Faculty Updates

Recent Faculty Appointments January 2021

Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.

Department of Anesthesiology

Rania Elkhateb, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as a research faculty member and Instructor. Dr. Elkhateb will lead the Anesthesia Clinical Research Committee, providing mentorship to faculty and residents as the department grows its scholarly activities. She received her medical degree and completed her residency in anesthesiology at Kasr Alainy Medical School at Cairo University in Egypt. Dr. Elkhateb also earned a Master’s Degree in Anesthesia and a Clinical Ph.D. at Cairo University.

Jaleesa Jackson, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Chronic Pain Division. Dr. Jackson received her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. She completed her residency in anesthesiology and her fellowship in chronic pain medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Jackson’s clinical interests include holistic, patient-centered care and treatment for cancer-associated pain, low-back and joint pain, and chronic pain from sickle cell disease.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Benjamin Stronach, M.D., has joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an Associate Professor specializing in hip and knee arthroplasty. Dr. Stronach comes to UAMS from the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, where he had practiced since 2011. He received his medical degree and completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Stronach continued his training with a fellowship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Recent Faculty Appointments December 2020

Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Kathryn L. Nance, M.D., has joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an Assistant Professor and primary care sports medicine specialist. Dr. Nance received her medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport in 2013. She completed her family medicine residency, followed by a year-long primary care sports medicine fellowship, at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. Prior to her recruitment to UAMS, Dr. Nance practiced at Baptist Health in Conway, where she treated musculoskeletal complaints and performed ultrasound injections.
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Department of Radiation Oncology

Richard Crownover, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the Department of Radiation Oncology as a Professor and specialist in gynecological cancers, breast cancer and sarcoma. Dr. Crownover received his medical degree and doctorate in physics at Duke University, where he remained to complete his internship at the Duke University Medical Center. He completed his residency at the University of California San Francisco, where he served as Chief Resident. Known for his innovative development of a tracking system to deliver radiosurgery to moving targets within the body, Dr. Crownover most recently served as Professor and Radiation Oncology Residency Program Director at the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Mays Cancer Center.
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Recent Faculty Appointments November 2020

Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.

Department of Anesthesiology

Dustin Rumpel, M.D., has rejoined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Rumpel received his medical degree at Loyola University Chicago. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at UAMS and joined the faculty in July 2017. He left UAMS in July 2019 to complete a fellowship in anesthesiology critical care medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Rumpel will be working in critical care medicine and general anesthesiology.

Department of Ophthalmology

Carina Torres Sanvicente, M.D., has joined the Department of Ophthalmology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Sanvicente received her medical degree at the Universidade Federal Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. She completed her ophthalmology residency training at Hospital Banco de Olhos-Eye Bank Hospital in Brazil. Dr. Sanvicente continued her training with a glaucoma research fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, followed by a glaucoma clinical fellowship at Emory Eye Center in Atlanta. She will specialize in glaucoma treatment in the UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute.

Department of Pediatrics

Akilah Jefferson, M.D., M.Sc., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Jefferson received her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans and, earlier, her Master of Science in biomedical science policy and advocacy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Dr. Jefferson continued her training with a clinical fellowship in allergy and immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a post-doctoral fellowship in bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Prior to joining UAMS, she was an Associate Physician in the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of California, San Diego, and Rady Children’s Hospital.

Sally Helton, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Helton received her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia-Augusta University. She completed her pediatrics residency at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Mark McManis, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Associate Professor in the Division of Neurology. Dr. McManis received his doctorate in developmental psychology at the University of Florida. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in developmental psychology at Harvard University and continued his training with a fellowship in psychology neuroscience at the University of Texas Medical School. Prior to joining UAMS, Dr. McManis served since 2015 as a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, and as Director of the Clinical Magnetoencephalography Program at Dell Children’s Medical Center since 2013. He previously served in the Division of Pediatric Neurology at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis.

Department of Radiology

Satya Patro, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the divisions of Neuroradiology and Interventional Neuroradiology. Dr. Patro completed his medical education and radiology residency at Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) Medical College in Berhampur, Odisha, India. He completed a postdoctoral certificate course in cardiovascular and neuroradiology at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology in Trivandum, India. Dr. Patro continued his training with a fellowship in neuroradiology at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, followed by fellowships in diagnostic neuroradiology and interventional neuroradiology at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Patro is board certified by the American Board of Radiology.

