Please join us in welcoming these recent additions to the College of Medicine faculty.
Department of Anesthesiology
Shashidhar Manchegowda, M.D.
Shashidhar Manchegowda, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Manchegowda received his medical degree and completed his residency at JSS University in Mysore, India. He continued his training, receiving a diploma in critical care medicine at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, India. He completed additional fellowships in transplant anesthesia at Miami Transplant Institute, Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida; in neuroanesthesia at Montefiore Medical Center in New York; and in critical care anesthesiology at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University. Dr. Manchegowda provides anesthesia services in the Neuro ICU and main UAMS operating rooms.
Department of Family Medicine – Regional Programs
Rachael Goodwin, M.D.
Rachael Goodwin, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and UAMS North Central Regional Campus in Batesville as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Goodwin received her medical degree from UAMS in 2019. She completed her family medicine residency training at the UAMS Northeast Regional Campus in Jonesboro and served as Chief Resident in 2021-2022. Dr. Goodwin is certified with the American Board of Family Medicine.
Brittany Carmack, M.D.
Brittany Carmack, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and UAMS Northeast Regional Campus in Jonesboro as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Carmack received her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in 2016. She completed her family medicine residency training at UAMS Northeast. Dr. Carmack is certified with the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She has been in private practice in Northeast Arkansas since completing her residency training.
Alan Padilla Ramos, M.D.
Alan Padilla Ramos, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Padilla Ramos received his medical degree from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Facultad de Medicina Mexicali in Mexico in 2015. He completed his family medicine residency at the Northwest Regional Campus in 2019-2022 and served as Chief Resident. In 2020, Dr. Padilla Ramos was active in UAMS Northwest’s efforts to reduce COVID-19 disparities among the Marshallese Pacific Islander and Latinx local communities, resulting in a published paper. He also has volunteered as a mentor in the University of California, San Diego migrant health program, which helps refugee communities overcome health inequities.
Natalie Rodriguez, M.D.
Natalie Rodriguez, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Rodriguez received her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in 2018. She completed her family medicine residency at UAMS Northwest from 2019-2022. She volunteers her time to provide medical care at homeless shelters in Texas, Dominica and California as well as in Arkansas. Prior to her residency, Dr. Rodriguez organized monthly mobile clinics throughout Dominica to provide diabetic-focused exams, education and care.
Kaethe Goodwin-Chigumira, M.D.
Kaethe Goodwin-Chigumira, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and UAMS West Regional Campus in Fort Smith as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Goodwin-Chigumira received her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica and Miramar, Florida. She completed her residency in family medicine at UAMS West in June. Dr. Goodwin-Chigumira’s activities at UAMS West include serving as an EPIC electronic health records system “super user” and the primary point of contact for EPIC provider training.
Department of Internal Medicine
Arwa Albashaireh, M.D.
Arwa Albashaireh, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology.Dr. Albashaireh received her medical degree from Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan, in 2014. She did a rotating internship at King Abdullah University Hospital and Princess Basma Teaching Hospital in Jordan before completing her residency in internal medicine at UAMS in 2020. Dr. Albashaireh continued her training with a fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at UAMS prior to joining the faculty.
Heba Mousa, M.D.
Heba Mousa, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Mousa received her medical degree from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, in 2009. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Ain Shams University in 2012 and served as Chief Resident the following year. While completing her residency, Dr. Mousa also received a Master of Science. After her residency, she stayed at Ain Shams University as a Clinical Instructor with the Division of Medicine. Dr. Mousa came to UAMS in 2018 and received a Master of Translational Science in 2019. She went on to complete internal medicine training in the Baptist-UAMS Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Anil Anandam, M.D.
Anil Anandam, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine.Dr. Anandam earned his medical degree from Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India, in 2004. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) in New York. After his residency, Dr. Anandam worked as a hospitalist at St. Ann’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, Cleveland Clinic-Akron General Hospital in Akron, Ohio, and Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio. In 2018, he joined Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, as an academic hospitalist and core faculty member for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Prior to joining the UAMS Internal Medicine faculty, Dr. Anandam completed a fellowship in geriatrics at UAMS.
Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics
Lauren Bunch, Ph.D.
