Have you ever wondered what it’s like behind the curtain at Arkansas’s only Level 1 Trauma Center? THV11 reporter Laura Monteverdi and photojournalist Bre Conyers spent more than 20 hours inside UAMS’ emergency room. The story features Ron Robertson, M.D., professor in the Trauma and Acute Care Division in the Department of Surgery.  Watch their three-part series.

Modern babies move from car seat to stroller to baby swing and back again. Meanwhile, what they aren’t moving is their muscles.

What effect does all of this containment have? What muscles are key as babies work toward developmental milestones? How can baby products have an impact – for better or worse?

These and other questions are the focus of research for Erin Mannen, Ph.D., a mechanical engineer who joined the UAMS faculty in mid-2017 to lead biomechanical studies of the spine, bone and joints. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine.

“Biomechanics is essentially the study of the body in motion,” Mannen said. “We

are looking at infant muscle and motion activity in various positions to get a baseline understanding of how infants are using their muscles in common positions. We want to understand optimal positioning to prevent musculoskeletal problems or motor development delays.”

Mannen is conducting her research with the help of the high-tech gait and motion-detection laboratory at the HipKnee Arkansas Foundation in Little Rock, using technology that fills an entire room. Special cameras at strategic points along the walls create a 3D capture zone. The research subject wears markers that are tracked by the cameras and recorded by the computer software.

“We are able to see how nearly every part of the body is moving,” Mannen said. “We can measure how people move using the cameras, how they load their joints using force plates embedded in the ground, and how their muscles are activating using electromyography.”

Mannen’s research is already being noticed. Two previous – but connected – studies are in the process of being published. Those studies looked at the biomechanics of adults while they carry babies in “babywearing” carrier devices.

Now, Mannen is looking at babywearing’s effect on the babies. Specifically, she wants to know if infants with hip dysplasia can safely spend time in babywearing carriers. It’s also possible that babywearing could have a similar therapeutic impact for babies as the more unpleasant orthopaedic devices that are now standard practice.

The International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI) has featured her work on its website and has provided a $10,160 grant toward the promising research, which is also being funded by a $31,724 grant from Boba Inc., which makes babywearing products.

“It is hypothesized that wearing an infant inward facing in a structured baby carrier results in similar muscle activity and hip positioning as the orthopaedic devices currently used to treat babies with hip dysplasia,” Mannen said. “Appropriate babywearing has the potential to offer parents of hip dysplasia patients a ‘break’ from the cumbersome orthopaedic devices, allowing them to experience the many benefits of babywearing while not endangering their baby’s hips.”

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Chairman C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., said research is an important part of the department’s mission.

“By researching the structure and function of human movement in a

variety of contexts, the goal is to improve the development and assessment of orthopaedic interventions and better understand injury prevention,” Barnes said. “Having researchers like Dr. Mannen on our team not only furthers medical knowledge, but has the potential to inspire students to be the kind of innovative thinkers they need to be and directly impact patient care.”

Mannen became interested in this line of research as a new mother. She used a babywearing carrier to soothe her first child, who was colicky and had trouble sleeping. While the emotional benefits of babywearing are well-established in the medical literature, she found the biomechanical research lacking.

Similarly, as she learned about how to safely put her baby to sleep on its back to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), she also learned that preliminary research had indicated this sleeping position – while excellent at reducing the rates of SIDS – combined by a general lack of “tummy time” for babies had reduced the development of muscles in babies’ necks and upper backs. She wanted to learn more.

While the babies were hooked up to the sensors during the tummy time research, she happened to watch their biomechanics and muscle firing as they rolled over. She looked to the established research on such developmental milestones for infants and found it lacking. The biomechanical changes behind rolling over, crawling and other milestones will likely be her next research pursuit.

“Often the inspiration for research comes from personal experience,” Barnes said. “That’s one of many reasons I’m proud of the diverse team we have in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Everyone brings something a little different to the table, and they are encouraged to bring their interests to bear, whether it’s for research or finding novel ways to serve our patient communities.”

In other research at the gait lab, Barnes is studying how joint replacements affect golf swing in athletes. Simon Mears, M.D., Ph.D., is studying safe yoga practice in hip and knee replacement patients.