Prior to joining UAMS, Dr. Patro served as a consultant for the Department of Neuroscience (Neuroradiology Section) at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar, and as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiology at Weil Cornell Medicine in Doha. He has worked as a lead in research study groups focusing on areas such as vessel wall imaging and its application in neurovascular disease and rescue stenting in acute stroke related to intracranial atherosclerotic disease. He has authored book chapters and multiple publications in peer reviewed journals.

Department of Surgery

Michail Mavros, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Mavros received his medical degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece. After conducting research at the Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Athens, he moved to the United States and completed post-doctoral research fellowships at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Mavros completed his internship and residency in general surgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital-Washington Hospital Center, in Washington, DC. He continued his training with clinical fellowships in complex general surgical oncology and hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgery at the University of Toronto. He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery in general surgery and board-eligible in complex general surgical oncology.

Recent Faculty Appointments October 2020

Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Katie Ryan, Ph.D., has joined the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology faculty as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Ryan received her doctoral degree at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. She served as a Research Associate in the department prior to her faculty appointment. Dr. Ryan’s research focuses on the role of Rho GTPase Rnd3, a molecular switch, in normal keratinocyte regulation and melanoma. Rnd3 expression is correlated with progression toward an invasive phenotype in melanoma cells. Dr. Ryan’s lab is working to define Rnd3 mechanisms that promote aggressive, metastatic myeloma.
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Alicja Urbaniak, Ph.D., has been promoted to Instructor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Urbaniak received her master’s and her doctorate in chemistry from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. She completed requirements for an additional Ph.D. in sports sciences from the University of Physical Education, also in Poznań. Dr. Urbaniak joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UAMS as a Research Intern in 2016. She went on to serve as a Research Technician and subsequently as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Since September 2019, Dr. Urbaniak has been supported by a grant from the Arkansas Breast Cancer Research Program under the co-direction of Dr. Angus MacNicol and Dr. Tim Chambers. Her work has been honored nationally, and she currently serves on the Executive Committee and as a Communications Officer for the Division of Drug Discovery and Development of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Mark Manzano, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Manzano received his doctoral degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University in Chicago. Dr. Manzano’s research focuses on functional genomics to study host-pathogen interactions and biological processes. His lab uses functional genomics to study primary effusion lymphoma, an aggressive B cell cancer caused by the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus or human herpes virus 8 (KSHV/HHV8).
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Department of Pediatrics

Steven Dahl, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He received his medical degree and completed his pediatrics residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. He completed his fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri. During residency, Dr. Dahl served as a delegate to the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Medical Student, Resident and Fellowship Trainees. He also served on the Infection Prevention Control Committee at Texas Tech UMC. While a fellow, he received two Trainee Travel Awards for the IDWeek national conference.

Matthew H. Merves, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Associate Professor in the Division of Neonatology. Dr. Merves received his medical degree at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He completed his residency in pediatrics at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He continued his training with clinical fellowships in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he won the Medical Student Teaching Award, and at the University of Colorado, Aurora. Dr. Merves served as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta from 2014 until his recruitment to UAMS.

Department of Psychiatry

Ming Hwei Yek, Psy.D., has joined the Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Yek received a master’s in clinical psychology from McGill University in Montreal and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Baylor University. She recently completed a fellowship in clinical health psychology at the University of Florida at Gainesville. Dr. Yek sees patients in the UAMS Psychiatric Institute’s Walker Family Clinic. She also provides evaluation and treatment for pre- and post-transplant patients at UAMS.

Recent Faculty Appointments September 2020

Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.

Department of Dermatology

Megan Evans, M.D., has joined the Department of Dermatology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Evans received her medical degree from UAMS in 2011. She completed her residency in dermatology at UAMS and her fellowship in pediatric dermatology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Dr. Evans is board certified in dermatology and pediatric dermatology by the American Board of Dermatology, and she is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. Her clinical interests include pediatric skin diseases and resident education, and she serves as a pediatric dermatologist at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Rodrigo Valdes-Rodriguez, M.D., has joined the departments of Dermatology and Pathology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Valdes earned his medical degree at the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila in Mexico, after which he completed a dermatology residency at the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí. He went on to complete a second dermatology residency in the United States at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, followed by a fellowship in dermatopathology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Dr. Valdes specializes in a wide variety of skin conditions and enjoys all aspects of dermatology. He is board-certified in dermatology in both the United States and Mexico.

Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Sahithi Pothuganti, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Pothuganti received her medical degree from the Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences in Narketpally, India. She completed her residency in family medicine at UAMS. Dr. Pothuganti practices at the UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic at 1811 Rahling Road in West Little Rock.

Department of Internal Medicine

Sheena W. CarlLee, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Dr. CarlLee serves as Associate Program Director for the UAMS Northwest Internal Medicine Residency Program and in the Division of Community Health and Research. Dr. CarlLee received her medical degree from UAMS in 2014. She completed her residency in internal medicine and served as Chief Resident at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where she went on to serve an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. She subsequently practiced as a primary care physician in Concord, North Carolina.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Heather R. Williams, M.D., has joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. Dr. Williams received her medical degree from UAMS in 2013. She completed an internship and residency in OB/GYN at the University of Iowa and continued her training with a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the Medical College of Georgia. While completing her fellowship, she received the GOG Foundation New Investigator award. Dr. Williams’ research interests include clinical trials in gynecologic oncology, rare gynecologic cancers and the molecular genetics of endometrial cancers.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Chelsea Sullivan Mathews, M.D., has joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Mathews, who specializes in treating foot and ankle conditions, received her medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport. She completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at UAMS and continued her training with a fellowship in foot and ankle surgery at the University of Washington. During medical school and her residency, Dr. Mathews was active in education, research, leadership and student interest groups. She received the Resident Teaching Award from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UAMS.

Department of Pathology

Katelynn Campbell, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an Assistant Professor in the Dermatopathology Division. Dr. Campbell received her medical degree at the Medical University of the Americas Nevis and St. Kitts, West Indies. She completed her residency in anatomic and clinical pathology and fellowship in dermatopathology at UAMS.

Susan E. Harley, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an Assistant Professor in the Molecular Genetic and Hematopathology divisions. Dr. Harley received her medical degree at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. She completed her residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. Dr. Harley continued her training with a fellowship in hematopathology at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and a fellowship in molecular genetic pathology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Camila C. Simoes, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an Assistant Professor in the Gastroenterology/Liver Pathology and Surgical Pathology divisions. Dr. Simoes received her medical degree at the Gama Filho University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She completed her residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Before joining UAMS, Dr. Simoes completed a fellowship in liver and gastrointestinal/pancreatobiliary pathology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Sarah Victoria “Tory” Hunton, M.D., has joined the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Hunton received her medical degree from UAMS in 2016. She completed her residency at UAMS and served as Co-Chief Resident in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Hunton will practice inpatient rehabilitation and serve as a stroke rehabilitation specialist.

Department of Surgery

Deidre Wyrick, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Surgery. Dr. Wyrick received her medical degree and completed her surgery residency at UAMS. She also completed a pediatric surgery fellowship at UAMS and continued her training with a fellowship in trauma critical care at the Oregon Health Science University.

Raj B. Patel, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Solid Organ Transplant Surgery. He received his medical degree from Louisiana State University-Shreveport in 2013. Dr. Patel completed his general surgery residency training at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix in 2018, and an abdominal transplant fellowship at Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago in July.

Nolan Bruce, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma and Critical Care Surgery. He received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2014. Dr. Bruce completed his general surgery residency training at UAMS in 2019. He completed a fellowship in surgical critical care at the University of Texas Southwestern in July.

Joseph Margolick, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma and Critical Care Surgery. He received his medical degree from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, in 2014. Dr. Margolick completed his general surgery residency training in 2019 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He went on to complete a fellowship in Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. Dr. Margolick is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC).

Matthew L. Roberts, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma and Critical Care Surgery. He received his medical degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia in 2014. Dr. Roberts completed his general surgery residency at UAMS in 2019 and continued his training at UAMS with a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care.

Recent Faculty Appointments August 2020

Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.

Editor’s note: These are some of the many faculty members joining us this summer and fall. We will continue to introduce new faculty colleagues in the months ahead.

