Sometimes a motivation and an idea grounded in the academic world make the same journey and reach the same destination together. They did for Amanda Stolarz, Pharm.D., Ph.D. in 2016.

At the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp in the summer of 2016, Stolarz’s motivation to do purely academic research met up with an idea for a new way to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy that ultimately won an award and resulted in the formation of a new company, Rejuvenix Technologies.

“I did not like business,” Stolarz said. “I was not interested in business at all. I wanted to do academic research, clinically meaningful research. Dr. Nancy Rusch said, ‘You know, things don’t magically go from the bench to the clinic. There’s a commercialization process. To be a good scientist, you need to understand that process.’ So, as an academic exercise, I wanted to understand how my research would finally make it to a patient.”

Stolarz is a postdoctoral fellow and member of a research team led by Nancy Rusch, Ph.D. Rusch chairs the College of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and leads the educational efforts of the UAMS Translational Research Institute.

Rusch and Nancy Gray, Ph.D., director of BioVentures, worked together to secure the funding for the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp that Stolarz attended.

At the boot camp lead by University of Arkansas at Fayetteville’s (UAF) Carol Reeves, Ph.D., Stolarz became aware of a team of business students at UAF that needed someone to provide scientific expertise as part of an entrepreneurship course, and she joined them.

After pivoting from one promising idea that wasn’t yet mature enough for commercialization and examining several others, Joshua Phillips, a business student on the team, found a technology that looked to have potential.

“He called me up, and I immediately was excited about it,” Stolarz said. “My over-arching goal in my research is to treat and prevent the side effects of chemotherapy. This technology has the potential to reduce the side effects of a multitude of chemotherapeutic drugs.”

The technology being commercialized was developed as a collaboration between UAF and UAMS. The lead inventor is Daniel Fologea, Ph.D., formerly at UAF and now at Boise State University, who collaborated with Michael Borrelli, Ph.D., in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Radiology. Fologea and Borrelli continue to play important roles as advisors to the Rejuvenix team, Stolarz said.

The technology is a radiation-triggered lipsome or ‘fat bubble,’ Stolarz said. Focused radiation is used to trigger the release of a drug or drugs encapsulated in the bubble after it enters the cancerous tumor environment. The technique sharply limits systemic exposure to chemotherapy because it only is released at the site of the tumor.

“You’re protecting the rest of the body from the toxic side effects because it’s more targeted,” Stolarz said. “It achieves the same goals I have been trying to achieve in my own research but in another way. The idea of using liposomes in chemotherapy is not new, but the type of liposome delivery here, that’s innovative. Before it was passive release, and they just slowly released drug over time. With this technology, you can get an active, rapid release of the drug.”

Because the idea has such strong potential, the team built a business plan around it with the support of the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub’s I-Fund program, and their mentor Jay Gandy, Ph.D. The team entered the plan in and won the 2017 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup competition along with the $25,000 top prize.

With the successful discovery of the commercial potential of the liposomes, Rejuvenix Technologies chose to move forward. Phillips is Rejuvenix CEO, and Stolarz is the startup’s chief scientific officer.

Shortly thereafter the team added Gandy to the company to help lead the complicated regulatory effort and provide expertise in other areas needed for a startup Gandy also is chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the UAMS College of Public Health.

Rejuvenix is applying for a Small Business Technology Transfer research grant from the National Cancer Institute for funding to test the idea in an experimental model.

The Entrepreneurship Boot Camp that Gray and BioVentures played a key role in organizing helped Stolarz start down the path to Rejuvenix, and they continue to assist the company. Stolarz said Gray has provided valuable advice to them along with letters of support in the company’s search for funds. UAF officials also have given them assistance.

Ultimately for Stolarz and Rejuvenix, the business is the means to do something more than just achieve success in the marketplace.