“With this technology, we are limited only by our imaginations,” Mannen said.

Also at the luncheon, UAMS Interim Chancellor Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., presented a Chancellor’s Award to state Senate President Pro Tem Jonathan Dismang and state House of Representatives Speaker Jeremy Gillam for distinguished service and leadership in supporting the resources and mission of UAMS.

The UAMS Foundation Fund Board works to advance the mission of UAMS by securing private financial support for its activities.

Jo Ellen Ford and Lee Ronnel, both of Little Rock, were named by the Foundation Fund Board as inaugural recipients of the P.O. Hooper, M.D. Volunteer Leadership Award. Hooper, along with seven other Little Rock physicians, in 1879 helped found what is now UAMS. The award recognizes UAMS donors for their exceptional support of the institution’s mission through volunteerism, leadership, and philanthropy. Like Hooper, they inspire, lead and motivate others to shape the future of the institution.

John Shock, M.D., founding director of the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, and Kent Westbrook, M.D., distinguished professor in the College of Medicine, were named by the Foundation Fund Board as inaugural recipients of the Harry P. Ward, M.D. Visionary Award. The award recognizes current or former employees for their extraordinary ability to envision, promote and utilize philanthropy to transform the landscape and constitution of UAMS.

Ward, UAMS chancellor from 1979-2000, is remembered as a giant in the history of health care and higher education in Arkansas. A man of determination and commitment, he led UAMS’ transformation from a small medical school with a charity hospital into a health sciences university and research leader.

“Today, we honor our volunteer and employee leaders, who have, through generous donations of their time and talent, made a better future for health care in Arkansas,” said William Clark, chair of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board.

“I’m very grateful for this award,” Ford said. “I want to say thank you to my husband, who has always encouraged me to do whatever I felt led to do, whether it was Bible study fellowship or working at the university hospital in the cancer center and the aging center. It’s been a wonderful blessing to me to be able to help in this area.”

Ronnel, along with his wife Dale and their extended family, has been a dedicated and passionate supporter of UAMS for more than four decades. Ronnel is a member and former chair of the University of Arkansas Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors, and a former member and chair of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board. The Ronnels, members of the Society of the Double Helix, have given millions to UAMS over their long history with the institution and have begun a scholarship program for the College of Medicine.

“It’s indeed an honor to receive the P.O. Hooper Volunteer Leadership Award,” Ronnel said. “It has been both an honor and a pleasure to have served as chairman of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board as that board’s representative to the University of Arkansas Foundation. I will treasure the Hooper Award, and I thank you for making me one of the first recipients.”

Shock joined the College of Medicine as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology in 1979, when there was only one other full-time faculty member in that department. He significantly expanded the department’s faculty and increased patient visits from about 6,000 annually to almost 20,000. Shock was one of the first to develop the ultrasonic cataract machine and established the Jones Eye Institute. He was interim dean of the College of Medicine from 2000 to 2002 and was UAMS executive vice chancellor from 2002 to 2009.

Westbrook, a 1965 College of Medicine graduate, worked with colleagues throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s to develop comprehensive, multidisciplinary cancer programs at UAMS, culminating in the 1984 formation of the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, the predecessor of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. He served as its director for 14 years and was chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology from 1992 to 2003. Westbrook served as interim chair of the Department of Surgery from 1999 to 2002 and as interim vice chancellor for UAMS Development and Alumni Affairs, now the Division of Institutional Advancement, in 2011. He has been an associate dean and a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet.

“It’s really thrilling to me to receive this Harry P. Ward Visionary Award,” Westbrook said. “It’s a great honor. When my wife and I came to this campus 56 years ago, I had no concept of winning an award like this. This award came about because James Suen and I had a dream of a cancer center, and I really thank all of the people who were involved in the development of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.”

Each honoree received a plaque with their name and engraved portrait. Copies of the plaques will be displayed on a commemorative wall outside the Chancellor’s Suite in the Central Building on the main UAMS campus.

Gardner commended Dismang and Gillam for their advice and support for UAMS’ mission.

“We are eternally grateful for that,” Gardner said. “Your contributions will impact the patients, students and others we serve for many years to come.”