Department of Anesthesiology

Meenakshi Atteri, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia. Dr. Atteri received her medical degree and interned at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Puducherry, India. She completed her residency training in anesthesiology at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, and at the John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. Dr. Atteri continued her training with a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Alfredo Burgos Briceno, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia. Dr. Burgos received his medical degree from the University of Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela. He began his residency training in general surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine and went on to complete a residency in anesthesiology at the University of Florida, Jacksonville, followed by a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Srinivasa Govindarajan, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia. Dr. Govindarajan received his medical degree from Madurai Medical College in Tamil Nadu, India. He completed residency training in anesthesiology and served as Senior Resident (Registrar) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. He continued his training at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where he completed a clinical research fellowship in outcomes research, a residency in anesthesiology and a clinical fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology.

Matthew Green, D.O., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia. Dr. Green received his medical degree from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, Missouri. He came to UAMS for his anesthesiology residency in 2015 and continued his training at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s with a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology in 2019-2020.

Felipe Medeiros, M.D., has rejoined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia. Dr. Medeiros received his medical degree from Faculdade de Medicina de Petropolis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he also served as a Chief Resident. He completed residency training in anesthesiology at the Federal University of Mato Grasso in Brazil and at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he went on to serve as an Assistant Professor in 2013-2017. Dr. Medeiros came to UAMS in 2017 and served as an Assistant Professor for two years before resuming training as a pediatric anesthesiology fellow at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s in 2019-2020.

Prabhat Mishra, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia. Dr. Mishra received his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He completed his residency in anesthesiology and fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Mishra practiced at the University of Mississippi Medical Center – Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson in 2018-2020, serving as Director of Pediatric Anesthesia for Pediatric Renal Transplantation in 2019-2020.

Kavya Narayana Reddy, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia. Dr. Reddy received her medical degree from M.S. Ramaiah Medical College in Bangalore, India. She completed a residency in anesthesiology and served as Chief Resident at J.S.S. Medical College in Mysore, India, followed by a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology and service as Chief Resident at Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health in Bangalore. In 2012-2015 Dr. Reddy was a visiting clinical researcher in the Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis. She continued her training at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School with a surgery internship and residency in anesthesiology. Dr. Reddy most recently completed a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at Washington University.

Jarna Shah, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Chronic Pain Division. Dr. Shah received her medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. She completed her anesthesiology residency at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Services and her interventional pain medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.

G. Lawson Smith, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Chronic Pain Division. Dr. Smith received his medical degree and completed his anesthesiology residency at UAMS., where he served as Chief Resident. He became the first multidisciplinary chronic pain fellow at UAMS in 2019.

Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Paige Beck, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the departments of Family and Preventive Medicine and Geriatrics as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Beck received her doctorate in neurobiology and her medical degree at UAMS. She completed her family medicine residency at UAMS and served as Chief Resident. Her honors during residency included the STAR Professionalism Award and the Goss Physician/Patient Relationship Award. Dr. Beck continued her training at UAMS with a fellowship in geriatrics. Dr. Beck will serve as Medical Director for the UAMS House Calls Program, teach in the Baptist-UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program, and practice at the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Center in the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.

Aruna Malladi, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Malladi received her medical degree from Gandhi Medical College in India. She completed her family medicine residency at UAMS, where she received the 2018 Medical Knowledge Award and served on the UAMS Clinical Documentation Committee. Her scholarly activities included poster presentations at the 2018 American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) Annual Conference and the 40^th Annual Family Medicine Intensive Review Course. Dr. Malladi is particularly interested in preventive medicine. She practices at the UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic on Rahling Road in West Little Rock and as an attending at the Family Medical Center on the UAMS campus.

Amber Norris, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Norris received her medical degree at UAMS. She completed her residency in family medicine at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Norris practices at the UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic at 1401 W. Capitol Ave. in downtown Little Rock.

Department of Internal Medicine

Don E. Willis, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville. Dr. Willis earned his doctorate in sociology at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He serves on the research team in Northwest Arkansas with a focus on addressing health disparities.

M. Landon Crouch, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Crouch received his medical degree from UAMS in 2016. He completed his residency in internal medicine-pediatrics at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. Dr. Crouch will provide care at various clinics across the UAMS and Arkansas Children’s campuses, with his primary practice at the newly opened UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic at 11300 Financial Centre Parkway in West Little Rock.