“One of the driving forces behind us is a set of facts,” Stolarz said. “About a third of cancer patients interrupt, change or stop therapy altogether because of the side effects of cancer treatment. We are so advanced medically that we should be able to treat cancer without killing the patient. That’s what this technology is striving to do, provide an option for patients to have cancer treatment without having to suffer these debilitating and damaging side effects.”

By Ben Boulden| March 14th, 2018 |

Student Research Day is about students, but it is also about mentorship and peer engagement – the relationships that turn hunches and ideas into innovations.

Robert E. McGehee Jr., Ph.D., dean of the UAMS Graduate School, said as much as he welcomed everyone to the event, and the day’s distinguished lecturer, Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, M.D., echoed that sentiment repeatedly throughout his talk.

“Being pushed by your students is one of the greatest gifts, and I ask you guys to do the same. Push your mentors. We need to be pushed,” Quiñones said, detailing an instance in which a grad student’s perspective solved a longtime problem for Quiñones’ team and resulted in two patents, several papers and a human clinical trial over the span of about 10 years. They developed a $30,000 ring-like device to be used during brain surgeries to preserve function for the patient. It replaces the older multi-million-dollar device, making the technology more accessible.

Quiñones is the William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor and Chair of Neurologic Surgery in the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Research Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Previously, he served as a neuroscientist and neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, for more than a decade. His life’s work has been dedicated to finding a cure for brain cancer.

Quiñones came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant from Mexico in 1987 at the age of 19. He was unable to speak English and worked as a field hand, painter and welder, but soon set his sights on something bigger, eventually graduating from college and Harvard Medical School.

During medical school, Quiñones became a U.S. citizen. He has had more than 350 publications, has four concurrent active NIH R01 grants and performs 200-250 neurosurgeries per year.

When asked to account for the secret behind his success, Quiñones cited the team of scientists who have come through his lab over the years – 150 people in total, 28 of whom moved with him when he moved from Johns Hopkins to Mayo. Quiñones also attributed his accomplishments to “the beauty of this country.”

“It’s very important for us to build bridges,” Quiñones said. “The rest of the world wants us to build barriers, but we know that the world doesn’t change when we build barriers. It only changes when we build bridges, when we exchange information and communication.”

Student Research Day is an annual campuswide opportunity for students to practice building those bridges by communicating about their research through poster presentations and the Three Minute Thesis challenge, during which they develop an “elevator pitch” of their work. The event has been paired since 2011 with the Robert E. McGehee, Jr., Ph.D. Distinguished Lectureship in Biomedical Research, named in McGehee’s honor. It was held March 6 in the I. Dodd Wilson Education Building.

The lectureship brings some of the most innovative thinkers in science to UAMS, thanks to an endowment from an anonymous couple. McGehee mentored their grandson during Graduate School.

“It was amazing and humbling to be honored in this way,” McGehee said, “and I tell that story to let you know that you never know who will be affected by your actions and your work. The relationships you build can change the future for the better.”

For the first time this year, there were no classes so students could feel conflict-free in attending Student Research Day. McGehee thanked the students for using the opportunity to hone their research communication skills.

“Turnout has been absolutely phenomenal,” McGehee said. “You guys have really stepped up and participated and made it a big success.”

A record-shattering 500+ students across all colleges participated in one or more of the events this year. There were 161 posters in the research presentations, 93 students participated in the Three Minute Thesis oral presentation college semifinals, with eight of them in the final competition held on Student Research Day, and there were 262 students who presented as teams in the Interprofessional Education Triple Aim sessions. More than 400 people attended Quiñones’ keynote.

Emily Enderlin, a third-year student in the College of Medicine, said that she wanted to participate in the event to get feedback from outside eyes about her research, which is about the management of tachyarrhythmia during pregnancy.

“I feel like it builds your character to be able to stand up and present what you’ve done,” Enderlin said. “If your work can survive that, it makes you feel like what you’ve done is worthwhile, like you’re on to something, and that’s the end goal after all. It’s the whole ‘peer review’ concept in a nutshell.”

