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  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. College of Medicine
  3. Recent Faculty Appointments — September 2019

Recent Faculty Appointments — September 2019

Department of Anesthesiology

Yasser Salem, M.D.

Yasser Salem

Yasser Salem, M.D., has rejoined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Associate Professor. Dr. Salem received his medical degree and completed an anesthesiology residency at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. He then completed an anesthesiology residency at UAMS before joining the faculty in 2005. Dr. Salem served as Director of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology at UAMS from 2012 to 2015, when he relocated to Wayne State School of Medicine and Harper Hospital/Hutzel Women’s Hospital in Detroit. He was a senior staff anesthesiologist with the Henry Ford Health System at Wayne State from 2017 until his recruitment and return to UAMS.

Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Viviana Suarez, M.D.

Viviana Suarez

Viviana Suarez, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Originally from Columbia, she graduated from medical school in 1995 and served as a general practitioner there until relocating to the United States in 1998. Dr. Suarez completed her internship and family medicine residency at the UAMS Regional Center in Pine Bluff in 2006. She has been serving Arkansas patients for 15 years as a clinical family practitioner, hospitalist and emergency medicine physician. She currently practices and teaches in Lake Village, Arkansas.

Department of Internal Medicine

Joseph A. Henske, M.D.

Joseph Henske

Joseph A. Henske, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Associate Professor and Director of the Diabetes Program in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Henske received his medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2004. He completed his internship and internal medicine residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and continued his training with a fellowship in endocrinology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. After completing his fellowship, Dr. Henske began practicing at DuPage Medical Group in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he was promoted to Chair of the Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Department in 2012.

Ragesh Thandassery, M.D.

Ragesh Thandassery

Ragesh Thandassery, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor and transplant hepatologist in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Dr. Thandassery received his medical degree and completed his internship at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Pondicherry, India. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, and a fellowship in gastroenterology at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, where he spent an additional year as a senior research associate. Dr. Thandassery continued his training with a liver transplant fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He held a number of academic and clinical positions in India and Qatar from 2012 to 2018, when he began serving as a transplant hepatologist at the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock.

Ian Crane, M.D.

Ian Crane

Ian Crane, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Crane received his medical degree at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.

Franklin John Gray Jr., M.D.

Franklin Gray

Franklin John Gray Jr., M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Gray received his medical degree from UAMS in 2010. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the UAMS Northeast Regional Campus in Jonesboro. Dr. Gray practiced as a hospitalist at Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home, Arkansas, until 2016, when he accepted a position at Baptist Health Medical Center in Conway.

Department of Neurology

Bhawna Jha, M.D.

Bhawna Jha

Bhawna Jha, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor and pain management specialist in the Neurosciences Service Line. Dr. Jha received her medical degree at Pt. JLN Medical College in India and trained in psychiatry at Cambridge University in the U.K., earning MRCpsych board certification. She completed her residency in neurology at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, followed by an interventional pain fellowship in the Department of Anesthesia. She continued to work in pain management as an Assistant Professor at Penn State for about two years before joining private practice.

Dr. Jha is board-certified in neurology and pain medicine by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and the Spine Intervention Society. She serves on the editorial board of Pain Medicine, one of the leading pain medicine journals in the United States. Dr. Jha also participates in the International Fellowship Teaching Program, a nonprofit program for pain fellows in developing countries.

Dr. Jha also brings expertise in utilization management. She worked at AIM (Anthem Subsidiary) as Associate Medical Director prior to joining UAMS. In her current role, she will be involved in utilization management and review, along with population health management, and will actively participate in facilitating value-based care implementation across the health system.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Sean Morell, M.D.

Sean Morell

Sean Morell, M.D., has joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Morell received his medical degree from the College of Medicine in 2013 and stayed at UAMS for his residency in orthopaedic surgery. He received a number of honors during his residency training including the Carl L. Nelson, M.D., Leadership Award. He continued his training with an orthopaedic hand surgery fellowship at the University of Colorado-Denver. He will specialize in hand surgery at UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Baptist Health in Conway.

Department of Pediatrics

Deepak Choudhary, M.D.

Deepak Choudhary

Deepak Choudhary, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Choudhary received his medical degree at Manipal University in India. He completed his internship at ESIC Hospital in New Delhi before completing additional specialty training and a clinical fellowship in pediatrics in the United Kingdom, where he earned MRCPCH certification. Dr. Choudhary completed an additional pediatric residency program at New York Methodist Hospital, followed by a pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Women’s and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

Ethan Gillett, M.D.

Ethan Gillett

Ethan Gillett, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Gillett received his medical degree from UAMS, where he also completed his residency in pediatrics. During medical school, Dr. Gillett was awarded two training grants from the National Institutes of Health to study translational training in addiction and systems pharmacology and toxicology.

