Sushma Bhusal, M.D., and Aparna Sharma, M.D., have joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as transplant nephrologists, caring for kidney and pancreas transplant patients before and after surgery.

UAMS is the only center in Arkansas that offers adult liver and kidney — and soon pancreas — transplantation.

Bhusal and Sharma have advanced, specialized training in the needs of kidney and pancreas transplant patients. Bhusal completed a fellowship in nephrology at New York University and a fellowship in transplant nephrology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Sharma completed a nephrology fellowship at University of Chicago Medical Center and a transplant nephrology fellowship at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

In addition, Bhusal is director of UAMS’ pancreas transplant program, which is expected to open in the next year. UAMS is also expanding its living donor program, and Bhusal said it is important to spread the word about the life-saving role that living donors can play.

“The evidence is clear that people who donate one of their kidneys do not experience higher rates of mortality or morbidity compared to the general population,” Bhusal said.

Sharma agreed.

“Transplantation is absolutely the best treatment for end-stage renal disease, and living kidney donations are the best kind,” Sharma said. “Kidney donation is safe and can really save lives.”

Bhusal and Sharma also serve as assistant professors in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology.

“Dr. Bhusal and Dr. Sharma strengthen our growing transplant program,” said John Arthur, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Nephrology. “We are excited to have them join us.”

Bhusal obtained her M.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry University, India. She completed an internship in internal medicine at the New York Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York, where she was awarded Most Outstanding Intern for 2011-2012, and a residency in internal medicine at St. Vincent Hospital in Worchester, Massachusetts.

Sharma earned her M.D. at Sawai Man Singh Medical College in Jaipur, India. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois.

---

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.

Tina Farber arrived in Arkansas with one thing on her mind — meeting her two new grandbabies. Her son’s third child had arrived in April, and her daughter was expecting her third about one month later.

“I was planning to stay about two months,” said Farber, a native Arkansan who now lives in New Mexico. “I had a PET scan scheduled for July 7 and needed to return home in time for that.”

A stage 3 lung cancer survivor, Farber was considered to be in remission following surgery, chemotherapy and radiation in 2016. The PET scan was a routine follow-up to ensure the cancer had not returned.

Her plans were about to change, however, when she soon developed a cough, headache and fever, prompting a trip to the urgent care clinic. After returning to her daughter’s house with a diagnosis of pneumonia, Farber’s fever shot up to 102.4 degrees and the family took action.

“My daughter, Brittney, said to pack my bags. She was taking me to the hospital,” said Farber.

About a year earlier, while still undergoing chemotherapy, Farber also had made a visit to Arkansas. A bout with dehydration during her stay landed her in the UAMS Emergency Department, where she was impressed with the doctors and nurses who attended to her.

“Everything was in sync. They got me all taken care of. I told my kids that if I’m ever visiting again and need to see a doctor, don’t take me anywhere but UAMS,” she said.

After making the hour-long drive from her daughter’s home in Malvern, Farber again arrived at UAMS where she was quickly admitted and given the attention of a team of health care providers.

“Before I even got my wristband, they called me to triage and then immediately put me in a room where six people were waiting to take care of me. I was blown away,” she said.

After a series of tests, the doctor arrived with unexpected news. Lesions were found in her brain and bones that likely meant the lung cancer had spread.

“Once we found out the tumor had progressed to the brain and bones, we immediately got Mrs. Farber’s team together to carefully review her case and formulate an overall treatment plan,” said Fen Xia, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology in the UAMS College of Medicine.

That team included Xia, who specializes in radiation therapy for brain cancer; medical oncologist Konstantinos Arnaoutakis, M.D., who specializes in lung cancer; and orthopedic oncologist Corey Montgomery, M.D., who specializes in bone cancer. Other specialists in neurology and neurosurgery also were consulted as the treatment plan took shape.

“Having a team of physicians who work together efficiently and in a timely manner is particularly critical in cancer patient care. At the UAMS Cancer Institute, our doctors and nurses communicate instantly and continuously to coordinate our patients’ care at every step, from diagnosis and care management planning to treatment delivery,” said Xia, who also works closely with nurse practitioner Nikki Baxter, A.P.R.N., at the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center.

Because radiation therapy requires daily treatments, Baxter is available to assist patients with symptom management and other issues that arise on a day-to-day basis.

“Communication and accessibility are the top priority with our patients. We all work together to provide the best care possible,” Baxter said.

That emphasis on communication and coordination have lightened the load for Farber and convinced her to postpone returning to New Mexico in favor of continuing treatment in her home state at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

“It’s hard to be away from my husband, but God put me here for a reason,” said Farber, who added that her family and long-time friends have offered endless support and encouragement during her extended stay in Arkansas.

