The Schmieding Developmental Center in Lowell, a pediatric program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), recently received a three-year, $651,000 grant from the Schmieding Foundation to expand its programs and support operations.

The center, which provides state-of-the-art developmental assessment and care for children birth through 18, is part of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. The Schmieding Foundation, an independent foundation in Springdale, has long supported the center, beginning with the initial endowment to create the center in 1993.

“The Schmieding Foundation is deeply committed to supporting the talented professionals who are uniquely qualified to assess health care and behavioral needs of northwest Arkansas’ children,” said Gilda Underwood, Schmieding Foundation president. “We are pleased that Dr. Mary Ann Scott and her team are here and provide comprehensive evaluations and treatment recommendations so their families know how to help their child grow under challenging conditions.”

The center’s goal is to help children overcome developmental diagnoses and have success in school, daily life and in their family and peer relationships. Assessments address conditions including epilepsy, autism, anxiety disorders, ADHD, concussions, miscellaneous neurological conditions and pediatric cancer.

“The gift from the Schmieding Foundation will allow us to enhance our recruitment effort and I thank them for their commitment to our educational initiatives in northwest Arkansas,” said Mary Ann Scott, Ph.D., Schmieding Developmental Center section chief and professor in the Department of Pediatrics. “Education is vital to the future growth of the center, and clinical fellowships provide the best opportunity to train future faculty members. We are deeply grateful to the Schmieding Foundation for their support.”

The center sees about 350 newly diagnosed patients each year. Center staff include a psychiatrist, two neuropsychologists, psychologist, psychological examiner, social worker and speech pathologist.

“We deeply appreciate the generosity of the Schmieding Foundation and their commitment to improving the health of children in Arkansas with developmental disabilities,” said Frederick “Rick” E. Barr, M.D., MBA, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and associate dean for child health in the UAMS College of Medicine.

“This new grant will help the Schmieding Developmental Center at UAMS recruit and retrain top faculty to deliver expert care to kids with developmental challenges,” Barr said. “It is a great ongoing partnership that will benefit kids.”

By Benjamin Waldrum| August 7th, 2018|

Science can lead you to some unexpected places.

Just ask Aime Franco, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Physiology and Biophysics, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 22 but never expected to make a career out of researching it.

Franco gave the keynote talk July 25 to the students, mentors, administrators and guests gathered for the seventh annual Central Arkansas Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium. She initially wanted to be a physician, but then her training led down a different path. She started in sports medicine, then nutrition science and H. pylori research before circling around to thyroid cancer. In 2018, her research efforts paid off through a four-year $791,000 grant award from the National Cancer Institute to support her work.

“I never wanted to investigate the disease that I had,” Franco said. “There’s an element of ignorance is bliss and there are probably some things you just don’t want to know. But I think it has totally and completely enriched my experience in my research because I have a different perspective — that of a patient.”

Franco capped off the all-day symposium showcasing undergraduate research across the state of Arkansas where research careers like hers tend to take off. Students present their work with posters and oral presentations. About 120 students attended the event, with about 100 of them presenting their work. Their faculty research mentors as well as summer program administrators, poster judges and members of the public joined them for the event, for a total of about 250.

The focus on Franco’s story was intentional, said Grover P. Miller, Ph.D., a professor in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department in the College of Medicine. He has been co-directing the symposium with his department chair, Kevin D. Raney, Ph.D., for the past seven years.

“We like to pick someone who has gone through a journey to get where they are,” Miller said. “Linear careers are a thing of the past. Today’s science field is dynamic, ever changing, and people take different paths. We want the students to think about how their research experience might be a step along their path, even if bench research isn’t where their career ultimately takes them.”

A deeper understanding of science – and a strengthening of science communication skills, specifically – benefits both the students and society, Miller said.

“Science inundates a lot of our decision-making process as a society, but the people making those decisions don’t always have a background in scientific thinking,” Miller said. “It’s on us as scientists or science-backed thinkers to become better at communicating with leadership and the public at large.”

Lessons like that weren’t lost on Alexis Baker, a student from Hendrix College who attended with Sydnee Curry, who was presenting a poster on their biochemistry research on pain-sensing neurons.

“A big part of the experience of coming to events like these is the experience of being in a scientific setting and practicing communication,” Baker said. “We’re building up, going to bigger and bigger conferences. I want someday to apply for med school, so to practice being comfortable talking about science with scientists is even important for something like my med school entrance interviews.”

