provide networking and other opportunities. I join with Dr. Rawle “Tony” Seupaul, Emergency Medicine Chair and Executive Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, in congratulating Dr. Greenberger on this well-earned opportunity.

Outstanding Reviewer
Dr. Carol Thrush, a leader in educational research in the COM GME Office, has been named an Outstanding Reviewer for 2022 by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the editors of ACGME’s Journal of Graduate Medical Education. The honor stems from her contributions as a peer reviewer for multiple manuscripts and her high reviewer ratings. This national service to scholarly work is an extension of Dr. Thrush’s strong commitment to high-quality scholarly work by residents, students and faculty in our college and her contributions to many excellent publications through her roles as a Professor in the departments of Surgery and Internal Medicine as well as the GME Office. Kudos, Dr. Thrush.

Insights into Aging
Researchers in the Department of Geriatrics recently published two articles on different aspects of aging. First-year postdoctoral fellow Dr. Ambika Verma was first author on “P. gingivalis-LPS Induces Mitochondrial Dysfunction Mediated by Neuroinflammation through Oxidative Stress,” published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The article sheds light on the links between periodontal disease and neurodegenerative disease in older individuals. Professor Dr. Gohar Azhar was the first author on “Differential plasma protein expression after ingestion of essential amino acid-based dietary supplement versus whey protein in low physical functioning older adults,” published in GeroScience. The article expands on the team’s findings in a recent clinical trial that demonstrated the superiority of a dietary supplement composed of essential amino acids. Professor and Chair Dr. Jeanne Wei was senior author on both of the recent publications, and many lab team members were coauthors.

Gold Standard for Consulting
Dr. Abhilash Thatikala, a second-year Neurology resident, is “the gold standard” for specialty consultants called to the Emergency Department to assist with patient cases and the teaching experiences they present. Emergency Medicine residents selected Dr. Thatikala as their newest Consultant of the Month in recognition of his expertise, teaching and collegiality. As one resident wrote, “Dr. Thatikala updates you quickly on the plan and always does what’s best for the patient, all while being the most kind, efficient, and pleasant person ever, even when he’s swamped with consults.” Kudos to Dr. Thatikala for his outstanding work.

Putting Patients First
Patients who suffer from severe headaches are grateful for the expert, compassionate care provided by headache medicine specialist Dr. Scott Lucchese, Associate Professor of Neurology. A patient recently explained in a post-visit survey how much Dr. Lucchese’s “great attention to detail” and willingness to take the time needed to address concerns means. “I never leave his office with any unanswered medical questions,” the patient wrote. “He is a 5-Star Neurologist who is genuinely concerned about his patients, and his pleasing disposition is highly commendable.” Kudos to Dr. Lucchese for putting patients first.

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!

Aiding the Cancer Moonshot
A shout-out to Bill Bennett, an Instructor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, who created an extensive suite of tools for image de-identification and curation for The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA), the National Cancer Institute-supported public database housed at UAMS. We have just learned that the U.S. Department of Defense is adopting these tools, called Posda, to support the federal “Cancer Moonshot” program. The de-identification of clinical images is crucial for making data safe for sharing and publishing in the collaborative pursuit of new therapies for fighting cancer. I join with Dr. Fred Prior, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Biomedical Informatics and Director of the TCIA, in thanking Bill for sharing his expertise at UAMS over the past seven years, and in wishing him all the best in his upcoming retirement.

National Leadership in Gynecology
Dr. Kathryn Stambough, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is lending her expertise as a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Clinical Consensus Committee for Gynecology. She is the only currently serving member from Arkansas and was instrumental in formulating the recent publication of updated practice guidelines for the medical management of menstrual suppression. Dr. Stambough serves as a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist at Arkansas Children’s and as Assistant Program Director for the OB/GYN Residency Program at UAMS. Kudos to Dr. Stambough for her national leadership as well as her excellent work in gynecological care and education.

Rising Star in Thoracic Surgery
Dr. Lauren Johnson, a fourth-year General Surgery resident currently completing a dedicated lab research year, received the “Looking to the Future” scholarship from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). The Looking to the Future program identifies rising stars in thoracic surgery and provides mentorship, career development workshops and other opportunities to participate in leadership programs. The scholarship covered travel and participation in the recent STS annual meeting in San Diego. Congratulations, Dr. Johnson.

Groundbreaking Collaboration
The Department of Neurosurgery’s Dr. Erika Petersen and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Dr. John Bracey and Dr. Mark Tait are collaborating with the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R) at the University of Arkansas and other partners on a groundbreaking technology and clinical trial with the potential to make meaningful sensations of touch, grip force and hand-opening possible for patients with upper limb amputations, using neural-enabled prosthesis. Dr. Petersen is a Professor and Director of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery. Dr. Bracey, an Assistant Professor, and Dr. Tait, an Associate Professor, are hand and nerve specialists. Read more about this exciting work in the UAMS Newsroom.

Striving for Sustainability
UAMS’s sustainability efforts are featured in a newly published article by Dr. Kristie Hadden, Associate Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics and Senior Strategy Associate in the UAMS Office of Strategy Management; Christina Clark, MBA, Vice Chancellor for Support Services and Chief Operations Officer; Dr. Stephanie Gardner, UAMS Provost and Chief Strategy Officer; and Dr. Cam Patterson, Chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. The article, “UAMS’s Response to Climate Crisis: Using energy savings to fund sustainability at an Academic Health Center,” is in the February issue of the Journal of Healthcare Contracting.

