College of Medicine

Sara Shalin, M.D., Ph.D., Appointed Chair of Dermatology in UAMS College of Medicine

Sara Shalin, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of pathology and dermatology, has been named chair of the Department of Dermatology in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

“Dr. Shalin has done an exceptional job as interim chair of the Department of Dermatology since last March, advancing the department’s efforts in clinical care, research and education while providing excellent support for her faculty and residents,” said Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., executive vice chancellor of UAMS and dean of the UAMS College of Medicine. “She will continue to bring great energy and conscientious leadership to the department in the years ahead.”

A graduate of the M.D./Ph.D. program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Shalin received her doctorate in neuroscience in 2006 and her medical degree in 2007. She completed her medical residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at Baylor, ultimately serving as chief resident. Shalin completed her fellowship training in Boston in the Harvard Hospitals Combined Dermatopathology Program.

Shalin was recruited to UAMS in 2012. She has held several leadership roles within the Department of Pathology and has directed the M.D./Ph.D. dual degree program at UAMS since 2017. She is also the current director of the UAMS Dermatopathology Fellowship Program. Shalin is involved in collaborative research in melanoma pathogenesis and biology. Her other research interests include the pathology of inflammatory diseases of the skin and other cutaneous malignancies. She is board certified in dermatopathology and anatomic and clinical pathology and is active in national pathology and dermatology societies. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, one of the leading journals in her subspecialty.

Physiology & Cell Biology: A New Name and Bright Future for UAMS College of Medicine Department

A basic science department in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has adopted a new name to better represent the expertise of its faculty, research programs and long history of excellent teaching.

Teresita Bellido, Ph.D.

The name change for what is now the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology was one of the first initiatives of Teresita Bellido, Ph.D., who began serving as professor and chair in July 2020. The department was previously known as the Department of Physiology and Biophysics.

The change was unanimously supported by the department’s faculty and was approved by Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., executive vice chancellor of UAMS and dean of the College of Medicine, in December.

“Our new name definitely better reflects the identity of our department and the research and teaching we do,” said Bellido. “We are very actively recruiting new faculty members, and we wanted to have a name that truly represents our faculty. This is also important for recruiting graduate students.”

One of seven non-clinical departments in the college, Physiology and Cell Biology and its faculty members work to discover and advance biomedical knowledge that informs health care. Basic science faculty members teach first- and second-year medical students the foundational scientific concepts that are crucial for the practice of medicine. Basic science faculty also teach aspiring scientists in the UAMS Graduate School.

Physiology is the study of how living organisms function, how their tissues and organs interact, and of the underlying mechanisms at the molecular, cellular and organ levels. Cell biology is the study of the structure and function of the cell, which is the basic unit of organismal life. Understanding the basic biology is indispensable for discovering mechanisms of disease and developing therapeutic approaches. Teaching and research by the department’s faculty cover different aspects of physiology and cell biology.

Coming Home

Bellido’s recruitment to UAMS from the Indiana University School of Medicine, announced in 2019, marked a return to what the Argentina native considers her “second home.”

After completing her doctorate in biochemistry and an initial postdoctoral fellowship in Argentina, Bellido continued her training at Indiana University. There, she worked with Stavros Manolagas, M.D., Ph.D., who subsequently recruited her to UAMS following his own recruitment to Arkansas. Bellido served in the UAMS Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and the UAMS and VA Center for Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Diseases (both of which Manolagas continues to lead) from 1993 to 2008, when she was recruited by Indiana University.

Bellido remained focused on her research while at Indiana as her reputation as an international leader in bone and mineral research continued to grow. She served as president of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in 2019-2020, overseeing the successful conversion of the organization’s annual meeting to a virtual format as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. Bellido also has been long active in faculty development and mentorship, both at UAMS and Indiana University, earning her leadership awards at Indiana and from ASBMR.

In 2019, the UAMS College of Medicine began recruiting for a new Physiology and Biophysics chair to succeed Michael Jennings, Ph.D., who was stepping down from the role after 25 years of years of service. Bellido realized she was ready to contribute in a leadership capacity and excited about the opportunity at UAMS.

“This was my home and my university home for 15 years, and the prospect of returning was attractive to me,” Bellido said. “UAMS is a great institution with excellent resources for researchers and supportive leadership.”

In addition to her role as department chair, Bellido was named an Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) Scholar. The ARA is a public/private partnership that supports recruitment and retention of top researchers, with the aim of bolstering jobs and economic opportunity in the state.