Meanwhile, Appala Peela, M.D., a first-year resident, presented a Sweet’s Syndrome case study he had come across in the hospital. He was hoping meet others on campus with similar interests.

“This is a big networking opportunity for me,” Peela said.

In addition to touting relationships and communication, Quiñones offered other bits of advice. Some of it was practical – he gets up two hours early every day to write and thinks time management is key – but most was philosophical. Don’t get too comfortable. Look for people who challenge you. Find ways to give back. And have faith that if you believe in something, it will work out.

For many years, Quiñones said he avoided his personal story and just focused on the science. That is, until a colleague convinced him otherwise. So Quiñones established the Mission:BRAIN Foundation to expand neurosurgery internationally, often finding lower-cost approaches to make health care more affordable. His children have helped with the mission, allowing them to learn more about him and his home country in Mexico, where some of the work takes place.

In addition, Quiñones became more willing to share his personal story, which he documented in a 2011 biography, “Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon.” Disney and the actor Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B Entertainment, are developing Quiñones’ book into a movie.

In the face of so many inspiring accomplishments, what should students take away as Quiñones’ main message for success, McGehee asked.

“Sometimes we concentrate on the things that we can’t do and then we tend to lose a lot of energy worrying about those things. I would give the advice to concentrate on the things that you can do, and do them,” Quiñones said. “Get something done.”

Award Recognitions:

POSTER SESSIONS:

Graduate Students:

1-Chris Bolden tied with Samantha McClenahan

2-None

3-Magdalena Delgado

Professional Students:

1-Arun Gunasekaran

2-William Hyatt

3-Ahmed Salem

Post-Docs:

1-Sajid Khan

2-Alicja Urbaniak

3-Clark Trapp

Housestaff/Subspecialty Fellows:

1-Appala Peela

2-Kasa Cooper

3-Cory Couch

Overall (all categories):

1-Chris Bolden tied with Samantha McClenahan

3 MINUTE THESIS:

1-Ada Sochanska

2-Samantha McClenahan

PC-Ty Spradley

IPE TRIPLE AIM AWARDS:

1-Intergrated Behavioral Health Team

2-Mental Health Awareness Team 2

3-Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Team 1

BHUVAN BIOCHEMISTRY AWARDS:

1-Magda Delgado tied with Brian Koss

2-Kirk West

3-Binyan Belachew

By Amy Widner| March 9th, 2018

A portion of the ninth floor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute has been transformed into an instructive, collaborative center where ophthalmology residents and UAMS students can learn surgical techniques and procedures outside the confines of an operating room, thanks to a $600,000 donation from the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation.

UAMS faculty, staff and supporters celebrated the opening of the Walker Eye Surgical Simulation & Education Center on March 7 with a dedication ceremony, complete with tours of the simulation center, classrooms and clinical space that comprises the renovated floor. Johnny Mike Walker, Walker Foundation trustee and son of Willard and Pat Walker, and Mandy Macke, foundation associate director, were in attendance.

The Walker Center features simulation machines, microscopes and other equipment to help the next generation of ophthalmologists hone their skills. Under new curriculum requirements, ophthalmology resident physicians will have to show proficiency in certain surgical techniques and procedures, including suturing, cataract surgery and glaucoma surgery. The center will also be open to medical students and ophthalmic medical technology students.

“The completion of the ninth floor is the capstone of the Jones Eye Institute,” said Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., Jones Eye Institute director, interim UAMS College of Medicine dean and director of its Department of Ophthalmology. “It’s fitting this was accomplished through the continued generosity of the Walker family.”

The ninth-floor revamp moves all simulation-related tools and equipment that were once scattered across multiple floors in the institute, to a centralized, modern space where residents can review surgeries on television screens and practice procedures.

“We are thankful for the many contributions the Walker family has made to UAMS through the years,” said interim UAMS Chancellor Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D, Ed.D. “UAMS would not be what it is today without the Walkers.”