Lauren Bunch, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics as an Assistant Professor. A graduate of Duke University, Dr. Bunch completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical ethics at Albany Medical College. Prior to her recruitment to UAMS, she served on the faculty of Mercer University School of Medicine in Columbus, Georgia, for two years. Dr. Bunch’s scholarly interests include ethical issues in biomedical enhancement and challenges relating to consent/assent from teenagers. She is active in ethics education, provides clinical ethics consultations at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s, and serves on the UAMS Institutional Review Board.
Eleanor Gilmore-Szott, Ph.D.
Eleanor Gilmore-Szott, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics as an Assistant Professor. After receiving her doctorate from the University of Utah, Dr. Gilmore-Szott was a postdoctoral fellow in clinical ethics at Baylor College of Medicine. She has worked in the area of what constitutes “understanding” in clinical decision-making and has been exploring the ethics of machine-learning models in clinical settings. Dr. Gilmore-Szott is active in education in ethics throughout the institution, provides clinical ethics consultations at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s, and serves on the UAMS Institutional Review Board.
Department of Neurology
Aditya Vikram Boddu, M.D.
Aditya Vikram Boddu, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Boddu received his medical degree from Gandhi Medical College in Secunderabad, India, in 2015. He completed his residency in neurology at the University of Missouri- Columbia, graduating as Chief Resident in 2020. He continued his training as the Edmond J. Safra Fellow in Movement Disorders at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Boddu is a movement disorders specialist with expertise in the diagnosis and management of Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, Huntington’s disease, dystonia, ataxia, myoclonus, tremor, gait disorders and neurodegenerative disorders. He is trained in deep-brain stimulation programming and the administration of botulinum toxin. Dr. Boddu is active in medical education and clinical research as well clinical care.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Jordan Walters, M.D.
Jordan Walters, M.D., has joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Walters received his medical degree from UAMS, graduating with honors in research in 2016. During his residency in orthopaedic surgery at UAMS, he received the Resident Teaching Award, an honor given annually to a resident who has demonstrated excellent teaching skills and a commitment to orthopaedic surgery education. Dr. Walters completed an integrated spine fellowship at UAMS in 2022. He provides surgical and nonsurgical treatment for a wide variety of spinal conditions for patients at the UAMS Health Orthopaedic Clinic on Autumn Road and the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans’ Hospital.
Department of Pathology
Elizabeth Grasmuck, M.D.
Elizabeth Grasmuck, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an Associate Professor, Laboratory and Pathology Service Line Medical Director, and CLIA Director. Dr. Grasmuck received her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine. She completed post-graduate training including a residency in anatomic/clinical pathology at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. Dr. Grasmuck completed tours in Cherry Point and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Yokosuka, Japan, before returning to San Diego. She served in various roles including as a flight surgeon, Laboratory Medical Director, Laboratory Department Head and Director for Clinical Support Services.
Mugahed A. Hamza, M.D.
Mugahed A. Hamza, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an Assistant Professor in the Dermatopathology Division. Dr. Hamza received his medical degree from the University of Khartoum and completed a clinical internship with the Federal Ministry of Health in Khartoum, Sudan. He completed his anatomic and clinical pathology residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Dr. Hamza continued his training with a fellowship in dermatopathology at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Hany Meawad, M.D.
Hany Meawad, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an Assistant Professor in the Hematopathology Division. Dr. Meawad earned his medical degree and completed a rotating internship at Cairo University, followed by an anatomic pathology residency at Ahmad Maher Hospital, in Cairo, Egypt. He served on the faculty at Cairo University, teaching anatomy and embryology, before deciding to continue his career in the United States. Dr. Meawad completed an anatomic/clinical pathology residency and then a hematopathology fellowship at City of Hope Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Jacob Wooldridge, M.D.
Jacob Wooldridge, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an Assistant Professor in the Pathology Informatics and Hematopathology divisions. Dr. Wooldridge completed medical school and his pathology residency training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and then a fellowship in hematopathology at Columbia University in New York. He continued his training in the field of informatics, completing the first year of a clinical informatics fellowship at Stony Brook University in New York and the second year at UAMS.
Brannon Broadfoot, M.D.