Kamille Willis from the University of Miami was another poster presenter, who spent the summer doing research at the National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Arkansas. She helped develop a flow cytometry assay to analyze antibodies against polyethylene glycol. She said that the symposium and events like it teach students to not only communicate, but to listen to questions and feedback.

“The first time it happens, it is a little difficult, but you have to get used to it. They’re not saying it to knock you down,” Willis said. “You have to learn to come from the perspective, ‘well, maybe I really didn’t consider that’ or ‘maybe that would be a good idea.’ Everyone here is looking to help you and better your research, and being part of that dialog is part of learning to be a scientist.”

In addition, Miller said another important benefit of the event is that it showcases just how much excellent work is being done in Arkansas and the support that makes it possible.

“We are a small state, but we have some great science here,” Miller said.

Franco agreed, and referenced the quality of the work in her closing remarks to the students.

“Although I’m fine with the path I took – I think each of our journeys lead us to where we need to be — I will say that I think you guys are so lucky to have an opportunity to do research of this quality at the undergraduate level and I really am in awe of what you have been able to accomplish and the work I’ve seen from you here today.”

The event was held in the I. Dodd Wilson Education Building and hosted by the Graduate School and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UAMS as well as the National Institutes of Health-supported INBRE program and the UAMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) to Increase Diversity in Research.

By Amy Widner | August 3rd, 2018

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has acquired a 4K-resolution virtual dissection table that allows students to explore human anatomy in 3D with simple gestures common on the average smartphone.

Students can swipe, scroll and zoom to rotate images in 3D, explore inside the human body, swipe off sections with a virtual “knife” and touch to remove layers or organs so they can explore deeper inside the body.

Digital archives from UAMS and the wider public give students access to cases, where they might see the effects of a specific condition or treatment. They can learn to read different types of scans — like CT, MRI, X-ray and ultrasound — or practice their skills with microscopy.

“It’s not unusual for students to be using the table, see something they can’t explain, and go looking for the answer. When we inspire curiosity in students, they are more engaged in learning,” said David L. Davies, Ph.D., co-director of the Division of Clinical Anatomy in the College of Medicine. “It’s critical thinking, it’s investigative, like a puzzle they’re trying to piece together – and that’s the kind of thinking we want to inspire in future health care professionals.”

UAMS’ Sectra Table was one of the first 4K resolution models delivered in the United States and is the only in Arkansas. The $90,000 table is part of a $1.3 million renovation this summer to the College of Medicine’s anatomy lab.

The technology is cloud-based, so students can gather around the table to explore it in small groups or send images into lecture hall displays for large-group discussions.

The table has been used with some of UAMS’ summer programs for students of all ages who are interested in the medical sciences. In the fall, medical students, residents, nursing students, physician assistants, radiology students and others will encounter it as part of the curriculum and have access to it 24/7 for independent study in the College of Medicine gross anatomy laboratory.

Kevin D. Phelan, Ph.D., co-director of the Division of Clinical Anatomy, said that often students struggle to understand the 3D relationships between parts of the body, even if they have performed a dissection or seen many 2D diagrams.

“Tools like these can be a powerful way for students to visualize human anatomy and really orient themselves with the kind of expertise they will need,” Phelan said.

Davies said it is also incredibly important for students to learn to interact with technology.

“We’re training people today who are probably going to be in practice in 2060,” Davies said. “Technology and its relationship to medicine changes rapidly, so it’s important for our students to be comfortable using it. There are many surgical practices today that already use tools like these to scan a patient and plan the surgery. Our students are going to encounter this and technologies like it in their careers.”

By Amy Widner | August 1st, 2018 |

Kelly-Ann Patrice, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as a neurologist specializing in stroke care.

Patrice treats emergency stroke patients in the UAMS Medical Center and provides post-stroke recovery care in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute’s Neurology Clinic. Patrice also treats patients with cerebral blood vessel abnormalities and provides comprehensive testing for referral patients who have had a stroke with an unidentified cause.

Patrice is an assistant professor of neurology in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Neurology.

In summer 2018, UAMS Medical Center became the first and only health care provider in Arkansas to be certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. The certification is the commission’s most demanding and designates hospitals that can treat the most complex stroke cases.

“Dr. Patrice is one of three stroke specialists at UAMS, which allows us to provide on-staff 24-7 emergency stroke care,” said Robert L. “Lee” Archer, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology. “It is important to have experts like her available at all times to save lives and improve patient outcomes, and that was one of many things that The Joint Commission was looking for as part of this significant accreditation.”