“Dr. Bellido really hit the ground running as chair, and her energy and commitment to understanding the needs of her department have been commendable,” said Westfall. “Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, she has succeeded in engaging her faculty and truly listening to them as she guides the department.”

Building on Strengths

Bellido began working to establish strong communication with her administrative team and faculty in the months preceding her full-time start as chair in July 2020. That March, she appointed a faculty committee, headed by Patricia Wight, Ph.D., to help her assess the department’s faculty recruitment needs.

The department has a major role in medical student education at UAMS. Physiology and Cell Biology colleagues teach in numerous courses, and four faculty members, Mike Jennings, Ph.D., Frank Simmen, Ph.D., Jerry Ware, Ph.D., and Herschel Conaway, Ph.D., are course directors for modules taken by first- and second-year medical students. Jennings also serves on the College of Medicine Curriculum Committee and as co-chair of the Active Learning Steering Committee. Faculty members are also integral to graduate student education at UAMS, with Rosalia C.M. Simmen, Ph.D., serving as director of the Cell Biology and Physiology Track for the UAMS Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Sciences and as a course director, and Patricia Wight, Ph.D., and Vladimir Lupashin, Ph.D., serving as course directors.

Physiology and Cell Biology is the home of the UAMS Advanced Microscopy Core facility, which is directed by Brian Storrie, Ph.D., and serves the needs of researchers from all UAMS colleges as well as outside clients from Arkansas and beyond.

The department is also home to the faculty leaders of Arkansas INBRE, which has received $78.5 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences over the last 20 years to promote and support mentorship-focused biomedical research for undergraduate college students and faculty across the state. Lawrence E. Cornett, Ph.D., serves as principal investigator and director, and Jerry Ware, Ph.D., serves as program coordinator and associate director.

After Dr. Bellido’s recruitment, four faculty members in Physiology and Cell Biology are now contributing to UAMS’ strength in musculoskeletal research. Roy Morello, Ph.D., is an expert in rare bone diseases. Melda Onal, Ph.D., studies gene regulation in bone. Jesús Delgado-Calle, Ph.D., a new recruit recently funded by the National Cancer Institute, studies cancer in bone. Dr. Bellido’s own research spans from osteocyte biology to mechanisms and treatments of bone diseases.

“One of our current strengths is that we have an outstanding group of educators, including senior faculty members who have been teaching for many years,” Bellido said. “We also have strong research programs led by well-established faculty members. However, faculty recruitment is vital for us in order to maintain and build on what we are doing for many decades to come.”

Recruiting is underway for two assistant professors whose research interests will build on existing strengths in the department, including bone biology, intracellular membrane trafficking, platelet physiology, cancer biology and molecular neurobiology. Bellido and her colleagues are particularly interested in recruiting faculty to contribute to the development and expansion of campus-wide centers of excellence in cancer and musculoskeletal biology.

“COVID put the brakes on some of the things we initially wanted to do to jumpstart faculty recruitment last year, but we have been very creative and work around the hurdles of social distancing,” Bellido said, noting that the positions have drawn a flood of applicants who are being interviewed virtually.

“Our faculty and administrative staff are second-to-none,” Bellido said. “I am very excited about what we can accomplish together, and I look forward to growing the department, with the continued support of College of Medicine and UAMS leadership, and to provide opportunities for new faculty members, students and postdoctoral fellows to excel.”

Sidney Dassinger, M.D., Named Chief of Pediatric General Surgery at UAMS

M. Sidney “Sid” Dassinger III, M.D., a professor in the Division of Pediatric General Surgery in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine Department of Surgery, has been appointed chief of the division.

Dr. Sid Dassinger — M. Sidney “Sid” Dassinger III, M.D.

Dassinger was recruited to UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) in 2007 by the previous chief, Samuel Smith, M.D., who recently retired. A dynamic surgeon, Dassinger’s clinical interests include pediatric surgical oncology, congenital anomalies and hepatobiliary disease. He is board certified in General Surgery and Pediatric Surgery by the American Board of Surgery.

A highly regarded educator, Dassinger has served as director of the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s for the past two years. He is also active in research and plans to expand research efforts in the division.

Dassinger received his medical degree at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in 2000. He completed his general surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville and continued his training with a pediatric surgery fellowship at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital/St. Jude Children’s Research Center in Memphis before joining UAMS and ACH.