Farnaz Norozian M.D., M.S.

Farnaz Norozian

Farnaz Norozian M.D., M.S., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Norozian completed her Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond before receiving her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and her fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine with the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital at the University of Buffalo.

Samuel Boston, M.D.

Samuel Boston

Samuel Boston, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology. Dr. Boston received his medical degree from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency at the Oklahoma-Tulsa School of Community Medicine and his pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. Dr. Boson is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Megan Butler, M.D.

Megan Butler

Megan Butler, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Associate Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology. Dr. Butler received her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, where she also completed her pediatric residency at the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital. She completed her fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Butler previously served as an Assistant Professor at Duke University.

Abdul R. Shahein, M.D., M.Sc.

Abdul R. Shahein, M.D., M.Sc., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology. He received his medical degree and his Masters of Science from Ain Shams University Medical School in Cairo, Egypt. He completed his initial pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Ain Shams University before completing a medicine clinical fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto and a pediatric internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital at Ohio State University. Dr. Shahein subsequently trained as a pediatric resident at the K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and then as a pediatric gastroenterology fellow at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital at the University of Buffalo.

David Douglass, M.D.

David Douglass

David Douglass, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Douglass received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University Medical School, where he also completed his pediatric internship and residency. Dr. Douglass worked in private practice before pursuing a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at UAMS/Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Julia Killingsworth, M.D.

Julia Killingsworth

Julia Killingsworth, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Killingsworth received her medical degree from the College of Medicine and stayed at UAMS for her residency in pediatrics, during which she was named an Arkansas Children’s Chairman’s Scholar. While completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas, she was recognized by President Barack Obama as a Champion for Change for establishing a student-driven campus food pantry at the university.

Megan Baber, D.O.

Megan Baber

Megan Baber, D.O., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Neonatology. Dr. Baber received her medical degree from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine at Virginia Tech. She completed her pediatric residency at UAMS/Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Prior to her career in medicine, Dr. Baber studied biochemistry and molecular biology at Harding, where she received an undergraduate research grant from NASA. She worked in a medical clinic and as a teacher before completing a global health internship in Jinja, Uganda.

Paul Manbeck, M.D.

Paul Manbeck

Paul Manbeck, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Neurology. Dr. Manbeck received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency and fellowship in child neurology at UAMS/Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Manbeck has started a movement disorders clinic at ACH, the only pediatric clinic of its kind in the state.

Zena Ghazala, M.D.

Zena Ghazala

Zena Ghazala, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonology. Dr. Ghazala received her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College in Doha, Qatar. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she also completed her fellowship in pediatric pulmonology. Before she started her career in medicine, Dr. Ghazala represented Iraq in international chess tournaments.

Matthew Pertzborn, M.D.

Matthew Pertzborn

Matthew Pertzborn, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonology. Dr. Pertzborn received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch. He completed his pediatric residency and fellowship in pediatric pulmonology at the University of Florida-Gainesville. While at the University of Texas, Dr. Pertzborn had the opportunity to study abroad during a four-week pre-clinical preceptorship in cardiology, gastroenterology and neurology in Riobamba, Ecuador.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Lindsay Mohney, D.O.

Lindsay Mohney

Lindsay Mohney, D.O., has joined the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Mohney received her medical degree at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Florida, in 2014. She completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at UAMS, serving as Chief Resident in 2016-2017. Dr. Mohney continued her training with a fellowship in traumatic brain injury/polytrauma at South Texas Veterans Health Care System/University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. Dr. Mohney will provide inpatient care primarily at the Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute, with a follow-up clinic in the UAMS Orthopaedic Clinic on Colonel Glenn Road.

Department of Psychiatry

Molly Reeves, M.D.

Molly Reeves

Molly Reeves, M.D., has joined the Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Reeves received her medical degree from UAMS in 2013. She completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Texas for Health Sciences in San Antonio and continued her training with a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Reeves will see patients in the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute’s Child Diagnostic Unit and Child Study Center as well as serve as the consult-liaison psychiatrist for child and adolescent patients at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Department of Surgery

Melissa Kost, M.D.

Melissa Kost

Melissa Kost, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma/Critical Care Surgery. Dr. Kost received her medical degree from the University Of Florida College Of Medicine in Gainesville in 2012. She completed her general surgery internship and residency at the University of Kentucky in Lexington in 2017 and a fellowship in trauma/surgical critical care at the University of Miami/Ryder Trauma Center in Miami in 2019. She is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Kost will focus her clinical practice on general surgery and acute care and trauma surgery, as well as surgical critical care. She will also see patients in the Surgery Clinic.

Posted by Chris Lesher on September 24, 2019

Filed Under: Faculty Updates

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