Patrice earned her medical degree from the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. She completed two years of an internal medicine residency at the MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital and a neurology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital – both in Baltimore. Patrice also completed a fellowship in vascular neurology at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

By Amy Widner| July 31st, 2018|

With each new class of medical students, the gender gap gets smaller – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Roopa Ram, M.D., has seen that change translate to radiology as a specialty.

A historically male-dominated specialty, radiology nationwide has been slow to change. While medical student classes in general are closer to an even split, women represented only 25 percent of the diagnostic radiology field in 2015, according to the Association of American Medical College’s 2016 Physician Specialty Data Report.

It was enough to make Ram and her UAMS colleagues ask “why” – and the results of that inquiry were published recently in Academic Radiology.

“One of the biggest takeaways was that mentorship is important for women when they are considering specialties, and more than the gender of the mentor, it was the interaction that was important,” said Ram, who advises the Diagnostic Radiology Interest Group and is an associate professor in the Department of Radiology.

“I think there are a lot of misconceptions among female medical students about radiology as a specialty, there is a lack of information, and medical students in general are not exposed to radiology early enough in their training. Our study indicates that we could harness the power of mentorship to overcome some of those obstacles.”

Ram and her co-authors – all from UAMS – used de-identified data from the AAMC’s 2011-2016 Graduation Questionnaires, which asked 71,941 fourth-year medical students about the factors that led to their chosen specialty. Options included career objections, mentorship, salaries, debt, family considerations and interest in the subject.

They compared the top-10 specialty lists for men and women. Women ranked pediatrics the highest and radiology 11th. Internal medicine, family practice, general surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry and neurology also made the list. Only 3 percent of women included radiology in their top-10 list. For comparison, men ranked internal medicine, emergency medicine, anesthesiology and orthopedic surgery higher than radiology, which came in fifth.

Among the women who chose radiology, a higher proportion reported that mentorship was a strong factor (47 percent, compared to 37 percent of the males). They also prioritized work/life balance, future family plans, salary, family expectations, high debt and competitiveness of specialty. However, women selecting other specialties instead of radiology ranked length of residency as key to decision-making.

Ram said radiology mentors should take note and use their influence to highlight radiology as an intellectual specialty with great benefits like work/life balance and competitive salaries. While the study indicated that mentors of both genders have an impact, Ram said that hearing from a female radiologist’s personal experience is a powerful tool. Female mentors could help ease fears that female medical students may have about the length and/or difficulty of residency, work/life balance and having children because of concerns about radiation safety. They may also be concerned about the perception that patient contact is rare, which has also changed as radiology actually includes a wide range of patient-intensive subspecialties.

“We have a story to tell through the experiences we have lived,” Ram said. “I can tell medical students that I’ve done this residency, presented posters, attended meetings and accomplished things academically – at the same time balancing other parts of my life, including having kids, and it is doable. Personal stories do have a power. I can confidently say, ‘Hey, if I can do this, you can definitely do this also.’”

Ram’s co-authors were former Chief Resident Holly Jumper, M.D.; Shelly Y. Lensing, M.S.; Ji-Ling Tang; Linda A. Deloney, Ed.D.; and Philip J. Kenney, M.D., all of UAMS. It won’t be their last exploration of the topic. Ram said their next study will dive deeper into issues raised by this study.

Looking around the Department of Neurosurgery at UAMS, you would be forgiven for not knowing that brain surgery is a profession with a reputation for a lack of diversity.

That is because the makeup of the department doesn’t reflect national trends. Three of its 10 faculty are female. Of its 11 residents, two are African-American men. The department welcomed its sixth female resident in July.

In contrast, women made up 7.8 percent of practicing neurosurgeons in 2015, the latest figures available from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The number of female residents in neurosurgery was 17.1 percent in 2015, compared to 10.4 percent in 2005.

African-Americans in neurosurgery are even less well represented. AAMC figures from 2008 put the number of African-American neurosurgeons at 4 percent of the total number of active neurosurgeons in the United States. Only 25 of them were African-American women, or 0.7 percent of the total.

“My main goal is merit,” said J.D. Day, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery. “I want people who are here because they’ve worked hard and done their best. I believe the diversity in our program is reflective of our cultures and values. It shows that we have attracted and selected the right group of people.”

Erika Petersen, M.D., is the residency program director and director of the Section of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery in the Department of Neurosurgery. As a female in neurosurgery, she likes to give back by participating in programs for young people. She is sometimes asked why the department is so diverse and why that diversity is beneficial.

“I think we’ve created a culture where people feel welcome. No one is here because they fit a category. They’re here because we responded to them and they responded to something about what we do,” Petersen said.