Gardner also recognized UAMS supporters state Sen. Cecile Bledsoe, chair of the Senate Public Health Committee, and state Rep. Deborah Ferguson, vice chair of the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

A new website developed by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) connects families and health care professionals with information and resources about autism and other developmental disorders.

The endeavor is a result of the Community-Based Autism Liaison and Treatment Project (CoBALT). The new site – www.CoBALTAR.org – aims to be a one-stop shop for families and providers.

“If you are a parent who suspects your child might have autism or another developmental disorder, it can be overwhelming to try to find reliable, evidence-based information online. We want to eliminate the guesswork and connect families with trustworthy resources,” said Jayne Bellando, Ph.D., CoBALT co-director and associate professor of pediatric psychology in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics.

CoBALT is a project of the James L. Dennis Developmental Center, a part of the Department of Pediatrics that conducts diagnostic evaluations on children. CoBALT is funded by the Arkansas Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities Services’ Title V Children with Special Health Care Needs Program.

While in search of a diagnosis, families often face long wait times and travel distances. In search of a way to better serve families, Department of Pediatrics faculty partnered with the Title V program about eight years ago to form CoBALT.

Education is CoBALT’s primary mission. It aims to train teams of health care providers across the state with the knowledge and the confidence to screen children for developmental disorders, reducing wait times and travel distances for families – all with the goal of improving outcomes for patients.

Today, there are CoBALT teams in Lowell, Fort Smith, Clinton, Forrest City, El Dorado and Little Rock.

“The ultimate goal of empowering families with information and training more health care professionals to screen for developmental disorders is to help families get quicker access to specialized developmental screening, which may result in quicker services,” Bellando said. “Quicker services often lead to better outcomes, because when you’re dealing with children and developmental disorders – each passing week can mean another missed milestone. It’s important to start services quickly.”

The newly launched CoBALT website is the latest step in this ongoing effort.

“For families and providers alike – it’s OK to have questions. We intentionally worked to make the website as clear and accessible as possible,” said Eldon G. Schulz, M.D., CoBALT co-director and professor in the Department of Pediatrics. “There are videos, frequently asked questions and links to reputable outside sources, in addition to the text we’ve provided.”

At www.CoBALTAR.org, families will find:

• Where to begin if a developmental disorder is suspected
• Plans of action
• How to find reputable information about autism and developmental disorders online
• What to expect during an autism evaluation
• An explanation of common treatments, therapies and support for children with autism and other developmental disorders
• Next steps after an autism diagnosis

Providers will find:

• How to participate in CoBALT trainings
• Autism diagnosis criteria and treatment protocols
• Information on typical development milestones
• Screening guidelines
• Resources providers can give to families

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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Feb. 1, 2018 | Students, graduates and supporters were in a festive mood as they gathered Jan. 26 to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the UAMS MASH program, which seeks to spark young people’s interest in the health care field.

MASH (Medical Applications of Science for Health) is a two-week summer enrichment program that allows rising high school juniors and seniors to shadow health professionals and attend workshops that enhance their experience in the health care field.

The program, begun by UAMS in 1988 in Pine Bluff, is the oldest of its kind in the nation. The program is held at UAMS regional campuses, community hospitals and colleges around the state.

“The MASH program is a pipeline that greatly supports UAMS in recruiting and training health care professionals for the state of Arkansas,” said Sterling Moore, vice chancellor for Regional Campuses. “The success of this program would not be possible without the support of our key community partners, who clearly have a vested interest in ensuring that the health care workforce needs of Arkansas are being met.”

A celebration was held at noon in the hospital gallery. Attendees sat at round tables draped with white linen, enjoyed a catered lunch, and reminisced about their experiences in the program. A large white sheet cake emblazoned with the MASH logo was saved until last.

Robin Howell, program manager for Regional Campuses, helped write the grant that created the first MASH program three decades ago. “It’s been an amazing journey,” she said.

Approximately 500 students participate in the program each summer. The goal is to entice more students into the health care professions, where shortages are common and are expected to grow.

Since its inception, MASH has encouraged more than 9,000 students to pursue careers in health care. Of those, 542 have enrolled in one of UAMS’ five colleges or the graduate school, and many more have gone on to rewarding health care careers, Howell said.