John P. Shock, M.D., Jones Eye Institute founding director, lauded the Walker family’s charitable giving and commended Johnny Mike Walker and Mandy Macke for carrying on the Walker Foundation’s philanthropic spirit.

The center will be led by Ahmed Sallam, M.D., Ph.D., JEI ophthalmologist and assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology.

“There’s real evidence this will improve our residents’ competency levels, so the benefit of this simulation center is two-fold,” said Sallam. “It increases the comfort level and proficiency of our residents, which in turn, improves patient safety and satisfaction.”

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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 Lee Hogan| March 8th, 2018 |

A first-of-its-kind survey is being circulated in Arkansas by UAMS researchers interested in Arkansans’ attitudes and perceptions about cannabis (marijuana) as state officials prepare to make it available for medical use.

Of the 28 other states with medical marijuana, none have conducted surveys prior to its legalization that document public attitudes about marijuana as a medical treatment. Nalin Payakachat, Ph.D., who is leading the study, said she hopes to gather more than 1,000 completed surveys from across the state.

“This is a unique opportunity for Arkansas if we can get a large dataset before the product hits the market,” said Payakachat, an associate professor in the UAMS College of Pharmacy. “This will be valuable information, especially as we conduct follow-up surveys over time.”

Arkansans voted in 2016 to allow marijuana use with a doctor’s prescription for 18 medical conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, seizures and intractable pain.

The survey is open to those who live in Arkansas and are 18 and older, regardless of whether they plan to use medical marijuana. In addition to questions about attitudes toward marijuana, the survey, which takes about 30 minutes to complete, covers quality of life and health conditions. Follow-up surveys will be given at six months, one year, 18 months, then yearly over five years.

Over the study period, the surveys will reflect any changes in people’s attitudes and perceptions about medical cannabis. The responses from survey takers will also shed light on the health benefits and harms of marijuana when used for their specific health conditions.

Unlike with other prescription medications, physicians can’t tell patients what type of marijuana to buy, or dosage, said William Fantegrossi, Ph.D., co-investigator on the study.

“People will just buy what they want, so there will be sort of a natural experiment going on, and that’s information that will be important to understand,” said Fantegrossi, associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. “Eventually we may also have a better idea of what’s most effective – smoking it, eating it, or using it as an oil on the skin.”

Payakachat also noted the survey includes questions about the role of pharmacists who will be on staff at medical marijuana dispensaries.

“Pharmacists will be at the front gate and should be able to provide some guidance in terms selecting the appropriate products for patients’ conditions,” Payakachat said. “In our follow-up surveys, participants will tell us not only what they are buying, but also what they perceive of the pharmacists’ roles in the dispensaries.”

Payakachat and Fantegrossi have been assisted in their work on the survey by Lauren Russell, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

To protect confidentiality, the survey contains no information that identifies participants except for an email address and phone number for follow-up surveys. Survey information is also protected using a federal confidentiality law for people who participate in research. The law has been applied in this survey through a “Certificate of Confidentiality” from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The idea for the study grew out of conversations with researchers from other research institutions, including Johns Hopkins, Harvard and McGill universities. They took the idea to 7-Hybrid Cultivation, a group that had expressed an interest in conducting research to augment its application for a state medical cannabis cultivation license. 7-Hybrid awarded $30,000 to support the study. It was not, however, among the five firms to receive a cultivation license. As part of the agreement, the results of the study belong to UAMS and will be open to the public.

The study is also supported by the UAMS Translational Research Institute (TRI), which receives support from grant 1U54TR001629-01A1 through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the NIH.

By David Robinson| March 7th, 2018 |

A group of UAMS researchers is the first to deposit directly sequenced RNA to the National Center for Biotechnology Information databases, made possible by their utilization of a novel, handheld genetic sequencing technology.

The federal government maintains a collection of databases with the aim of advancing science and health by providing public access to biomedical and genomic information. One of the largest and fastest growing databases is GenBank, which contains an annotated collection of all publicly available DNA sequences, as well as inferred RNA and protein sequences.

