Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.
Department of Anesthesiology
Bryce Ferry, D.O., MHA
Bryce Ferry, D.O., MHA, has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia. Dr. Ferry received his medical degree at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his anesthesia residency at UAMS and continued his training at Arkansas Children’s Hospital with a pediatric anesthesia fellowship, which he completed this year.
Department of Emergency Medicine
Adam Watkins, M.D.
Adam Watkins, M.D., has joined the Department of Emergency Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Watkins received his medical degree from UAMS in 2020. He remained at UAMS for his emergency medicine residency training, serving as Chief Resident in 2022-2023. Dr. Watkins received multiple honors during his training, including an Impact Award in 2022 for making substantial contributions to the Emergency Medicine Residency Program. He is a member of national professional organizations including the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) and the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Department of Family Medicine
Diorella López-González, M.D.
Diorella López-González, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Originally from Caguas, Puerto Rico, Dr. Lopez-Gonzalez received her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts, in 2019. She completed family medicine residency training at UAMS, Little Rock, where she served as Chief Resident in 2022–2023 and as Community Medicine Liaison in 2021–2022. Dr. Lopez-Gonzalez is certified with the American Board of Family Medicine.
Samuel Stringfellow, D.O.
Samuel Stringfellow, D.O., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and UAMS Northeast Regional Campus in Jonesboro as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Stringfellow received his medical degree from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) College of Osteopathic Medicine in Jonesboro in 2020. He completed his family medicine residency training at the UAMS Northeast Regional Campus. Dr. Stringfellow is certified with the American Board of Family Medicine.
Department of Internal Medicine
Manojna Konda, M.D.
Manojna Konda, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Konda eared her medical degree from Gandhi Medical College in Telangana, India in 2012. Dr. Konda completed her residency in internal medicine at UAMS in 2019 and continued her training at UAMS with a fellowship in hematology-oncology, from which she graduated this summer.
Syed Naqvi, M.D.
Syed Naqvi, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Naqvi earned his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Naqvi went on to complete his residency training in internal medicine in 2023 at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Bowling Green Campus.
Ankur Varma, M.D., MPH
Ankur Varma, M.D., MPH, has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Varma received his medical degree in 2009 from West Bengal University of Health Sciences in Kolkata, India. He went on to earn a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Texas School Public Health, Houston in 2014. In 2015, Dr. Varma completed his internal medicine residency training at the University of Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Varma continued his training with two fellowships, one in hematology-oncology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and one at MD Anderson Cancer Center in stem cell transplant and cellular therapy.
Sruthi Vellanki, M.D.
Sruthi Vellanki, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Vellanki obtained her medical degree from Maharajah’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Andhra Pradesh, India. She went on to complete her residency training at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, Pontiac, Michigan in 2019. In 2020, Dr. Vellanki graduated from a fellowship in geriatric medicine at Barnes Jewish Hospital, Washington University school of Medicine in St. Louis. She served as an Assistant Professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine until her recruitment to UAMS.
Department of Neurosurgery
Hector E. Soriano-Baron, M.D.
Hector Soriano-Baron, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurosurgery as an Assistant Professor and Co-Director of Joint Spine Services. Dr. Soriano received his medical degree at Facultad de Medicina UNAM in Mexico City. He completed a neurosurgical residency at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City. During his last year as a resident there, he received a grant for a postdoctoral research fellowship in biomechanics of the spine at the Spine Lab of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
After completing two fellowships at the institute, Dr. Soriano continued his training with a neurosurgery residency at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Soriano went on to complete a fellowship in complex spine and robotic surgery at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he also served as a junior faculty member. Prior to his recruitment to UAMS, Dr. Soriano had a successful practice in Georgia.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ryan Strebeck, M.D.
Ryan Strebeck, M.D., has joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Strebeck obtained bachelor’s degrees in biology and Spanish at Ouachita Baptist University. He received his medical degree from UAMS in 2019, earning the Roberts Key Award as the graduating senior with the highest scholastic grade point average for all four years of medical school. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UAMS in 2023.
As a member of the newly formed laborist division within General Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Strebeck serves on the Labor and Delivery service and participates in prenatal visits. In addition to caring for expecting mothers and their babies, he also treats a variety of gynecologic issues and specializes in laparoscopic, robotic, and vaginal surgery.
Joseph Fixler, M.D.