Thirty percent of the College of Medicine’s entering classes the last two years were students who either participated in MASH or were mentored by regional recruiters, Howell said.

Howell thanked each MASH recruiter and asked them to stand and be recognized. “The impact that they have on these students is obvious,” she said.

MASH covers plenty in two weeks. Students selected into the program shadow in a variety of health care locations and learn medical terminology. Through hands-on activities, they learn medical procedures such as CPR and gain insight into multiple disciplines, with a focus on interprofessional education. The program includes a tour of the UAMS main campus, several local field trips, and teambuilding activities.

“The MASH program connected those dots for me,” said Kendra McCraney, a 2008 participant who is now

It was a slope he knew to avoid, but one his adventurous spirit wouldn’t let him.

“What I love about snow skiing is you’re in complete control of your destiny,” said 74-year-old Marcus Everett. “I got hooked on the speed.”

He was halfway down the mountain in Breckinridge, Colorado, in 2008, a location he’d frequented with cousins since the early 1990s, but an unexpected snowstorm had caused limited visibility on the slopes. Suddenly, a yellow ribbon appeared in front him, warning Everett of the point of no return.

“I turned quickly, hit an ice patch, did two 360s in the air and came down on the side of my right ski boot,” said Everett.

Everett, of Hot Springs Village, passed off his injury as a minor one, a sprain. In reality, he smashed leg bones into his ankle and damaged the joint.

The space between his two leg bones — the tibia and fibula — and his ankle was gone. It created a bone-on-bone rubbing in his lower right leg.

Yet, he marched on, continuing his normal activities. Everett had cultivated an innate connection with running, biking, swimming and skiing. The activities helped the former college basketball player, then in his late 40s and early 50s, return to a healthier, fitter version of himself.

As he got older, when most are slowing down, Everett was just getting started. He completed a couple marathons and triathlons, along with countless 5ks and 10ks.

In 2013, five years after his initial injury, the arthritic pain in his right foot began to nag him more than ever. His physician referred him “to the best,” as Everett recalls it, Ruth Thomas, M.D., UAMS foot and ankle surgeon and professor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

It surprised Thomas to learn of Everett’s exploits after looking at his ankle.

“She told me when I was done jogging, running marathons and snow skiing, to call her,” said Everett.

Over the next year, a series of epiphanies let him know it was time.

Everett ran his last 5k in 2013 in Hot Springs, the pain was more than he’d ever experienced. The next year, on another slope in Breckinridge, he had trouble controlling his skis and wrecked.

“I knew it was over,” said Everett. “I got up, put my skis on my shoulder and started walking.”

Befuddled, his cousin asked where he was going; Everett was matter-of-fact.

“I’m going to walk to the bottom of the mountain, catch the bus back to the condo and call Dr. Thomas and tell her I’ve just retired from snow skiing and to put me on the calendar,” Everett recalled.

In September of that year, Thomas performed a total ankle replacement on Everett.

“Mr. Everett was a great candidate for a replacement because he was active, motivated and had good motion in his ankle prior to the procedure,” said Thomas. “The total replacement allows him to keep his motion and return to normal activities without pain.”

Three years removed from the procedure, Everett has no signs of trouble or pain. He’s forbidden from running, playing basketball or any other activities of the like that put significant strain on the ankle, but he’s free to walk, ride a bike and even ski, said Thomas.

Everett has found fulfillment for his need to be active in kayaking, lifting weights and bike riding, and he’s thrilled with the results of his procedure under Thomas’s direction.

“I’ve had very little pain and virtually no problems,” said Everett. “I’m extremely happy with the results.”

However, Everett says he won’t be schussing down any Colorado slopes anytime soon at the behest of his wife, Bunny.

“Dr. Thomas told me as long as I glide down the mountain, I’d have no problem,” Everett said, smiling while pointing to Bunny. “She knows I’m not going to glide.”

His new 163-page hardback book, Castleman Disease, was released recently as part of the Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America series of clinics review articles published bimonthly by Elsevier Inc. The book features 13 chapters by 26 international physicians and researchers who specialize in the disease.

