Meet Ari Filip, M.D., Medical Director of the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center. He completed his residency at UAMS, left for a fellowship but came back to UAMS to work in the center. Watch and learn what brought him back as well as everything the center is doing to help address multiple public health challenges.
Dr. Travis Eastin Selected for Leadership Development Program
A shout-out to Dr. Travis Eastin, Associate Professor and Director of the Education Division in the Department of Emergency Medicine, on being selected for the 2022 Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine (AACEM) Chair Development Program. He becomes the department’s second participant for the highly competitive program, which is known for developing future leaders in academic emergency medicine. The acceptance comes on the heels of Dr. Gregory Snead’s selection last year – a real credit to the department, chaired by Dr. Rawle A. “Tony” Seupaul, and the caliber of our Emergency Medicine faculty.
UAMS Team Named National Emergency Medicine Interest Group of the Year
By Linda Satter
The Emergency Medicine Interest Group at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recently received top honors nationally from the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA). The UAMS group was named the EMIG of the Year.
EMRA is the largest and oldest independent resident organization in the world and has a membership of more than 16,000 residents, medical students, fellows and alumni. It recently announced the prestigious honor in its newsletter along with a photograph of 32 members of the UAMS team who participated in a local cleanup event – one of numerous events the group participated in during the 2020-21 academic year to earn the national honor.
“This award was established to recognize the outstanding achievements of the most productive Emergency Medicine Interest Groups on a regional and national scale, along with the hardworking student leaders who provide a diverse range of valuable Emergency Medicine-related learning and networking opportunities to their student members,” according to EMRA’s website.
Paige Dailey and Morgan Sweere served as co-presidents of the UAMS group, which has more than 100 members.
Dailey, who held office as a fourth-year medical student, now has her medical degree and is a first-year resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UAMS. Sweere, a third-year medical student, also plans to specialize in Emergency Medicine, though not everyone in the interest group plans to make a career out of emergency medicine.
Ethan Clement, a third-year medical student who is now junior president of the UAMS group, said Dailey and Sweere “did a lot of hard work that resulted in a UAMS group being awarded EMIG of the Year.”
The group participates in activities and events throughout the year to further the skills and knowledge that are endemic to emergency medicine but useful in many other medical specialties. Because Emergency Medicine isn’t a required rotation for medical students, the basic skills honed during some interest group activities are often especially beneficial for students focused on other medical specialties, Dailey and Sweere said.
Among the learning and network opportunities that Dailey and Sweere organized and painstakingly documented – one of the requirements of the award – were simulation events, Journal Club events, presentation scenarios and monthly faculty lectures covering a variety of emergency medicine specialties.
At simulation events, participants practice emergency techniques on mannequins, such as intubation, establishing a central line or splinting.
During Journal Club events, interest group members discuss articles on emerging research in the emergency medicine field, with students giving presentations about different components of the research.
In the presentation scenarios, students discuss the steps they would take when a patient presents with a particular scenario – say, an 85-year-old patient complaining of weakness. Students discuss what tests they would order and ultimately what kind of disposition plan they would create.
“That’s really good practice for us,” Sweere said.
The interest group also participates in community events, such as helping with neighborhood cleanup efforts or perhaps volunteering in a food bank or with a clothing drive.
“We wanted to get our group really involved,” Dailey said. To that end, she said, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic created quite a challenge.
For example, the group had to obtain special permission from the dean’s office and agree to follow strict mask-wearing mandates to hold some activities in person, such as simulation events involving mannequins.
Despite those obstacles, Sweere said, “One of the nice things about it was that medical students are generally very motivated to get involved.”
“We still had a lot of turnout,” Dailey said.
That turnout helped the UAMS group obtain the national title.
Meryll E. Bouldin, M.D., assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Emergency Medicine, was the faculty advisor for the UAMS EMIG group for the 2019-2020 academic year.
“I’m very proud of this group,” Bouldin said. “They have grown tremendously since I have known them and have to be one of the most active and impactful interest groups on campus. Their student leadership team is very innovative and driven to provide the best content and resources to the rest of their classmates.”
“When COVID brought things to a halt, this group pushed forward, continuing to enhance their curriculum even though things had to be virtual. This national award is a HUGE deal and it couldn’t have gone to a more deserving group.”
Community Outreach: Women and Children First July Needs Drive
Our department recently donated items to Women & Children First: The Center Against Family Violence.
The Center posted thanks on its Facebook page:
“We were floored by the amount of donations that the UAMS Department of Emergency Medicine collected for the victims we serve! They took our Top 10 list and ran with it!
Their generosity blew us away and we are so thankful for their support and partnership. Thank you for helping us provide safety, strength, and hope to all victims of family violence.”