Brannon Broadfoot, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Molecular Pathology. Dr. Broadfoot attended medical school and completed his anatomic and clinical pathology residency at UAMS. He continued his training with a fellowship in molecular genetic pathology at Emory University in Atlanta.
Department of Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry
Peter Jang, D.D.S.
Peter Jang, D.D.S., has joined the Department of Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Jang received his dental degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry in 2003. He completed his residency training in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2006. He has been in private orthodontics practice in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, where he served as president of the Memphis Association of Orthodontists. Dr. Jang is also a proud U.S. Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is joining the craniofacial orthodontic team at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, seeing patients with complex orthodontic needs.
Department of Pediatrics
Hugh Bigg, D.O.
Hugh Bigg, D.O., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Instructor in the Cardiology Division. Dr. Bigg joins the department following a pediatric cardiology fellowship at Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and a residency at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington.
Jeffrey Orcutt, M.D.
Jeffrey Orcutt, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Associate Professor in the Cardiology Division. Prior to joining UAMS, Dr. Orcutt served as Director of Pediatric Electrophysiology at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria, since 2016. In addition to his duties at OSF Children’s Hospital, Dr. Orcutt served as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. His training includes fellowships in pediatric cardiology and pediatric electrophysiology at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Amna Qasim, M.D.
Amna Qasim, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Cardiology Division. Dr. Qasim completed a pediatric cardiology fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. An active researcher, Dr. Qasim has multiple ongoing investigations and publications under peer-review.
Praveen Juvvadi, Ph.D.
Praveen Juvvadi, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Associate Professor in the Infectious Diseases Division. Dr. Juvvadi comes to UAMS from Duke University Medical Center, where he served in multiple roles across a 14-year period, including as an Associate Professor and research scientist. Dr. Juvvadi is a highly prolific researcher and frequent collaborator with William J. Steinbach, M.D., Chair of the Department of Pediatrics.
Vonita Chawla, M.D.
Vonita Chawla, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Neonatology Division. Dr. Chawla comes to UAMS following the completion of a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, and a pediatric residency at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Caroline Crocker, D.O.
Caroline Crocker, D.O., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Neonatology Division. Dr. Crocker completed her residency in pediatrics at UAMS and continued her training with a neonatal-perinatal fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Sarah Perez, M.D.
Sarah Perez, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Neonatology Division. Dr. Perez completed her residency in pediatrics, followed by a neonatal-perinatal fellowship, at UAMS. She serves on multiple committees across the institution including the NICU Safety Committee and the NICU Continuous Quality Improvement Committee.
John Stack, M.D.
John Stack, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor in the Neonatology Division. Dr. Stack completed a neonatal-perinatal fellowship at the University of Louisville. He earned a Certificate of Clinical Investigation Science at the University of Louisville School of Public Health.
Amanda Brown, M.D.
Amanda Brown, M.D., has joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Associate Professor in the Rheumatology Division. Dr. Brown completed her pediatric rheumatology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 2011. She served on the faculty at Louisiana Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and then at Baylor College of Medicine before her recruitment to UAMS.
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Hieu Mitchell Pham, M.D.
Hieu Mitchell Pham, M.D., has joined the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Pham received his medical degree from Texas A&M School of Medicine in Temple, Texas, in 2018. He completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at UAMS in 2022, serving as Co-Chief Resident during his fourth year of training. Dr. Pham sees patients in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neuroscience Institute.
Department of Radiology
Kumar Shashi, M.D.
Kumar Shashi, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Radiology. Dr. Shashi received his medical degree from Bangalore Medical College in India and completed an internship at its affiliated hospital. He completed a residency in radiodiagnosis at Manipal Hospital/Kathmandu University in Nepal. Dr. Shashi continued his training with clinical fellowships in adult interventional radiology at Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, and The Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, Canada. He completed fellowships in pediatric interventional radiology and pediatric radiology at Boston Children’s Hospital, and additional fellowships in thoracic and emergency radiology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Department of Surgery
Martha Estrada, M.D.
Martha Estrada, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Transplant Surgery. Dr. Estrada received a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Estrada completed a general surgery residency at the University of Texas McGovern School of Medicine in Houston and continued her training with a fellowship in abdominal transplant surgery at the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine. She is board certified by the American Board of Surgery.