Caleb Guthrey, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Guthrey received his medical degree from UAMS in 2016. He completed his residency in internal medicine-pediatrics at UAMS this year. Dr. Guthrey will provide care at various clinics across the UAMS and Arkansas Children’s campuses, with his primary practice at the newly opened UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic at 11300 Financial Centre Parkway in West Little Rock.

C. Preston McCormack, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. Dr. McCormack received his medical degree at UAMS in 2015 and remained at UAMS for his residency in Medicine-Pediatrics. He served as a Pediatric Chief Resident in 2019-2020. Dr. McCormack will provide care for adults and children with Down syndrome at the UAMS Health Rahling Road Clinic and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Our House Shelter Clinic.

Morgan Moore, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Moore received her medical degree at UAMS in 2016. She completed her residency in internal medicine-pediatrics at UAMS this year. Dr. Moore will provide care at various clinics across the UAMS and Arkansas Children’s campuses, with her primary practice at the newly opened UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic at 11300 Financial Centre Parkway in West Little Rock.

Jibran Ahmed, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. He will focus on patients with gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancer. Dr. Ahmed received his medical degree from King Edward Medical University in Pakistan. He interned at the Mayo Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, and completed his residency in internal medicine at the John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. He recently completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College in New York.

Sravani Gundarlapalli, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. She will serve as a hospitalist in the Myeloma Section. Dr. Gundarlapalli received her medical degree from the Kurnool Medical College in India. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at St. Joseph’s Mercy Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan. Dr. Gundarlapalli previously was a hospitalist at Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin, Georgia.

Joyce Habib, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. She will focus on clinical care and research related to breast cancer. Dr. Habib received her medical degree from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. She completed internal medicine residency training at the American University of Beirut Medical Center and Ohio State University. Dr. Habib continued her training with a fellowship in medical oncology at Baylor Medical Center in Texas, followed by breast oncology training at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels, Belgium. In 2016, Dr. Habib began practicing as a medical oncologist at Fouad Khoury Hospital, Makassed General Hospital and Sacre Coeur Hospital in Beruit. The following year she also assumed a part-time position as consultant and head of the Oncology Center at HealthBay Polyclinic in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Aasiya Matin, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Matin specializes in bone marrow transplant for blood cancers and blood disorders. She completed a residency in in radiation oncology at the King George Medical University in Lucknow, India. Dr. Matin completed a residency in internal medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit. She came to UAMS in 2014, earning a Graduate Certificate in Clinical and Translational Sciences before completing her fellowship in hematology/oncology. Dr. Matin recently completed an advzahidanced bone and marrow transplant fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Yetunde Ogunsesan, M.D., joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. She will serve as a hospitalist for the Section of Myeloma. Dr. Ogunsesan received her medical degree from the University of Ilorin in Ilorin, Nigeria. After medical school, Dr. Ogunsesan served as a medical officer at the Eti-Osa Local Government Primary Health Centre in Lekki, Nigeria, and then at Pediatric Partners Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. After coming to the United States, she completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, New York.

Chandra Dasari, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Dasari received his medical degree at the Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Canton Medical Education Foundation in Ohio. Dr. Dasari went on to work as a hospitalist and nocturnist at Coshocton County Memorial hospital in Ohio, the Cleveland Clinic in Akron, Ohio, and Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, New York. In 2018, he started a research fellowship in gastroenterology at the Kansas City VA Medical Center in Missouri.

William T. Atchley, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Atchley received his medical degree and his doctorate in interdisciplinary biomedical sciences at UAMS. He completed his residency in internal medicine at UAMS and continued his training with a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at University of North Carolina Healthcare in Chapel Hill.

Abhishek Kumar, M.D., M.P.H., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Instructor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. He will teach in the Interventional Pulmonary Fellowship. Dr. Kumar received his Master of Public Health from the Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston. He received his medical degree from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute in India. Dr. Kumar completed his residency in internal medicine, including a year as Chief Resident, at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn. He continued his training with a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the Montefiore Medical Center/New York Medical College in Bronx, New York, followed by a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at State University of New York (University at Buffalo). Dr. Kumar previously served as an Assistant Professor in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Department of Neurology