“A lot of progress has been made in the treatment of this disease and a lot of new information is available,” said van Rhee, considered an international expert on Castleman disease. He also is holder of the Charles and Clydene Scharlau Chair for Hematological Malignancies at UAMS.

He developed the idea for the book. He also wrote one of its chapters, and co-authored the preface and the book with Nikhil C. Munshi, M.D., associate director of the Jerome Lipper Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Munshi was previously with UAMS. The book will also be published online by chapters.

Castleman disease occurs when an abnormal overgrowth of cells occurs in the lymph system, which serves as the main part of the body’s immune system. The disease, affecting 5,000 to 6,000 patients across the nation, was identified by Benjamin Castleman, M.D., in 1954.

“The average oncologist may only see one patient with Castleman disease in his career,” said van Rhee. “So it is hard for community doctors to be well-informed and a lot of patients don’t get the correct treatment.”

Unicentric Castleman disease is localized, affecting only a single lymph node region, and can often be successfully treated by surgically removing the affected area. Multicentric Castleman disease affects multiple lymph node areas and can give rise to night sweats, fevers, weight loss, anemia and in severe cases organ failure and death. Van Rhee was previously the principal investigator on a worldwide trial with a new monoclonal antibody, siltuximab. This trial led to the first FDA-approved treatment for multicentric Castleman Disease. The encouraging results of the trial also led to the approval of the drug by the European Medicine Agency

The cause in many patients is unknown, or idiopathic, and the disease has now been termed idiopathic Castleman disease (iMCD). “That is one of the main areas of focus in this book,” said van Rhee, who addresses the topic in “Treatment of Idiopathic Castleman Disease,” the chapter he wrote with research associate Amy Greenway and lab director Katie Stone at the UAMS Myeloma Institute.

Van Rhee felt a sense of urgency to create the book after co-founding the international Castleman Disease Collaborative Network in 2012 with his patient David Fajgenbaum, M.D., then in medical school and now a physician at the University of Pennsylvania.

“The timing seemed right, under this umbrella organization where physicians and researchers from around the world meet each other and exchange ideas,” said van Rhee.

While this is van Rhee’s first time to compile and edit a book, the physician, who trained in the Netherlands and United Kingdom, previously contributed chapters to other books, including those on myeloma and bone marrow transplantation, positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, and radiation therapy in treating myeloma.

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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As the arduous process of applying to residency programs winds down for this year’s seniors in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), one thing is clear: The road to Match Day is long – both figuratively and literally.

In the fall and winter of their senior year, medical students around the country juggle heavy travel and other demands of the increasingly competitive Residency Match on top of academic and clinical obligations back on campus.

Seniors face the daunting task of trying to determine which residency programs would be the best fit for them – including institutions and places they initially know little about. And they are painfully aware of national data that exhorts them to attain ample numbers of interviews in order to reasonably ensure that they successfully match.

It can be nerve-racking for any senior, including those who are likely to do well on March 16.

“Some days were just insane,” said Grant Cagle, who has served as his class president for all four years of medical school. The St. Louis native, who will graduate with both a medical degree and Master of Public Health, looks forward to training in internal medicine and a career focusing on socioeconomic disparities and health care for marginalized communities. “At the end of the day, I really enjoyed the interview process,” he said. “But it was also very stressful.”

Cagle and most of his classmates had applied to dozens of programs, heeding guidance from College of Medicine faculty as well as national experts. They had zig-zagged the country for a dozen or so interviews, sometimes driving or flying to multiple cities in a single week.

Cagle tracked it all on a master calendar and a detailed spreadsheet: where he had applied, the 13 places he interviewed, and his expenses. He scored each of the programs he visited in several areas reflecting his priorities, such as whether it had tracks relating to social justice in medicine, how well he meshed with the current residents he had met, and the location. The scores will help him finalize his ranked list of programs for the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), which is due Feb. 21.

Barrett Burger, a Camden, Arkansas, native who will train in internal medicine and pediatrics, applied to 38 programs and interviewed at 11. He squeezed four of his interviews into one eight-day stretch.

“I was on rounds at a program in the Midwest when I received an invitation to interview with a program on the East Coast the next week, so I stepped out and borrowed a computer at the nurses’ station to book a flight,” he recalled.