He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Pediatric Surgical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Edward T.H. Yeh, M.D., Named Chair, Department of Internal Medicine in UAMS College of Medicine

By Amy Widner

Dr. Edward Yeh — Edward T.H. Yeh, M.D., FACC, a renowned cardiologist and leading expert in the field of onco-cardiology, is the new chair of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine

Edward T.H. Yeh, M.D., FACC, joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine Nov. 1 as Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and the Nolan Family Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine.

Yeh succeeds James Marsh, M.D., who will serve as a senior cardiologist on the faculty until his retirement in January. Marsh had been chair since 2004 and leaves UAMS with a distinguished history of leadership and advancing UAMS’ mission in education, clinical care and research.

Yeh also has been nominated by UAMS for the Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) Scholar Award. As an ARA Scholar, he will lead research that improves health in Arkansas while fostering economic opportunity.

Yeh is a renowned cardiologist and leading expert in the field of onco-cardiology. He currently directs the Center for Precision Medicine and holds the Frances T. McAndrew Chair in Oncology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, where he also chaired the Department of Medicine from 2016-2019.

“Dr. Yeh brings exceptional clinical, research and academic leadership experience to UAMS,” said Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., College of Medicine dean and UAMS executive vice chancellor. “His unique expertise will also serve as a strong asset in our work to obtain National Cancer Institute designation for UAMS, an effort led by Winthrop P. Cancer Institute Director Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D.”

From 2000 to 2016, Yeh served as professor and founding chair of the Department of Cardiology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he made seminal contributions to understanding the relationships between cancer, chemotherapy agents and heart disease. In 2012, his laboratory discovered that Topoisomerase 2b is the molecular basis of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity, upending decades of belief that toxicity to this chemotherapy drug was due solely to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

Earlier, Yeh made important contributions in biochemistry, including the discovery of two ubiquitin-like proteins, SUMO/Sentrin and NEDD8. Both of these proteins are important in regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor stability, DNA repair, heart and lymphoid development, cancer pathogenesis, and sudden death and seizure disorders. Yeh has published extensively and lectured internationally on these and other topics in cardiology and medicine.

Yeh received his medical degree from the University of California, Davis. He completed residency training in internal medicine at Children’s Hospital, San Francisco, and Boston VA Medical Center. He continued his training with a research fellowship in immunology at Harvard Medical School, followed by a clinical fellowship in rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Yeh later completed a clinical fellowship in cardiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center (UTHSC).

Yeh served as an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard in 1987-1992. He joined UTHSC as an associate professor of medicine in 1992 and was promoted to professor in 1998. He was recruited to the University of Missouri as chair of medicine in 2016.

Yeh is certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and an elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association of American Physicians and the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Pharmacology and Toxicology Chair to Serve as UAMS College of Medicine Interim Executive Associate Dean for Research

Nancy J. Rusch, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UAMS College of Medicine, has been appointed to serve as interim executive associate dean for research following the retirement of Richard P. Morrison, Ph.D., at the end of this year.

Dr. Nancy Rusch — Nancy J. Rusch, Ph.D., has been named interim executive associate dean for research in the UAMS College of Medicine

“Dr. Rusch has been a stellar department leader, overseeing growth in research funding and the development of faculty who are nationally recognized in their fields of expertise, major contributors to research at UAMS, and leaders in medical student and graduate student education,” said Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., FACS.

Rusch’s contributions to UAMS extend far beyond her department, which she has led since her recruitment to UAMS in 2005. She is a key leader in the UAMS Translational Research Institute (TRI), where she developed and co-leads TRI’s Health Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HSIE) Postdoctoral Scholars Training Program and serves as TRI director of translational workforce development. She has served in numerous other leadership roles, including chair of the College of Medicine’s Council of Department Chairs, chair of the Basic Science Chairs and founder of the Cardiovascular Interest Group. She has served on numerous search committees for department chairs, UAMS Chancellors, and other leadership positions.

A leading expert in vascular ion channel remodeling in hypertension, Rusch has served on numerous study sections and special review panels for the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. She is a longstanding member and leader in the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and a past president of the organization’s Cardiovascular Pharmacology Division.