Erika Horta, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Horta received her medical degree from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, where she also completed a residency in neurology and a clinical fellowship in neuro-immunology. Dr. Horta continued her training with a research fellowship in the Neuro-immunology Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a clinical fellowship in neuro-oncology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. She also completed a residency in neurology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Dr. Horta sees multiple sclerosis patients in the UAMS Health Epilepsy and Neurology Clinic and patients with brain and spine tumors in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Salman Zahoor, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Zahoor received his medical degree from Rawalpindi Medical College of Pakistan. He completed his neurology residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Zahoor continued his training with fellowships in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at Vanderbilt University Medical School in Nashville, where he served as a Chief Fellow. Dr. Zahoor provides comprehensive care for adults with epilepsy. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

P. Shea Brannan, M.D., has joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an Assistant Professor with the Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine team in Northwest Arkansas. Dr. Brannan received his medical degree from UAMS and completed his orthopaedic surgery training at San Antonio Uniform Services Health Education Consortium in Texas. He continued his training with a fellowship at OrthoCarolina Hand Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. He served most recently as Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Recently retired from the military, Dr. Brannan brings extensive expertise as a combat surgeon and hand and upper-extremity surgeon. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Tyler CarlLee, M.D., has joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an Assistant Professor with the Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine team in Northwest Arkansas. Dr. CarlLee received his medical degree from UAMS in 2014. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and continued his training with a sports medicine and shoulder elbow fellowship with OrthoCarolina. Read more in the UAMS Newsroom.

Department of Pediatrics

Shae Anderson, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology. Dr. Anderson received her medical degree from East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine. She completed her pediatrics residency at the University of Texas Southwestern/Children’s Medical Center. She continued her training with a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine, followed by a fellowship in cardiology advanced imaging at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. In 2019, Dr. Anderson was an American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery Young Investigator Award nominee.

Elaine Odiase, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology. Dr. Odiase received her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where she also completed her pediatrics residency and a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition with a special focus on pediatric and advanced endoscopy. Dr. Odiase is the co-founder and Co-President of Twin Missions International (TMI), a nonprofit that provides charitable services domestically and internationally including pediatric and adult medical care and health care education for the underserved.

Ashley Lauren Lynch, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Neonatology. Dr. Lynch received her medical degree from UAMS, where she stayed for her pediatrics residency and neonatology fellowship. Dr. Lynch was the recipient of an Arkansas Children’s Research Institute Postdoctoral Grant Award in 2018.

Department of Radiology

Scott Harter, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an Associate Professor in the Division of Breast Imaging. Dr. Harter received his medical degree at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. After three years of surgical residency training, he completed his residency in diagnostic radiology and a fellowship in magnetic resonance imaging at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He joined Radiology Consultants of Little Rock in 1992 and worked as a staff radiologist at multiple hospitals throughout Arkansas. He served as President and CEO of Radiology Consultants for 11 years prior to joining UAMS. Dr. Harter is a past President of the Arkansas Radiology Society.

Erin Priddy, M.D. has joined the Department of Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Interventional Radiology. Dr. Priddy received her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky. She trained in general surgery for two years before completing her diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Dr. Priddy continued her training with a fellowship in vascular and interventional radiology at the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor.

Surjith Vattoth, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an Associate Professor in the Division of Neuroradiology. Dr. Vattoth completed his medical education and radiology residency at Calicut Medical College in Kerala, India. He continued his training with a fellowship in neuro- and vascular radiology at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Trivandrum, Kerala, India, and fellowships in neuroradiology, vascular and interventional radiology, and nuclear medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Vattoth served as an Assistant Professor of Neuroradiology at UAB, and most recently as Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and Senior Consultant Neuroradiologist at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar.

Dr. Vattoth is an active clinical educator and author with many peer-reviewed publications. He has served on the Education Committee of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Among many honors, he has received the RSNA Honored Educator Award and multiple top-ten faculty awards at UAB. He is a lead author in the Elsevier Diagnostic Imaging (DI) series Head and Neck book, cover author for the DI Brain, DI Pediatric Neuroradiology, and Imaging Anatomy series Head and Neck book, and in STATdx, a popular comprehensive diagnostic support tool used by radiologists and residents around the world.

Fathima Fijula Palot Manzil, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Nuclear Medicine. Dr. Manzil received her medical degree and completed a residency in radiotherapy at Calicut Medical College in Kerala, India. She also completed a nuclear medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Manzil previously served as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and Consultant in Clinical Imaging at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar. Dr. Manzil is currently authoring multiple chapters in the Elsevier Diagnostic Imaging Nuclear Medicine book, which will also be available online in STATdx.