She believes the diversity of the faculty allows potential residents to see themselves fitting in.

“I think our program is excellent. I think we’re doing a good job of training neurosurgeons, and we have practices here that are national and internationally known, and those are the reasons a candidate should want to be here,” Petersen said. “But if there are candidates giving us a second look because they think they would be more comfortable training here because they can see themselves in one of our faculty or they like the team or our family feel – then hey, that’s great too. At the end of the day, our goal is attracting the best people with the best fit.”

Petersen believes diversity is good for mentorship, patients and team-building among the residents. The residents, medical students and even younger students who interact with UAMS faculty and might be inspired to go into medicine benefit from having a variety of mentors to look up to. Patients benefit from having greater options in finding a doctor-patient relationship that works for them.

Heather Pinckard-Dover, M.D., is among the current group of neurosurgery residents. She is on schedule to finish in June 2020. When she does so, she will be the first female to complete her neurosurgery residency at UAMS.

Pinckard-Dover, who also obtained her medical degree at UAMS, decided in high school that she wanted to pursue neurosurgery after seeing a video of a deep brain stimulation surgery and the massive difference it made for the patient, who had Parkinson’s disease. She grew up in Pine Bluff and never bought into the idea that there were some things girls couldn’t do. So it didn’t bother her all that much when all of the early neurosurgery mentors she met during her undergraduate studies at Baylor University were male or that she was the only female trainee during the first year of her residency.

Still, Pinckard-Dover said it was nice to start working with Petersen early in medical school and that there was female representation available on the faculty when she began the hard work of seguing into her residency. It made the transition smoother, she said. Pickard-Dover agreed with Petersen that the diversity of the current group of residents has been its own kind of education. She believes it makes her a better physician.

“Working with a diverse group adds a whole new level to our education. When you have people of differing backgrounds and with differing perspectives, I think it makes you more empathetic,” Pinckard-Dover said.

By Amy Widner| July 17th, 2018|

A prestigious grant has been renewed for $742,840 over five years that gives Ph.D. students in the biomedical sciences at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) an added foundation in pharmacology and toxicology research.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded the Institutional Predoctoral Research Training Grant (T32) to the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UAMS College of Medicine. The funding will allow the department’s Systems Pharmacology and Toxicology (SPaT) Training Program to provide two trainees a year with a stipend, specialized coursework, research mentorship and training in entrepreneurship, career development, networking, leadership and grant writing.

“The prestige of the grant helps us recruit the best trainees from across the country to our program,” said Philip Mayeux, Ph.D., SPaT program director and professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

UAMS is one of only 31 pharmacology and toxicology training programs in the nation to receive the funding. Others include Vanderbilt University, Emory University, Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

“We are the smallest program to receive funding, and renewal was by no means guaranteed,” said Mayeux, who wrote the original and renewal grants for the funding. “We underwent a site visit and the reviewers were impressed with our trainee’s publications, awards and national recognition.”

The trainees come from a variety of areas of interest and pursue research that combines these interests with a focus on pharmacology and toxicology. Trainees supported by the first grant worked on drug abuse and behavior; cancer; drug toxicity; and bone, kidney and cardiovascular health.

“The ultimate goal is increasing drug discovery and drug development to benefit patients,” Mayeux said. “We would like to have more biomedical scientists in industry and academia who also have a background in drug development, so that – even if they don’t directly develop the drugs themselves – they know how to work collaboratively with pharmacologists to help scientific discoveries translate from the research stage to the development of medications and therapeutic interventions.”

Thirty-one UAMS faculty have partnered with the SPaT Fellowship to provide training and mentorship. SPaT is a partnership of the UAMS’ Graduate School, College of Public Health and College of Pharmacy; Arkansas Children’s; and the National Center for Toxicological Research, which is part of the Food and Drug Administration. The UAMS Translational Research Institute, UAMS College of Medicine and Arkansas Biosciences Tobacco Research Committee provide matching funding for the grant, allowing there to be one additional SPaT trainee each year along with the two funded by the federal grant.

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UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; northwest Arkansas regional campus; statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Myeloma Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,834 students, 822 medical residents and six dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

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By Amy Widner | July 23rd, 2018 |

Arundathi Reddy, M.D., M.B.A., has been appointed chief of pediatric anesthesia in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She will begin serving at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital in November.

Dr. Reddy is currently professor and chief of the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine in Lexington. She also serves as medical director of outside operating anesthesia and is a pediatric anesthesiologist at Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington.