Rusch received her doctorate at the Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota. She completed postdoctoral fellowships in pharmacology at the University of Iowa and in physiology and biophysics at the University of Cincinnati. Rusch served on the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 1987 until her recruitment to UAMS. She has received numerous honors since joining UAMS, including the Chancellor’s Teaching Award in 2011, the Graduate School Best Faculty Award in 2014, and the College of Medicine Educational Innovation Award this year.

Jennifer Laudadio, M.D., Named Chair of Pathology in UAMS College of Medicine

Jennifer Laudadio, M.D., FCAP, Professor of Pathology in the UAMS College of Medicine, has been named Chair of the Department of Pathology.

Dr. Jennifer Laudadio — Jennifer Laudadio, M.D., FCAP, has been named chair of the Department of Pathology in the UAMS College of Medicine.

“Dr. Laudadio has excelled in a range of leadership roles since her recruitment to UAMS in 2013, and she has done an outstanding job as Interim Chair since August 1,” said UAMS Executive Vice Chancellor and College of Medicine Dean Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., FACS. “Dr. Laudadio has earned praise for her commitment to quality and safety and her work in graduate medical education, and she will provide strong leadership for one of our most complex departments.”

Laudadio joined the faculty as associate professor and medical director of molecular pathology in 2013. She became vice chair for clinical operations and medical director for the Laboratory/Pathology Service Line in 2015. Other leadership posts in Pathology have included Pathology Residency Program director from 2014 to 2019 and CLIA Laboratory director from 2015 to 2020. She was promoted to professor in July.

Laudadio has also served on numerous department and college committees including the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) and the Clinical Learning and Environment Review (CLER) Subcommittee, which she chaired for 3 years.

Laudadio received the College of Medicine Residency Educator Award in 2016 and the inaugural Clinical Excellence Award for Quality and Safety this year. Her national honors include the Pathology Advancement Award from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in 2018. In addition to ongoing leadership roles with the CAP, she has been elected to serve on a variety of committees for the Association for Molecular Pathology and serves on two Test Development Advisory Committees for the American Board of Pathology. She is a Molecular Pathology Section editor on the Editorial Board for Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

A graduate of the Medical College of Georgia, Laudadio completed her residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the Medical University of South Carolina and her fellowship in molecular genetic pathology at Oregon Health & Science University.

Pediatric Cardiologist and Faculty Leader Renee Bornemeier, M.D., Named Interim Chair of UAMS Department of Pediatrics

Renee Bornemeier, M.D., professor of pediatric cardiology, vice chair for faculty affairs in the Department of Pediatrics, and assistant dean for faculty affairs in the UAMS College of Medicine, has been named Interim Chair of the department.

Dr. Renee Bornemeier — Renee Bornemeier, M.D., has been named interim chair of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.

“Dr. Bornemeier has dedicated her career to UAMS and Arkansas Children’s, providing exceptional cardiology care for the children of Arkansas, outstanding teaching for medical students, residents and fellows, and excellent mentoring and faculty development for her colleagues,” said Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., FACS, executive vice chancellor of UAMS and dean of the College of Medicine.

Bornemeier graduated from UAMS in 1988 and stayed at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s for her pediatrics residency. She completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and returned to UAMS to serve as an instructor in the Department of Pediatrics in 1994. Bornemeier rose through the faculty ranks and has served as a professor in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology since 2009.

Bornemeier’s clinical leadership roles at ACH have included medical director of the ACH Heart Station from 1995 to 2008, director of the Bale Fetal Heart Center since 2009, vice chief of staff in 2017-2018 and chief of staff since 2019. She also directed the development of the Cardiac 3D Print Lab at Arkansas Children’s.

Bornemeier has become increasingly engaged in faculty development and leadership. She has served on the Pediatrics Promotion and Tenure Committee since 2013. She served on the College of Medicine Promotion and Tenure Committee in 2012-2016 and chaired the committee in 2015-2016. Bornemeier was appointed vice-chair for faculty affairs in the Department of Pediatrics in 2017. She recently was named assistant dean for faculty affairs for the College of Medicine, to provide enhanced services for the college’s Children’s-based faculty from multiple departments.

Bornemeier is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics Sub Board of Pediatric Cardiology. She is active in national professional organizations including the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the American Society of Echocardiography and the Fetal Heart Society. Bornemeier will serve as interim chair during the college’s search for the next chair. Former Pediatrics Chair Frederick “Rick” Barr, M.D., assumed a new post as executive vice president and chief clinical and academic officer for Arkansas Children’s on Nov. 16.