“The doctors and nurses at UAMS have taken the time to get to know me. They all know my story, which is really important to me. I’m going to stay here and fight this battle because I know I’m in good hands,” Farber said.

By Susan Van Dusen | December 1st, 2017

LITTLE ROCK – Ronda Henry-Tillman, M.D., F.A.C.S., was invested Nov. 29 as the recipient of the Muriel Balsam Kohn Chair in Breast Surgical Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She is chief of Breast Oncology in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Surgery.

The endowed chair is the result of a gift from the Tenenbaum Foundation. The foundation’s primary objectives include providing humanitarian assistance to residents of central Arkansas, promoting awareness of breast cancer, and funding research to reduce or eliminate deaths from the disease.

The chair is named in honor of Muriel Balsam Kohn, mother of Judy Tenenbaum, who died of breast cancer in 1993.

“I am thankful for the generosity and foresight of the Tenenbaum Foundation in establishing this endowed chair, which has enabled valuable breast cancer research to be conducted in Arkansas for the past 10 years. This legacy will continue for many years to come through the work and dedication of Dr. Henry-Tillman,” said UAMS Interim Chancellor Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., who also serves as senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost.

An endowed chair is among the highest academic honors a university can bestow on a faculty member and is established with gifts of $1 million, which are invested and the proceeds used to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chair holder. Those named to a chair are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields of expertise.

“Dr. Henry-Tillman has been a valuable member of the UAMS faculty since 1998, not only serving as a knowledgeable and caring physician for countless women, but also as a tireless advocate for underserved Arkansans who lack basic health care services. There is no doubt that her work to improve access to mammography services has extended the lives of women across our state,” said UAMS Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D., who also serves as professor of medicine in the UAMS College of Medicine.

NBA Hall of Famer and philanthropist Dikembe Mutombo addressed the attendees gathered to honor Henry-Tillman at a Nov. 29 ceremony, praising her work at educating health providers in Africa, including at the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital he founded 10 years ago in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Henry-Tillman’s mentor, Groesbeck P. Parham, M.D., recruited her to travel to Africa where she has taught breast surgical techniques and medical procedures to health care providers who have limited access to equipment and advanced educational opportunities. Parham is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

After earning her medical degree at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Henry-Tillman completed her surgical residency in the UAMS Department of Surgery and fellowship training in the UAMS Fellowship in Diseases of the Breast program.

She holds the positions of professor in the Department of Surgery, co-director of Health Initiatives and Disparities Research in the UAMS College of Medicine, and co-leader of the Breast Tumor Disease Oriented Committee in the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

She previously served as director of the UAMS Cancer Control program and was instrumental in the development of the university’s mobile mammography program.

Her research efforts have focused primarily on health initiatives that address access, community-based participatory research, health disparities and health policy in the areas of breast, prostate, colorectal, and cervical cancer prevention.

In 2016, Henry-Tillman was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission and was voted chairman in 2017. She also is a member of the Breast Cancer Control Advisory Board and is a Pulaski County health officer for the Arkansas State Board of Health.

Her memberships and professional activities include the American Surgical Association, Society of Surgical Oncology, Southern Surgical Association, Society of Black Academic Surgeons, National Medical Association, American Society of Breast Surgeons and multiple committees of the National Institutes of Health. She has served as a board member for the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and the national Health Disparities Committee for the American Cancer Society, as well as the Arkansas Cancer Coalition and other local organizations.

She has received numerous awards and honors including being named to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society, Best Doctors in America and Castle Connolly’s Exceptional Women in Medicine. She is recipient of the Shipley Award by the Southern Surgical Association; the Rosetta Wilkins Award by BreastCare; the President’s Award by the Arkansas Medical and Dental Pharmaceutical Association; the President’s Award by the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus. She also has received the Phenomenal Woman in Science and Excellence in STEM Mentoring awards.

The Tenenbaum Foundation was created in 1964 by Joe M. Tenenbaum. The foundation created the chair’s endowment in 2007 to recognize Kohn and the chair’s first holder V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., former director of the UAMS Division of Breast and Surgical Oncology. Klimberg now serves as medical director of the University of Texas Medical Branch Cancer Center in Galveston, Texas.

Speakers at the Nov. 29 ceremony included Gardner, Emanuel, Klimberg, Parham, Mutombo and the following:

• Pope L. Moseley, M.D., UAMS executive vice chancellor and dean of the UAMS College of Medicine
• Kent C. Westbrook, M.D., distinguished professor of surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine
• Frederick R. Bentley, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine

By Susan Van Dusen| November 30th, 2017|

The Association of American Medical Colleges website featured UAMS College of Medicine students in an article about the importance of standardized patient programs.