“With extensive clinical leadership experience, business training and career-long dedication to providing the very best anesthesia services for children, Dr. Reddy will be an outstanding addition to our program as the College of Medicine and Arkansas Children’s continue our work to build our Pediatric Anesthesiology Division,” said Jill M. Mhyre, M.D., the Dola S. Thompson Professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at UAMS.

Trained originally as an obstetrician gynecologist in India, Dr. Reddy completed her residency in anesthesiology at the University of Kentucky in 2003, serving as chief resident in her final year. After a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, she returned to the UK Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology as a clinical instructor in 2003, where she excelled as a faculty member, and rose through the ranks to achieve promotion to full professor in 2017. She has served as chief of pediatric anesthesia and medical director of non-operating room anesthesia services since in 2011. This past May, she received a Master of Business Administration from the Gatton College of Business and Economics at UK.

Dr. Reddy’s clinical interests include pediatric regional anesthesia and pain management. She has been active in medical student and anesthesia resident education, garnering the UK College of Medicine’s Women in Medicine and Science Mentorship Award, the Abraham Flexner Award for Educational Innovation and Curriculum Development and other honors.

Family and Preventive Medicine

Leslie Stone, M.D., M.P.H.

Leslie Stone, M.D., M.P.H., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Stone received his medical degree from UAMS in 2007 and completed his family medicine residency at the UAMS Northwest Regional Center in Fayetteville in 2010. He also holds a Master of Public Health from State University of New York, Downstate in Brooklyn. Prior to coming to UAMS, Dr. Stone worked at Center for Comprehensive Health Practice in New York City. He will practice at the Capitol Mall Clinic.

Internal Medicine

Krishna Pothineni, M.D.

Krishna Pothineni, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology. Dr. Pothineni received his medical degree from Gandhi Medical School in Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. He completed his residency in 2014 and his cardiology fellowship in 2017 at UAMS.

Srilakshmi Ravula, M.D.

Srilakshmi Ravula, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Ravula received her medical degree from PSI Medical College in Chinoutpalli, India. She completed her residency at Mercy Saint Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, and recently completed a nephrology fellowship at UAMS.

James Fletcher, M.D., D.P.M.

James Fletcher, M.D., D.P.M., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Palliative Medicine. He received his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Fletcher is board certified in internal medicine, nephrology, and hospice and palliative Medicine.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Nephrology.

Neurology

Kelly-Ann Patrice, M.D.

Kelly-Ann Patrice, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor and member of the Stroke and Neurocritical Care Team. Dr. Patrice received her medical degree from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. She completed her neurology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 2017. While there, she also completed the Science of Clinical Investigators Training Program at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and continued her clinical training with a fellowship in cerebrovascular neurology at Johns Hopkins. She has received numerous awards for academic achievement, clinical excellence and teaching.

Vishank Arun Shah, M.D.

Vishank Arun Shah, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor and member of the Stroke and Neurocritical Care Team. Dr. Shah received his medical degree from the Seth G.S. Medical College and K.E.M. Hospital in Mumbai, India, in 2011. He completed his residency in neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, serving as Chief Resident in 2015-2016. He continued his training with a clinical and research fellowship in neurocritical care at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Among numerous honors, he received the Academic Achievement Award and Resident Teacher Award while at Baylor.

Mhd Ezzat Zaghlouleh, M.D.

Mhd Ezzat Zaghlouleh, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor and member of the Stroke and Neurocritical Care Team. Dr. Zaghlouleh received his medical degree from the University of Damascus in Syria in 2010. He interned in internal medicine and completed his neurology residency at State University of New York Downstate in Brooklyn. He completed a neurocritical care fellowship at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio in June.

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Dawn S. Hughes, M.D.

Dawn S. Hughes, M.D., has joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Dr. Hughes received her medical degree from the College of Medicine in 2011 and stayed at UAMS for her residency in OB/GYN, serving as Chief Resident in 2014-2015. She continued her training with a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at UAMS. Dr. Hughes’ research interests include the use of telemedicine and amniotic fluid, while her clinical interests include telemedicine and morbidly adherent placentas.

Ophthalmology

Paula Grigorian, M.D.

Paula Grigorian, M.D., has joined the Department of Ophthalmology as an Associate Professor and pediatric ophthalmologist. Dr. Grigorian received her medical degree at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila in Bucharest, Romania. She completed her surgical internship and ophthalmic residency in Romania, and an additional ophthalmology residency at UAMS. She went on to complete a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. Her clinical expertise includes adults and kids with strabismus, children with cataracts, genetic eye conditions, neuro-ophthalmology conditions, and retinopathy of prematurity.

