Team Descriptions
Academic Detailing
New to the ED! AD is an effective method of providing 1:1 training between the detailer and the clinician in short modules (15-20 minutes). The academic detailer provides the latest evidence for pain management in a conversational interaction that is tailored to a particular ordering provider’s knowledge and bias. Although physicians are the primary target of the intervention, we will also provide this education to RNs as they may be a driver of influencing practice patterns with younger physician trainees. AD will cover educational material and the clinical decision support.
Education
Utilizing evidence-based guidelines, including SAMHSA’s Technical Assistance and American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Opioid and Pain resources, to construct culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, and geographically specific education curricula. Trainings will also include: a) best-practice evidence on managing frequent painful conditions; b) recognition and treatment of opioid use disorder); c) take-home naloxone; and d) appropriate outpatient referrals for ongoing pain management including strategies such as referral to physical therapy, pain management, or – if OUD is suspected – the UAMS addictions clinic. Our Education Team are experts in evidence-based medicine and will be supported by Co-PIs who has extensive experience with development of curricula. The team work with relevant committees to build consensus and engage appropriate stakeholders for implementation.
Evaluation
The evaluation team supports the overall mission of the program. The role of the team is to assist with planning, designing, collecting/analyzing data to report findings, and assist programs in continuous learning and quality improvement.
Peer Support Specialists
New to the ED! Utilizing peer recovery support specialists certified by the State of Arkansas who have lived experience of pain, peers will work with patients discharged from the ED.
Peers will focus on:
- self-management of pain (without opioids),
(if opioids are prescribed)
- opioid hazards, including proper use and disposal,
- take-home naloxone,
- linkage with an appropriate outpatient pain management or addictions clinic as needed; and
- help overcome barriers to linkage if an ED referral was already made.
Leadership
The leadership team provides oversight for the SAMHSA grant.
Team Members
- All
- Academic Detailing
- Education
- Evaluation
- Leadership Team
- Peer Support Specialist
- Ultrasound Specialist
Dr. Arthur graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in Political Science. He attended graduate and medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where he received his medical degree and Master in Public Health degree. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida. As a resident, he received numerous teaching awards including the Department of Emergency Medicine Service Award, Department of Emergency Medicine Outstanding Senior Resident Award, University of Florida Society of Teaching Scholars Outstanding Resident Teacher Award, and the Rosilie O. Saffos Award for Outstanding Resident Teacher of the Year. Following residency, he returned to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed his fellowship in Emergency Ultrasound. After Fellowship he remained on faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Emergency Ultrasound and the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. He is a member of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine and the American College of Emergency Physicians. His professional areas of interest include medical education, advanced echocardiography and Resuscitative TEE, ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia, airway management, and Emergency Medicine research.
Board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine, Dr. Johnathan Goree is a proud alumnus of Catholic High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. He received his Bachelor of Arts in biology from Washington University in St. Louis. He then moved to New York City where he completed both his medical degree and residency in anesthesiology at the Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University. Following his time in Manhattan, he completed a fellowship in interventional pain management at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2014, Dr. Goree returned home to Little Rock, Arkansas to join the faculty at UAMS where he serves as the Director of Interventional Pain Management Services and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology. He primarily focuses on the treatment of chronic pain conditions using minimally invasive procedures, spinal cord stimulation, and vertebral augmentation. His specific research interests include gait analysis in patients with degenerative spine conditions and treatment of complex regional pain syndrome.
Dr. Hudson was trained as a pharmacist with an emphasis in clinical use of medicines, quality of medication management and medication adherence. Dr. Hudson’s research has focused on understanding the epidemiology of medication use and identifying strategies to improve the safe and effective use of medications for treatment of mental health disorders and understanding the physical health implications of medications to treat these disorders. Dr. Hudson has worked with VA clinicians and opinion leaders to develop strategies to improve quality of medication management, medication adherence and physical health monitoring among individuals receiving antipsychotic medications. Her work with Arkansas Medicaid has concentrated on understanding disparities in medication use among recipients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and dementia. More recently, Dr. Hudson has begun research in understanding the risks of opioid use among individuals who use these medications chronically and is participating in research to understand how pharmacists and physicians manage the risks associated with opioid medications.
Dr. Sexton is a surgeon-scientist with board certifications in Surgery and Clinical Informatics, he has used this expertise to create software that worked across multiple electronic medical records to predict patient complications in hospital and outpatient settings (Midas+ Live™) and has created medical devices designed to use venous waveforms to monitor patients. The software was acquired by Affiliated Computer Services (a Xerox company) and the device is licensed to Baxter International, both Fortune 500 companies.