The work was published in the Jan. 13, 2018, edition of Nucleic Acids Research. The UAMS team was led by Intawat Nookaew, Ph.D., associate professor, and David W. Ussery, Ph.D., professor, both of the Department of Biomedical Informatics in the UAMS College of Medicine.

“Nearly all of the sequences included in the database have been DNA, which is easier to sequence,” Nookaew said. “Most RNA sequences in the database are sequenced DNA copies of the RNA. But thanks to a new disposable ‘lab-on-a-chip’ technology, we were able to successfully complete an RNA sequence and deposit it into the database.”

The UAMS team deposited the complete DNA sequence of all 16 chromosomes, as well as more than 6,000 full-length messenger RNA sequences for a common strain of yeast.

The team used an Oxford Nanopore MinION flow cell, which is a handheld, real-time microfluidics device that can be used to sequence DNA or RNA for research projects like this one, as well as for clinical applications like identifying pathogens from clinical isolates. The MinION flow cells have been on the market since 2015, and have been adopted by scientists and researchers across the world who are still exploring its potential.

“Using it to sequence RNA, which has been difficult by traditional means, is just one of many uses,” Ussery said. “The technology also has many clinical implications. For example, it could be used to learn more about chromosome rearrangements and gene expression in cancer cells. Understanding more about the how and why gets us closer to the cures, and handheld genomics devices will likely advance personalized medicine.”

The first author position on the publication was jointly shared by two UAMS postdoctoral fellows, Piroon Jenjaroenpun and Thindathip Wongsurawat. Other members of the team include former UAMS research associate Preecha Patumcharoenpol, Rui Pereira, a postdoctoral fellow from Chalmers University, and Jens Nielsen, professor of systems biology of Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The field of biomedical informatics uses computational tools to assess and manage medical and public health information, with the goal of improving individual health, health care, public health and biomedical research.

Fred Prior, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Biomedical Informatics, said research like that of Nookaew’s demonstrates why biomedical informatics is so important and why it is on the cutting edge of science.

“Dr. Nookaew and his team did something unprecedented using a new technology, and that technology produces a massive amount of data, which has now been added to a growing database of public data,” Prior said. “Biomedical informatics gives us the analytical, computational ability to harness the power of this data-rich world in which we now live.”

UAMS offers three graduate degrees in biomedical informatics – Doctorate of Philosophy, Master of Science and a Professional Master’s – and a Graduate Certificate Program.

Completing the Little Rock Half Marathon is more than an athletic feat for Nikhil Meena, M.D.; it is a symbolic gesture as well. For the second year in a row, the UAMS interventional pulmonologist wore two numbers on the 13.1-mile course: one for himself and one in memory of a patient.

“I want to let the families of my patients know that even though they are gone, they are not forgotten,” said Meena, assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine.

This year, Meena ran the March 4 race in memory of Grover West III, a lung cancer patient who died Nov. 20, 2016. Meena was part of the lung cancer team that treated West at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and remembers him as an upbeat person who always greeted him with a smile. “He knew he was very sick, but he had such a good spirit,” Meena said.

West’s wife, Peggy, said her husband and Meena hit it off immediately and developed a special bond. Because of their relationship, it does not surprise her that Meena would honor West in this way.

“Dr. Meena is a special doctor and a sweet person. He and Grover had a strong connection, so I think it’s very touching that he wants to run this half marathon for him,” said West, who served as an advanced practice registered nurse in the UAMS Myeloma Institute before her retirement three years ago.

Meena’s tradition of honoring his patients began with the 2017 Little Rock Half Marathon, which he ran in memory of former UAMS employee Joe Cook. He has since run the Soaring Wings Half Marathon in Conway and said he is “officially a runner now,” thanks in part to his desire to honor the memory of his patients. “I would run for all of them if I could,” he said.