Florin Grigorian, M.D.

Florin Grigorian, M.D., has joined the Department of Ophthalmology as an Assistant Professor and pediatric ophthalmologist. Dr. Grigorian received his medical degree in Romania. He interned and completed ophthalmology residencies in Europe and at the University of Missouri Kansas City. He also interned in internal medicine for one year. Dr. Grigorian continued his post-residency training with fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology at Northwestern University in Chicago, vitreoretinal surgery at Cleveland Clinic Akron General, and ophthalmic genetics at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. His expertise includes retinal conditions and ophthalmic genetics.

Psychiatry

Corey Hayes, Pharm.D., M.P.H.

Corey Hayes, Pharm.D., M.P.H., has joined the Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Services Research. Dr. Hayes manages the Psychiatric Research Institute-based AR-IMPACT program, a free weekly interactive continuing education tele-video program to help Arkansas clinicians with opioid-sparing, evidence-based management for their patients with chronic pain. Dr. Hayes was previously a postdoctoral fellow in PRI’s T32 Addiction Research Training Program.

Radiology

Gitanjali Bajaj, M.D.

Gitanjali Bajaj, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the Body Imaging Division of the Musculoskeletal/Body MRI Section. Dr. Bajaj received her medical degree from Seth GS Medical College, Mumbai, India. She continued her training at UAMS, completing a residency in diagnostic radiology in 2017 and a fellowship in Body MRI in 2018.

Robert L. “Lee” Archer, M.D., a neurologist and department chairman at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), has been inducted as Arkansas Medical Society president for 2018-2019.

As president of the Arkansas Medical Society, Archer leads the largest professional society for physicians in the state. The society organizes and advocates for the interests of physicians, provides resources and educational opportunities and aims to improve health care in Arkansas by supporting practices that benefit physicians, patients and medical students.

Archer was formally installed at the medical society’s 142nd annual Welcome Reception and President’s Inaugural Gala, held in May at DeGray Lake Resort State Park in Bismarck. The ceremony was performed by outgoing president Amy Cahill, M.D., and other past medical society presidents.

Archer is professor and chair of the Department of Neurology in the UAMS College of Medicine. He also holds the Major and Ruth Nodini Chair in Neurology, a $1.5 million endowment that supports his clinical care, multiple sclerosis research and educational programs.

A fixture at UAMS for more than 30 years, Archer provides world-class care for Arkansans with multiple sclerosis (MS), while teaching and mentoring future neurologists. He has earned the admiration of his patients, students, residents and colleagues.

“Dr. Archer always represents UAMS in the best light,” said Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., F.A.C.S., interim dean of the UAMS College of Medicine. “He is a favorite among patients, a respected leader, physician and multiple sclerosis expert and someone who finds ways to give back to the community and his profession. I know he will be just as much an asset to the medical society as we have long known him to be.”

An El Dorado native, Archer attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and earned his medical degree at UAMS in 1982. He completed his residency at UAMS, joined the faculty in 1986 and has held the rank of professor since 2008. He founded UAMS’ Multiple Sclerosis Service in 1987 and co-directed the Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic at UAMS from 1989 to 2003.

Archer served 13 years as chair of the University Hospital Medical Ethics Advisory Committee. He has served on many other institutional panels, including the College of Medicine Promotion and Tenure Committee, which he chaired in 2016-2017.

He became interim chair of the Department of Neurology in July 2016 and became chairman in August 2017.

Archer is also active in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and several civic organizations. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Association (ARORA) since 2005 and chaired the organization in 2014-2016.

Archer has been married to his wife, Nancy, for 41 years and always credits her as the secret to his success.

“Her love and support has kept me going through the ups and downs, and I would not have accomplished half of what I have done without her,” Archer said. “She is one of many people who I gladly thank for encouraging me and inspiring me to keep learning and growing throughout my career.”

Graduating College of Medicine seniors have awarded Archer three Gold Sash and numerous Red Sash awards for his teaching. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the College of Medicine Alumni Association in 2007. In 1999 he received the inaugural Humanism in Medicine Award for faculty in the college. He received the UAMS Helen May Compassionate Care Award in 2015 and was honored later that year as the Physician of the Year in the Arkansas Business Health Care Heroes ceremony. Among many “Best Doctors” recognitions he was voted in 2010 as the Best Neurologist in Arkansas and featured on the cover of the Arkansas Times.