104 and Cancer Free
And finally this week, I would like to share a story about an incredible patient – and the healing care initially provided by Dr. James Suen, Distinguished Professor and former Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, nearly 50 years ago. Camden resident Maddie Upton first saw Dr. Suen and received treatment for mouth cancer in 1974. The now 104-year-old cancer survivor and Dr. Suen have maintained a special friendship as doctor and patient ever since. You can read more about Ms. Upton, from her birth during the last months of World War I to the positive attitude she exudes today, 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!

12^th Street Celebrates 10 Years of Service
The student-run UAMS 12^th Street Health and Wellness Center marked 10 years of service to the community in January – a decade that also has provided a phenomenal amount of interprofessional clinical learning experiences for medical students and their peers across UAMS. In 2022 alone, the center saw 800 individual patients and logged over 59,000 student volunteer hours. In January-November, 270 College of Medicine students volunteered at the center. Another accomplishment for the 12^th Street team in 2022 was the integration of the EPIC electronic medical record system.

Let’s have a round of applause for the student volunteers and faculty leaders at the center. COM senior Brett Frazier is Executive Director and junior Nadia Safar is Deputy Executive Director on the Student Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 academic year, and many fellow students serve in other board positions. Next year, Nadia will serve as Executive Director and Brittany Tian, currently a sophomore, will serve as Deputy Executive Director. Congratulations to all of the students who were recently elected to serve on the board in 2023-2024.

The 12^th Street Faculty Leadership Team includes Medical Director Dr. Elizabeth Gath, Professor of Internal Medicine, and Center Director Dr. Melissa Halverson, Associate Professor in the College of Health Professions, Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Dr. Billy Thomas, Professor of Pediatrics, served as the center’s Founding Medical Director.

Otolaryngology Textbook Published
Dr. Gresham Richter, Professor, Vice Chair and Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, was a senior editor on the recently published sixth edition of “Bailey’s Head and Neck Surgery – Otolaryngology.” The comprehensive, two-volume work is one of the leading and longest-published textbooks in the field, designed for both practicing otolaryngologists and residents. Dr. Richter served as the senior editor for content relating to pediatric otolaryngology. UAMS Otolaryngology faculty members Dr. Adam Johnson, Dr. Abby Nolder and Dr. André Wineland also contributed to chapters in the book. 

National Leadership Fellowship
Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Foster, Assistant Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at the UAMS Northeast Regional Campus, on being selected for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program. Dr. Foster has been pegged as an up-and-coming leader since completing his residency as a Co-Chief Resident at UAMS Northeast and joining the faculty in 2021. His fellowship nomination drew enthusiastic support from Program Director Dr. Scott Dickson and Little Rock Family Medicine faculty Dr. David Kelley, Dr. Leslie Stone and Dr. Bill Ventres. They cited Dr. Foster’s work on quality improvement initiatives, implementation of the EPIC electronic medical record system across regional campuses, and team-building efforts for residents and staff in Jonesboro. His recent honors include being selected as a 2023 UAMS Implementation Science Scholar.

Advanced Biotherapies Certification
Dr. Gina Drobena, Associate Professor of Pathology, Division Director of Transfusion Medicine and Medical Director of Apheresis, recently became one of the first across the country to become credentialed as a Certified Advanced Biotherapies Professional (CABP). She is the only person in Arkansas and neighboring Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana to hold the new certification from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB). Congratulations, Dr. Drobena.

Journal Highlights Pulmonary Expertise
For the seventh 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 faculty. Pulmonary Medicine’s Dr. Jose Caceres and Dr. Anand Venkata contributed an article on asbestos-associated pulmonary disease. Dr. Krishna Kakkera, Dr. William Atchley and Dr. Thaddeus Bartter (Pulmonary Medicine) and Dr. Maneetha Kodali (Geriatrics) contributed an article on the interrelationships between ageing and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Team UAMS Answers Call for Emergency Blood Drive
And finally this week, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who turned out for the “pop-up” emergency blood drive at UAMS last Wednesday, even though the ice storm kept many team members away from campus. The drive, conducted by the Arkansas Blood Institute/Our Blood Institute (OBI), was crucial for maintaining life-saving blood supply during a week when inclement weather forced the cancellations of multiple drives and donor appointments. An astounding 76 team members signed up to volunteer after the announcement went out that morning – including 32 new donors. By the end of the four-hour drive, 61 units of blood had been collected.

“Not only did UAMS step up and allow us to hold an emergency pop-up blood drive, but you all exceeded any expectation we had,” said Lindsey Beaver, OBI Director of Donor Recruitment. “We cannot express our gratitude enough for the efforts and success you had, and most importantly for understanding the severity of blood supply and showing up during this emergency.”

I join with Dr. Michelle Krause, Senior Vice Chancellor for UAMS Health and CEO for UAMS Medical Center, in thanking all who donated blood. Special thanks also to Clinical Lab Manager Ann Jacob and Dr. Aaron Wyble, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Medical Director of the UAMS Blood Bank, and everyone who helped to coordinate the drive on short notice.

The need for blood remains critical, and I encourage COM team member to donate if you can. The next blood drive at UAMS is scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 14-15. For more information, please see this UAMS announcement.