By Susan Van Dusen| March 6th, 2018

Practicing medicine is practicing listening.

That was the message of the Young at Heart Luncheon hosted Feb. 23 by students in the UAMS College of Medicine for patients and volunteers in the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.

Junior Eric Peeler and sophomore Stephanie Dayer organized the event with the help of their peers in the Geriatric Interest Group and its faculty mentor Gohar Azhar, M.D., professor of geriatrics and co-director of the Cardiovascular Aging Program.

The group enjoyed lunch, played games and heard from speakers, all while seated at small round tables to facilitate conversation.

“All of you have such wonderful individual stories that you can teach us,” Azhar said to the guests. “When you come and visit us in the clinic, not only do you learn from us, I always learn from you.”

To the students, Azhar said she wants them to learn to live their lives in a spirit of listening.

Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., executive director of the Reynolds Institute, agreed. After hearing guest speaker Charles Norman tell the story of how having his complaints of fatigue and “something being off” ignored by his physician nearly cost him his life, Wei advised the guests to “find someone who will listen to you and someone where you will listen to them, so that we can help and support each other, as providers, patients and family members and friends.”

“And the same goes for you,” she told the students. “Listening of course goes both ways.”

Dayer and Peeler said the inspiration for the event developed out of a desire to give back, but learn as well.

“It’s an opportunity for students to get to know the older generation, to form a bridge between the two groups,” Dayer said. “The patients can see that they’re a part of our training. When we see them in the clinic or at events like this, it’s a reminder that they’re giving back by helping guide the next generation of doctors. Hopefully, they can see that we appreciate them.”

The Geriatric Interest Group, like many other interest groups across campus, provides a way for students with common interests but who may be at different stages of their training to interact, network and integrate more deeply with life on campus. There are about 15-20 students in the geriatric group, and their interests range from those who want to become geriatric physicians to those who want to do research to those who simply want to know more about working with older populations.

“The truth is that with most of the disciplines I could go into, a lot of my patients are going to be older, so I feel that it’s important to learn about working with them,” Peeler said. “There is a need there and I don’t think we as a society are addressing it as much as we should.”

Peeler is working on a project in the Institute on Aging and Dayer is conducting research on osteoporosis.

“One of the great things about working on a project here is you get exposed to a variety of things,” Dayer said. “Geriatrics is a discipline that is actually all-encompassing.”

Speaker Betty Scull advised the students about happiness and success as they follow their career paths: “tie good knots in your thread,” she said, meaning for them to always remember to pay attention to the fundamentals. The group ate a buffet-style lunch and played a few rounds of computer-aided Wheel of Fortune together, complete with prizes for first, second and third place.

Taking home the top prize was team Desiderata, a nod to the Max Ehrmann poem by the same name referenced by Scull during her talk. She said the poem helped her turn things around during a dark time in her career and helped her develop the attitude that sustained her in the years to come. It reads, in part:

“Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

…

they too have their story.”

By Amy Widner| March 6th, 2018 |

Deanne L. King, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as director of clinical research for the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in the College of Medicine.

King will facilitate collaborations on otolaryngology topics between researchers on campus, assist residents and medical students with publishing their research, increase the number of clinical trials in the department, and pursue grant funding. She is also an assistant professor in the College of Medicine.

“This is a new position for the department and is part of our overall effort to expand our research program,” said John Dornhoffer, M.D., department chairman. “The department is already nationally known in clinical and academic circles. Research is a key area where we have the opportunity to provide an even more academically comprehensive and rich learning environment for our faculty, students, residents, and fellows.”

King has a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the Texas A&M University in College Station. She has an M.D./Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology and pathobiology from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She completed an internship in general surgery and a surgery residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, both at UAMS.

King said she enjoys helping researchers make connections.

“Research can sometimes be an isolating pursuit, but collaboration and idea-sharing is so important to the overall process,” King said. “I’m also looking forward to helping our students and residents. Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery is a highly competitive field. Having published research to your name early in your career is not only a valuable experience, but, increasingly, a necessity for medical students to successfully match into an otolaryngology residency.”