Women & Children First is Central Arkansas’s largest domestic violence shelter, offering emergency shelter and on-going advocacy and support services. For the past 40 years, Women and Children First has worked tirelessly to empower women and their children to live independently and free from domestic violence. WCF provides crisis intervention, safe shelter, social and legal advocacy and support services. The Center’s Emergency Services include a 24-Hour Statewide Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-332-4443) and a 54-bed emergency shelter. Education and Support Services include outreach programs such as support groups; advocacy programs; court advocacy and accompaniment; community housing; children’s programs; adult education; and community outreach. In addition, through community outreach projects, the Center works to educate the public about domestic violence and dating violence.
Dr. Bouldin at Walk with a Doc
Dr. Bouldin was a featured guest at the UAMS Walk with a Doc event in July. Watch the video from KARK:
Rising Star Clinical Faculty
Zachary Lewis, M.D.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
- Co-Director, Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship/Pediatric Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship
- Co-Director, Emergency Ultrasound Education
Zachary Lewis, M.D., has excelled in clinical care, education, patient advocacy and more in his three years on the faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
“We are very proud of Dr. Lewis’ leadership in many areas, exceptional dedication to the educational goals of the department, and passion for improving the experience of patients and providers at UAMS,” wrote his nominator, Gregory Snead, M.D., vice chair and chief of the Division of Emergency Ultrasound. “We certainly see him as a ‘rising star’ at UAMS.”
“Zach has a way of finding simple solutions to address challenging problems in education and the clinical environment for patients and providers,” Snead wrote. “He is a vocal advocate who can help patients foresee and overcome many of the challenges that exist as they navigate complex care systems.”
“Dr. Lewis is an outstanding and compassionate clinical teacher frequently recognized by the residents for his use of evidence-based care and his patience in teaching many of the most complex procedural aspects of our specialty,” Snead added.
Emergency Medicine Chair Rawle A. “Tony” Seupaul, M.D., said Lewis stood out as exemplary while still a medical student and continued to impress as a resident and then ultrasound fellow. “Zach will likely be a full professor here at UAMS in the near future and will likely win more awards because he is that deserving. He is respected by everyone he works with, and everyone he educates.”
EBM Leadership
Dr. Carly Eastin, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, has been elected as the incoming Chair of the Evidence Based Medicine Interest Group in the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. At UAMS, Dr. Eastin serves as Co-Chief for the Division of Evidence Based Medicine and Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine and as Director for the EBM component of Practice of Medicine in the College of Medicine. Congratulations.
UAMS Ranked Seventh in Nation on Forbes Magazine’s Best Employers for Diversity List
By Spencer Watson
LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been ranked seventh nationally on an annual list of Best Employers for Diversity created by Forbes magazine.
The rankings are based on independent surveys of more than 50,000 people in workplaces of more than 1,000 employees. They include both direct and indirect recommendations and consider both diversity in executive leadership and institutional efforts to promote diversity in the workplace.
“I have always said that at UAMS our diversity is our superpower, enabling us to do great things,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, chancellor of UAMS and CEO of UAMS Health. “Diversity and inclusion are part of our core values at UAMS and inform all parts of our mission to research, educate and provide care.”
The survey included consideration of general diversity as well as gauging participant’s perceptions of each employer’s approach to gender and ethnic diversity, as well as LGBTQ+ representation and accommodation of employees with disabilities.
“This national ranking is an accomplishment for all of our employees at UAMS, because it is a team effort. Diversity and inclusion require an individual commitment to our common goal of creating a welcoming atmosphere in which everyone feels respected and valued,” said Brian Gittens, Ed.D., MPA, vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“We are committed to having a workforce that represents the people we serve, and those values are reflected in our policies and practices in hiring and advancement, so that across our institution all voices can be heard,” added Danielle Lombard-Sims, Ph.D., vice chancellor and chief human resources officer.
The complete listing of Forbes Best Employers for Diversity and a full explanation of the methodology are available at www.forbes.com/best-employers-diversity/.
New Employee Lactation Room
Our new employee lactation room is ready to use. The room has a computer and phone, refrigerator, hand sanitizer, and bleach wipes, as well as a comfortable chair. We’re excited to be able to offer this private, comfortable room for the new moms in our department. Thank you to everyone who helped make this project a reality.
Dr. Jerrilyn Jones is Inaugural Director of the Post-Baccalaureate Program
Dr. Jerrilyn Jones will be the inaugural Director of the UAMS Post Baccalaureate Program within the College of Medicine. As many of you know, she was recently promoted to Associate Professor of EM and has been serving our state as the Medical Director of Preparedness at ADH. What a year it has been for Dr. Jones!
This innovative program is designed to create an educational bridge for Arkansas residents who come from socially, economically or geographically disadvantaged backgrounds who have faced challenges in the medical school admissions process. This program will develop and prepare them with the advanced critical thinking skills and additional foundational knowledge they would need to be successfully admitted and graduate from the UAMS COM. Students in this program will also have the option of completing a Masters of Public Health degree at UAMS.