Read more.

Eda Graciela Aguilera Aguscia knows how important a solid education is to success in life. That’s why she’s doing all she can to increase the number of children in Honduras with access to an education.

Aguilera, who operates a school and daycare with her sister, Marcia, in San Pedro Sula, Cortes, spent a few weeks at UAMS Head Start schools in Pulaski County to learn the approaches used in the United States for early childhood development and education. She came to UAMS as a Fellow of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Professional Fellows program. She was hosted by Charles Feild, M.D., retired executive director of the UAMS Head Start program.

The program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, allows entrepreneurs and leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean to travel to the U.S. to network and learn from their counterparts in America and provide them with the tools and training necessary to make a difference in their communities and countries.

This is the first year UAMS has taken part in the program, said Tyra Larkin, director of UAMS Head Start.

“We were interested because she was from another country and we could make a difference in early childhood in a country that may not have as many resources or strategies related to the growth and development of young children,” said Larkin.

Aguilera’s two weeks in Arkansas allowed her to sit in on board and leadership meetings, ask questions, exchange ideas, visit various UAMS Head Start locations, meet with teachers and work with students. Aguilera met with Head Start area content managers for education and school readiness, disability, health, family engagement and nutrition.

“We tried to show her we’re not just focused on education, we’re focused on the whole child,” said Larkin. “Head Start is a comprehensive model and children have to receive support from many areas to be successful.”

Aguilera’s passion for education and child development was inspired by her mother. In Honduras, a bilingual education in Spanish and English is key to success and opportunity. Her mother made sure Aguilera and her sister went to schools that taught in English and Spanish.

“My mother loves education,” said Aguilera. “She knew how important it was for us.”

Aguilera said many low-income, working families like the one she grew up in, do not enjoy the same opportunity for a bilingual education because of its cost. Her school, Cumorah Daycare and Bilingual School, aims to change that by offering affordable, bilingual instruction to those families.

“Every day on my way to work I see kids on the street asking for money,” said Aguilera. “I’m not better than them. They could be engineers or teachers or anything, but they don’t have the opportunity because they’ve been condemned to poverty. My sister and I decided to start this school to give kids the opportunity to overcome those challenges and give them a chance to achieve happiness.”

Since 2015, Cumorah has provided instruction and care for children from 18 months to 6 years old. The school currently has 17 children in three different levels of preschool and first grade.

Aguilera said her time at UAMS Head Start was transformational.

“Because we lack government funding and are still a very small program, we only focus on education, but it was impactful to see the comprehensive approach at UAMS Head Start,” said Aguilera. “Now, I have the knowledge of how important it is to support these children in more ways than education.”

By Lee Hogan | November 27th, 2017

Celebrating 10 years as northwest Arkansas’ home to academic medicine, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Northwest Regional Campus hosted community leaders, friends, faculty and staff on Nov. 17 for a timeline unveiling and open house.

“We are happy to host the community on campus today to celebrate how far we’ve come with the Northwest Regional Campus in the last 10 years,” said Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., M.B.A, associate vice chancellor of the Northwest Regional Campus. “It’s a great opportunity for reflection on the past and to look forward to a future of continued partnerships that will advance academic medicine in northwest Arkansas.”

About 150 members of the public joined McElfish, community leaders, former faculty and other campus leadership in the lobby of the Fayetteville building for the event.

“A lot of you in the audience today – from both on campus and off – played a key role in making this a success,” McElfish said. “Your hard work and collaborative spirit have been vital. As we grow, we look forward to that continued support.”

The timeline is located in the Fayetteville building, near the Regional Campus Conference Room. It starts in 2007 and includes key dates in campus history extending to the present day.

Campus History

In 2007, UAMS made a commitment to academic medicine in northwest Arkansas with the introduction of a regional campus. Peter O. Kohler, M.D., was named vice chancellor and set about building an interprofessional medical education opportunity that also supports the community through research and clinical services.

“We worked hard to get the funding from the state to get started and worked with the county to secure the building,” said Kohler. “It was a big win for us, for the county and the region. We’ve come a long way in that time.”

The UAMS College of Pharmacy appointed Eric Schneider, Pharm.D., associate dean of the Northwest Regional Campus in 2009. Six third-year medical students came to campus that summer, starting their time on campus with a wall-breaking ceremony to acknowledge the major renovations to come. They graduated in May 2011.

Chris Smith, M.D., was appointed the first regional dean for the UAMS College of Medicine that year. The College of Pharmacy also welcomed its first class of third-year students in 2011. The Northwest Regional Campus housed 107 students and 30 postgraduate medical residents at that time.