Dornhoffer has held the privately funded Samuel D. McGill Jr. Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology Research since 2002. There are a total of six endowed chairs within the department to assist with research funding.

Faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery are fellowship-trained in their specialty and cover all the sub-specialties in the field (otology, endocrine, head and neck, rhinology, laryngology, pediatric and vascular anomalies). The faculty consistently receive high scores on patient satisfaction, and six faculty are listed in “Best Doctors in America.” They practice at UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System.

Department faculty also publish their research at a high level, with several textbooks and dozens of peer-reviewed manuscripts published each year. Faculty present their research at numerous national and international events and invited lectureships.

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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| March 6th, 2018 |

There is a bulletin board in John Musser’s apartment with a big number on it: 50,000. That’s the number of eyes the first-year UAMS medical student would like to save in his lifetime.

“That’s my dream,” said Musser. “I just want to help anyone who wouldn’t have an opportunity otherwise.”

Musser came to this goal pragmatically. It averages four eyes a day over a 35-year career. He’s already ahead of schedule after Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

On Jan. 22, his nonprofit, Rural Ophthalmology Optometry Treatment and Screening (ROOTS) treated 12 area students, ages 5-16, who had failed multiple school-required eye screenings.

When a child fails a school-sponsored eye screening, he or she is required to take another within 30 days. If the second test is failed, the child is referred to an ophthalmologist or optometrist for further testing; however, some children are never seen by a specialist. They sit in classes with possible eye issues or conditions that hinder their ability to learn.

That’s where Musser hopes to help.

He, five of his fellow medical students and two UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute physicians — Katie Brown, O.D., an optometrist, and Sami Uwaydat, M.D., an ophthalmologist and associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology — treated the dozen students in January.

It was ROOTS’ first community event, but Musser said it won’t be its last. He’s already working on events for the summer and fall, and ways to incorporate other medical professionals such as advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and registered nurses, as well as optometry and ophthalmic medical technology students.

Dr. Brown said Musser deserves to be applauded for his efforts to provide this service.

“He’s incredibly organized and motivated,” said Dr. Brown. “He has a vision and wants to help restructure and reform screening processes so more kids don’t fall through the cracks. John’s work is commendable.”

Starting and running a nonprofit would be challenging for almost anyone, let alone a student trying to adapt to the rigors of medical school. In addition to courses like Human Structure, Brain and Behavior, and Molecules to Cells, there are hours upon hours of studying.

Musser doesn’t seem to mind the added requirements of running a nonprofit.

“The passion is there,” he said. “None of it is work to me.”

Musser was first attracted to ophthalmology in high school while shadowing physicians near his home in Michigan.

“I learned the impact of different eye procedures, like for cataracts,” said Musser. “In 10 or 15 minutes, someone could have their life changed and their vision restored. I decided right then I wanted to spend the rest of my life providing that type of care and opportunity to the less fortunate.”

Wherever his medical career takes him, Musser plans to take ROOTS along for the ride.

“Fifty thousand eyes will be ROOTS’ mission,” he said.

By Lee Hogan| March 5th, 2018|

Teresa Kramer, Ph.D., a Professor and Chief Psychologist for the Department of Psychiatry, has been named the recipient of the 2018 Senator Percy Malone Child Protection Award by the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas (CACA).

The award recognizes Dr. Kramer’s contributions as Director of Arkansas Building Effective Services for Trauma (ARBEST), a program in the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute and supported by the Arkansas Legislature. Under her leadership, ARBEST has provided training in evidence-based trauma treatments to hundreds of mental-health professionals and child advocates across the state. The program also provides clinical services and follow-up care at UAMS for children who have experienced trauma. Dr. Kramer will be honored at CACA’s annual award luncheon at the Clinton Presidential Center on April 11.