“The next day, I was making the 12-hour drive home when I got another invite to a program in the South for the day after the one I had just scheduled,” Burger said. “I pulled into a gas station and changed the flight that I had just booked, for some exorbitant fee.” Back at home, he packed another bag, flew to the East Coast interview, and then caught a flight to the program in the South, arriving with only minutes to spare. He rented a car for the journey home, packed yet another bag, and drove back to the Midwest for the fourth interview.

“Looking back, it was exciting to visit a few places I had never been before and to meet a lot of great and unique people, and to continue pursuing my dream career,” Burger said. “I would also like to not ever do this again.”

“I can confidently say that this interview season has diminished how much I like flying,” said Sean Parham, a senior from Fort Smith, Arkansas, who is pursuing orthopaedic surgery. We first caught up with him as he was answering email at the airport in Dallas on his way to an interview in California. Just days later, he was traveling again for back-to-back interviews in Ohio and Kentucky.

Parham applied to 67 programs – not uncommon for applicants in the highly competitive specialty – and subsequently accepted invitations to interview at 13. Meanwhile, he was working in January with a general medicine team at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. “Due to the maximum allowed number of days off to comply with rotation requirements, every day that I am not traveling for interviews, I’m working,” he said.

Shannon Petrus, a senior from Hazen, Arkansas, hopes to match to a residency in general surgery in the South. A drive between back-to-back interviews in Texas and Oklahoma was particularly memorable.

“I was in the middle of nowhere when my tire popped,” Petrus said. “That had never happened to me before, but I got through it and still made it to the interview dinner that evening on a ‘donut’ tire. I thought, this is going to be a good story to tell someday; but at the time it really stressed me out.”

Like the flat tire, residency interviews caused only short-lived stress for Petrus.

“I was very nervous at first – shaky hands, shaky voice, and I couldn’t sleep the night before,” she said. “But after I got the first couple of interviews out of the way it became fun. You meet so many people and hear many life stories. As a future surgeon, it was so interesting to talk with experienced surgeons about how they chose their specialty and how they got where they are today.”

Then and Now

James Graham, M.D., a professor of pediatrics and associate dean for undergraduate medical education in the UAMS College of Medicine, sympathizes with today’s medical students. “When I was a graduating senior, in 1985, I interviewed at seven programs, and I almost canceled my last interview because I was so tired,” he said, laughing. “That’s only about half of what today’s students must do.”

“The Match is considerably more competitive overall than it was a decade or two ago, and students generally have to spend more time and more money interviewing at greater numbers of programs,” Graham said.

Contributing factors include the increasing numbers of graduates from allopathic medical schools and the growing number of students from osteopathic medical schools competing for positions through the NRMP, Graham said. “The total number of residency positions has also increased, but not to the same extent.”

While 1,059 U.S. medical school seniors failed to match in 2017, UAMS achieved its best match rate in a decade. Eight College of Medicine students initially failed to match, but all of them subsequently obtained a position during Match Week through the NRMP’s Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program or the college’s Transitional Year Residency Program.

“It is very important to apply to enough programs, secure enough interviews, and rank enough programs on your match list,” Graham said.

In general, Graham and other academic leaders advise students to aim for 10-12 interviews. However, circumstances vary based on the specialty, the specific schools and programs a student is interested in, and the student’s own test scores and academic achievement. Faculty advisers within specialties can help individual students understand whether they would be a competitive candidate for a residency position.

Advisers and Advocates

The UAMS College of Medicine has introduced several initiatives in recent years to help students better prepare for the Match, including the Academic Houses established in 2016. Students have long been encouraged to choose a specialty-specific adviser in their junior year, and now every student also has a house-based general adviser who provides academic and career advising throughout medical school.

For the past few years, Sara Tariq, M.D., associate dean for undergraduate clinical education, has worked with a group of students to offer all seniors a residency prep series at the start of the year. Sessions focus on the Match process, strategies and communication skills. The series concludes with mock interviews with faculty volunteers. Over half of this year’s seniors and about 30 faculty members participated. Many other faculty members provide mock interviews for students who are pursuing their specialty.