Joseph Fixler, M.D., has joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Dr. Fixler graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 2016. While in medical school, he received the Cincinnati Obstetrical and Gynecological Society Award, which is given to one student in each class for excellence. Dr. Fixler completed his residency in OB/GYN at the University of Cincinnati in 2020. As a resident, he earned the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Residency Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and twice received the Residency Esprit de Corps Award. Dr. Fixler continued his training at the University of Texas Southwestern/Parkland Hospital in Dallas, completing a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine in 2023.
Dr. Fixler’s clinical and research interests include rheumatologic disease in pregnancy, cardiovascular disease in pregnancy, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, operative obstetrics, multifetal pregnancy, medical education and global health. He currently serves as the Health Committee Director for Village Life Outreach Program, a non-profit organization that partners with rural communities in Tanzania to improve access to quality health care, education and drinking water services. He is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of the SMFM.
Dayna Whitcombe, M.D.
Dayna Whitcombe, M.D., has joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Dr. Whitcombe completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2016. She completed her residency in the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2020, where she served as Chief Resident. While in residency, Dr. Whitcombe received the Outstanding Resident in Maternal-Fetal Medicine Award in 2020. She also earned the highest score on the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) In-Service Exam in 2018. Dr. Whitcombe continued her training at UAMS, completing a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine in 2023.
Dr. Whitcombe’s clinical and research interests include cardio-obstetrics, diabetes, fetal growth restriction and fetal anomalies. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Department of Psychiatry
Todd Brinkley, M.D.
Todd Brinkley, M.D., has joined the Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Brinkley is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. He served at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana, before earning a bachelor’s in biology at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Dr. Brinkley received his medical degree at UAMS in 2019. He completed his residency in psychiatry at UAMS this year. Dr. Brinkley sees patients in Psychiatric Research Institute’s Walker Family Clinic and also provides services in the UAMS Student Wellness clinic.
Department of Radiology
Uma Mahesh Matapathi, M.D.
Uma Mahesh Matapathi, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Radiology. Dr. Matapathi received his medical degree from Kurnool Medical College, NTR University in Andhra Pradesh, India, and completed an internship at its affiliated hospital. He completed a residency in radiodiagnosis at SV Medical College, NTR University, in Andhra Pradesh. Dr. Matapathi continued his training with clinical fellowships in pediatric radiology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami and in Body/MSK MRI at UAMS. He holds the additional qualification of DNB in radiology. Dr. Matapathi has served in previous positions in India, Kuwait and most recently in Baltimore.
Department of Surgery
S. Thomas Kang, M.D.
Thomas Kang, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Colorectal Surgery. Dr. Kang received his bachelor’s in biochemistry at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. He obtained his medical degree at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Kang completed general surgery residency training at TriHealth Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, followed by a fellowship in colorectal surgery at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Dr. Kang’s areas of interest include colorectal and anal malignancies, minimally invasive surgery, surgical education and health care disparities.
David A. Sterling, M.D.
David Sterling, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Sterling received his bachelor’s in biochemistry at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He earned his medical degree at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Dr. Sterling completed his integrated plastic surgery residency training at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.
Andre Ramdon, M.D.
Andre Ramdon, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Associate Professor in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Dr. Ramdon received his medical degree from the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica. He completed his general surgery residency training at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a fellowship in vascular surgery at Albany Medical College.
Dr. Ramdon participated in advanced limb-salvage treatment in Italy and endovascular aortic treatment in Germany. He served as an attending vascular surgeon at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Department of Veterans affairs VA Health System in Philadelphia and as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. While there, he contributed to a 25% reduction in amputations as well as to the start of a complex endovascular aortic care program. Dr. Ramdon has authored several book chapters and peer-reviewed articles. He is a member of numerous professional societies.
Brian Langford, M.D.
Brian Langford, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma with a specialty in Urologic Reconstruction. Dr. Langford received his medical degree from UAMS, where he stayed for his general surgery internship and urology residency training. He received advanced training in urologic trauma, reconstruction and prosthetics through a fellowship at UT Southwestern in Dallas.
Dr. Langford’s clinical interests include the surgical management of Peyronie’s disease, male stress incontinence, erectile dysfunction, urethral stricture, upper tract reconstruction and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Dr. Langford is active in numerous national professional organizations including the American Urologic Association, the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons and the Sexual Medicine Society of North America.