Kevin is currently an Associate Professor at UAMS in the Department of Surgery, with secondary appointments in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, and the UAMS College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacy Practice, Division of Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy (PEP). He serves as Associate Chief Clinical Informatics Officer for Innovation, Research, and Entrepreneurship at UAMS, the Associate Director of the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, and President of BioVentures, LLC, the UAMS technology transfer office.
Kevin has authored over 80 peer reviewed publications and has a track record of extramural funding from the National Institute of Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, and Department of Defense, among others. He is currently funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Center For Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01 GM 111324, UL1 TR003107, KL2 TR003108, and TL1 TR003109.
Technology is in Kevin’s DNA. He’s a managing member of Datafy and advisor to hDrop Technologies, Inc., Decisio Health, Inc., HoopCare, Inc., and others. Kevin is also a professional coach who specializes working with healthcare executives and healthcare software companies.
LaTunja Sockwell is a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Faculty Research Instructor in the Department of Family and Preventative Medicine’s Research and Evaluation Division. Ms. Sockwell has a Masters in Criminal Justice and over 15 years of research experience with seven years leading and evaluating projects (SAMHSA, Pharma, and CDC). Ms. Sockwell’s research focuses on enhancing substance abuse (SA) treatment and wrap-around services for individuals with co-occurring SA and mental health disorders, youth substance abuse awareness, stigma reduction around HIV and related issues, HIV prevention and linkage to care, and rural healthcare access issues. Ms. Sockwell currently sits on several task forces for the betterment of those that have substance abuse, homelessness, and HIV related issues.
Sean is a dedicated peer support advocate committed to fostering empathy and empowerment within the community. With a background in communication and a passion for mental health awareness, he strives to create a safe space where individuals are heard, understood and supported. Whether you’re facing challenges or celebrating victories, he’s here to lend an empathetic ear and offer guidance on your journey towards wellness.
Dr. Thompson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health Services Research. He conducts both public health and clinical intervention research in the intersecting areas of substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, and suicide and has published over 45 peer-reviewed articles on his work in well-regarded national and international scientific journals. Dr. Thompson has been the Principal Investigator of two NIH-funded studies (R21AA017862; K23DA032323) to develop and test the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of disseminable brief motivational interventions to reduce substance use and sexual risk behaviors among homeless young adults. This work included the development and testing of a smartphone application to self-monitor substance use and sexual risk behaviors, plus a brief motivational intervention, that has been shown to reduce such behaviors in this vulnerable population. Dr. Thompson currently serves as: (1) Co-Investigator on a NIDA-funded study (R01DA048022) to (a) develop and evaluate the feasibility of a smartphone application (app) to reduce relapse among individuals receiving outpatient medications for opioid use disorders (MOUD) and (b) use functional neuroimaging to model neurocognitive mechanisms by which the app reduces opioid misuse; (2) Co-Investigator on two studies (VA HSR&D RIVR 19-478; VA HSR&D IIR 20-058) to develop and pilot brief strength-based interventions to link veterans with alcohol problems and/or PTSD to substance abuse and mental health treatment; (3) Co-Investigator on a study to empower veterans to address suicide in their communities; and (4) Co-Investigator and Evaluator on the Arkansas State Opioid Response (SOR3; SAMHSA) to establish and expand MOUD services within the state by compensating facilities across the state to provide MOUD to uninsured and underinsured patients.
Leah is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas. She joined the UAMS Physical Therapy department in 2013 and began working in geriatrics and evidence-based pain management research in 2019. Currently Dr. Tobey-Moore treats within the Interventional Pain Management Clinic at The Orthopedic and Spine Hospital. She is the Clinic Director for a HRSA-sponsored Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program grant within the Institute on Aging. She is also a trained Academic Detailer and Educator for three SAMHSA grants. Dr. Tobey-Moore enjoys creative writing, exercise, yoga, and spending time with her husband Dr. Josh Moore and two kids Liam and Ally.
Dr. Wilson is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Addiction Medicine, and is an Associate Professor (tenured) in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He serves as the current Chair of the Coalition on Psychiatric Emergencies, Secretary of the Board of Directors for the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry, and as Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Emergency Medicine. Clinically, he serves as the emergency department lead for neurological emergencies, psychiatric emergencies, and substance use disorders. Dr. Wilson’s research in behavioral emergencies and substance use disorders have been cited more than 4170 times (h-index 31), and he has written more than 90 peer-reviewed articles, 30 book chapters, and four edited books. His work has been supported by numerous federal and private grants, and has been recognized as innovative by the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Caitlin is a California native who received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
She has nine years total emergency medicine experience. She served as an EMT for seven years and has now been an ED RN for two years. In the ED, she is a member of the Unit Based Council (UBC), a Trauma Nurse Champion, and is also training to be a charge nurse.