“Our faculty members understand the heightened competition and challenging environment that our students face as they are applying for residency, and they have really stepped up to the plate,” Graham said. “They are making themselves available to students as well as participating in formal activities such as the mock interviews.”

Students are grateful for that dedication.

“Everyone in the Department of Surgery has gone above and beyond,” Petrus said, noting the advocacy of several faculty members including her mentor, assistant professor Katie Kimbrough, M.D. “Dr. Kimbrough has spent countless hours with me. She helped me organize my CV. We discussed programs I might apply to, and she helped me understand which ones were my ‘reach’ programs, which were more solid, and which ones I would almost certainly be invited to for an interview.”

Cagle’s mentor, Tariq, is an associate professor of medicine as well as the associate dean overseeing undergraduate clinical education. Cagle said Tariq helped him immensely when, with more than 50 internal medicine programs on his initial list for consideration early last fall, he wasn’t sure where to start.

“Dr. Tariq asked me what I wanted in a program, what things were most important,” Cagle said. “She helped me understand myself as an applicant and shared her insights about programs around the country. She helped me find my balance.”

Residency application and interview season will never be a walk in the park, but it is likely to be a little less stressful for College of Medicine seniors in the future.

This year’s juniors will start their senior year on June 1, a month earlier than seniors have in the past, thanks to a shift in the academic calendar and curriculum changes implemented over the past three years by the college’s curriculum committee and faculty members throughout the college.

“Our seniors will have an additional four weeks to finish all of their coursework, pass their licensure exams, and devote more time to the application process and residency interviews,” Graham said. “We wanted to make the process a little easier for them.”

 Jan. 29, 2018 | Five newly awarded grants will assist scientists at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute in their search for new and innovative cancer treatments.

The grants of $10,000 each were presented to young investigators by the Envoys, a volunteer advocacy group of the Cancer Institute Foundation, during their “Doctor is In” reception and research poster showcase Jan. 25.

The grants are made possible by the Envoys’ annual RockStar Lounge fundraiser. This year’s event is set for April 13 at Cajun’s Wharf in Little Rock and will feature a performance by Bon Jovi tribute band Slippery When Wet.

“In an era when research funding has become more and more scarce, we are grateful to the Envoys for providing this essential support for our scientists,” said Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D. “With these start-up funds, they are able to establish the preliminary data needed to secure additional larger grants in the future.”

Recipients of the grants were:

• Marie Burdine, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, UAMS College of Medicine

Burdine’s project focuses on a novel approach to regulating a protein known as ATAD2 that is highly expressed in several types of cancer, including breast, pancreas, colon and liver, as well as in metastatic disease. If successful, regulation of the protein could lead to new therapies for these types of cancer.

• Brendan Frett, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UAMS College of Pharmacy

Precision lung cancer treatment is often effective only for the short term due to significant differences that appear in individual cases of the disease. Frett’s objective is to improve the long-term outcomes of precision lung cancer therapy by simultaneously targeting multiple facets of the disease. He will synthetically engineer single molecule drug candidates capable of impairing multiple tumor survival pathways.

• Samantha Kendrick, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UAMS College of Medicine

Kendrick’s project focuses on understanding how and why certain genes repeatedly mutate and contribute to the aggressive nature of B-cell lymphoma. Her research examines the frequency of DNA structures in these specific gene targets and whether the structures contribute to an increased susceptibility to mutation. Uncovering this process can facilitate the design of new therapies to minimize the risk of chemotherapy resistant disease.

• Analiz Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, UAMS College of Medicine

Although advances in immunotherapy have offered great promise for several types of cancer, outcomes for an aggressive form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma remain grim. Rodriguez’s project uses the surgical technique laser thermal ablation in combination with immunotherapy to alter the immune microenvironment, cause cancer cell death and open the area around the tumor in an effort to improve outcomes for patients with this disease.

• Erming Tian, Ph.D., M.B.A., assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the UAMS College of Medicine

Tian’s research addresses the role of two alias proteins produced by the gene MYC in the outcome of patients with multiple myeloma. He seeks to understand how one of these proteins affects the other in regard to cell proliferation and will use this knowledge to deliberately induce a different translation and modification of the gene that could ultimately lead to preventing uncontrollable cancer growth.