“The region’s growth really started to take off and lots of amazing things were happening,” said Kohler. “Health care has been coming more into focus as the population rapidly expands.”

In 2012, Bill Buron, Ph.D., R.N.C., was appointed the first assistant dean for the UAMS College of Nursing in the northwest region. The Pat and Willard Walker Student Clinical Education Center, where students simulate patient interactions, opened in 2013.

In 2014, there was a flurry of activity. John Jefferson, Ph.D., began as inaugural director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, which was championed by area leaders. The Northwest Regional Campus is the sole home of the UAMS Physical Therapy program. The Outpatient Therapy Clinic, offering physical, occupational and speech therapy services to the public, opened in the fall.

The North Street Clinic opened in late 2014, offering diabetes care to the local Marshallese community. Marshallese have some of the highest rates of diabetes in the world. Almost 200 students have worked in the clinic, learning about effective culturally appropriate patient care.

The first internal medicine residents came to campus in 2015, bringing future medical professionals specializing in comprehensive adult primary care to the area. Inaugural doctor of physical therapy students arrived on campus that year as well. In late 2015, McElfish and Nia Aitaoto, Ph.D., M.P.H., founded the Center for Pacific Islander Health on campus to focus on health studies within the underrepresented population. It is the first in the continental United States to do so.

Sheldon Riklon, M.D., one of two practicing Marshallese physicians in the country, joined the staff and was invested as the first Peter O. Kohler, M.D., Distinguished Professorship in Health Disparities in 2016. At the end of that year, McElfish was appointed associate vice chancellor of the Northwest Regional Campus, succeeding Kohler.

The Future

“As Dr. Kohler said, we have come a long way since those early days,” said McElfish, who succeeded Kohler as associate vice chancellor upon his retirement at the end of 2016. “We have graduated 336, we opened the student-led North Street Clinic, and we launched the Department of Physical Therapy.”

According to the Northwest Arkansas Council, 27 people have moved to the region each day since 2010.

“We are uniquely poised to advance northwest Arkansas through community-based health care and by developing the next generation of leaders in the field,” said McElfish.

---

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.

###

By Amy Widner | November 17th, 2017

For the UAMS College of Medicine’s Sharanda Williams, giving back is a way of life. So it’s no surprise that on the Nov. 10 UAMS holiday in observance of Veterans Day, the college’s director of academic affairs was cheerfully serving veterans.

“I have been given so much,” Ms. Williams said as she worked with other members of the UAMS Veterans Awareness Committee to set up for an appreciation luncheon for veterans in transitional housing at St. Francis House Ministries in Little Rock. “To whom much is given, much is required,” she said. “I take that very seriously.”

“Sharanda is one of the most generous and selfless people I have ever known,” said Richard P. Wheeler, M.D., executive associate dean for academic affairs. “She is involved in many worthwhile causes and gives her all to each one.”

Williams’ husband, Reggie, is a U.S. Army veteran, and their son, Jordan, is in Army basic training. The couple have volunteered in UAMS veterans-awareness activities as well as other UAMS and community initiatives for many years.

The luncheon for veterans was one of the culminating events of the UAMS Veterans Awareness Committee’s annual initiative. With contributions from faculty and staff across campus, the committee presented care packages to veteran patients at UAMS and long-term care patients at the Eugene Towbin Veterans Affairs Hospital at Fort Roots in North Little Rock as well as the veterans at St. Francis House.

UAMS staff and faculty are generous with their time and resources year round – and the spirit of giving back is especially clear as the holidays approach.

Another recent group initiative was a chili fundraiser on campus organized by the Office of Sponsored Programs Administrative Network (OSPAN). The office was raising money to purchase holiday gifts for children in a Head Start classroom. The college’s Department of Pediatrics administers 10 Head Start sites in Pulaski County that serve 760 children ages 3-5 and four Early Head Start sites serving nearly 130 infants and toddlers.

Several organizations on campus “adopt” classrooms each year. OSPAN raised about $575 at the Oct. 30 chili fundraiser and was gearing up for a pre-Thanksgiving bake sale of cakes, pies and other goodies on Nov. 21.

Promising research by Erin Mannen, Ph.D., into the use of baby carriers as a break from the cumbersome orthopaedic devices used for babies with hip dysplasia is being featured on the website of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI).

Mannen, an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, is conducting biomechanics research into “babywearing” with a $31,722 grant from Boba Inc., and a $10,160 grant from the IHDI.

“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.”

Mannen is looking for healthy babies from two to six months old for the study. For more information, please contact her at emannen@uams.edu.