Department News

November, 2025 – Kendall Barron

The November MVP of the Month from the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line is Kendall Barron. Kendall is the Clinical Services Manager for Batesville FMC. She has been part of the Batesville team for 7 years!

Kendall was recognized for hers actions as follows:

Kendall consistently goes above and beyond for the good of our clinic. She not only manages the nursing staff but is also instrumental in managing the daily operations of the clinic.
Kendall spends every minute of her day making sure that our patients get the care and attention they deserve.
She routinely leads by example, placing herself on the front line of the nursing team when understaffed.
In all these roles, Kendall leads with patience and an excellent attitude
She is the glue holding our clinic together.

Kendall will receive a certificate of recognition and a gift bag. She also will be honored during the annual DFPM Research Symposium.

Congratulations Kendall!

Get ready to STEP up your wellness!

Are you ready to move more, feel good and win a big prize?

Be one of the first to join our STEP Campaign Pilot starting October 1 through December 31, 2025.

We have two categories so everyone can participate!

Do you move around a lot at work (MDs, RNs, MAs, etc.)? -> Clinical

Does your job require you to be at your desk more? (Access, Behavioral Health, Business, etc.) -> Administrative

Just pick the group that best matches your daily work routine. Prizes will be awarded in January for each category!

How to Participate:

Track your steps using any fitness app or device.

Use the attached Activity Conversion Chart to convert non-step activities (like yoga, cycling, or weightlifting) into step equivalents.

Record your daily totals. You may want to use the premade excel tracker that calculates your totals, A sample one is attached.

Enter the minutes spent doing the activity in the Minutes column (example: Jogging – 30 minutes)

Enter the # of steps you tracked using your fitness tracker

Everything else will calculate for you!

Submit your monthly step totals or completed log to us through the quick and easy form (October’s linked below) that we will send this out at the end of each month to give you a reminder to submit your steps!

October Submission

Please reach out to Kathy Emans or Caddo Wright with any questions. We will be sharing updates each month!

Activity Conversion Chart Download

Activity Tracker Log Download

October, 2025 – Kelly Chaplain

The October MVP of the Month from the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line is Kelly Chaplain. Kelly is an Administrative Services Manager with UAMS Northeast – Jonesboro. She has been part of the Jonesboro team for 25 years!

Kelly was recognized for her actions as follows:

Kelly is the “go to” person.
She has a wealth of information and ALWAYS willing to help.
She is who we go to if we are not sure of the answer.

Kelly will receive a certificate of recognition and a gift bag. She also will be honored during the Chair’s Awards for Recognition of Excellence ceremony during the annual DFPM Research Symposium.

Congratulations Kelly!

Family Medicine Update Oct. 29 – 31 offers 12 hours of virtual content for primary care

The 29th Annual Family Medicine Update: Fueling the Front Line will offer up to 12 hours of online continuing education Oct. 29 – 31 for primary care physicians, advanced practice registered nurses and registered nurses, pharmacists, physician associates, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, certified health educators, social workers and substance abuse counselors.

The virtual annual conference compiles the latest advances impacting family medicine, with a bonus of flexible, on-demand viewing through November 28, 2025.

The first day – Opioids and the Young – offers four hours of content for only $25. The Thursday and Friday two-hour blocks are $40 each.

To register, visit this link.

Day 1

The first day is Opioids and the Young, sponsored by Arkansas Children’s National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Effectiveness. The day will include a talk on opioid use disorder in moms and children with Shona Ray-Griffith, M.D., an associate professor in the UAMS Depts. of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and mandated reporting laws with Jessica Coker, M.D., assistant professor in the UAMS Dept. of Psychiatry. Other topics include behavioral health screening and intervention for adolescents with Kim Shuler, LCSW, and Caitlyn Johnson, LCSW, both with the Arkansas Behavioral Health Integration Network. The last session will be “Opioids Off the Table? Now What?” with Teresa Hudson, Pharm.D., Ph.D., a professor in the UAMS Dept. of Psychiatry.

Caitlyn Johnson and Kim Shuler, social workers — Caitlyn Johnson and Kim Shuler

Day 2

Talks on the second day will feature UAMS providers: sniffles, chills and fever in kids with Rachel Ekdahl, M.D., and Satvika Mikkilineni, D.O.; “Naloxone Know-How for Saving Lives” with Leah Tobey-Moore, DPT, MBA, and Meghan Breckling, Pharm.D.; and a fresh look at hypertension medications with Michelle Hernandez, Pharm.D. Alexis White, M.D., also will speak on menopause.

Day 3

The last morning of the virtual conference will focus on cancer screening in Arkansas, presented by Daniele Ramirez-Aguilar, MPH, with the Arkansas Central Cancer Registry, and “Mending a Child’s Heart: Pediatric Cardiology from a Nurse Practitioner Perspective” with Leslie Lewis, APRN, who works at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. The two afternoon sessions will feature Robert Hopkins Jr., M.D., who will update attendees on immunization essentials for the fall. He is the division director for the UAMS Dept. of Internal Medicine. Next will be “Spotlight on LADA: The Hybrid Diabetes of Adulthood” with Hadeel Al Fares, M.D., an endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism fellow at UAMS.

We can all help prevent physician suicide

Prevention begins with understanding the warning signs to look for in someone who may be suicidal. With the HEART acronym, we hope to help you easily remember these signs.

Visit NPSAday.org to learn more.

VITAL SIGN 1

Health

Increasing the use of medications and/or alcohol or illicit drugs
Talking about wanting to hurt themselves or die

VITAL SIGN 2

Emotions

Experiencing extreme mood swings
Feeling hopeless or having no purpose

VITAL SIGN 3

Attitude

Being negative about professional and personal life
Having inappropriate outbursts of anger or sadness

VITAL SIGN 4

Relationships

Withdrawing or isolating themselves from family, friends and coworkers
Talking about being a burden to others

VITAL SIGN 5

Temperament

Withdrawing or isolating themselves from family, friends and coworkers
Talking about being a burden to others

This information is intended for awareness-building and informational purposes only.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Adapted from The Physician’s Foundation flyer:

Vital Signs Handout Download

September, 2025 – Jonathan Reid

The September MVP of the Month from the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line is Jonathan Reid. Jonathan is an Administrative Services Manager with DFPM Regional Programs and The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. He has been at UAMS for five years.

Jonathan was recognized for his actions as follows:

Jonathan helps anyone who comes to him for anything!
He is such a hard worker and puts all his effort into a project that he is working on to make sure it has the absolute best outcome.
He genuinely cares about everyone and their feelings.
He is a gem to our department and to UAMS. We are all so thankful for Jonathan!

Jonathan will receive a certificate of recognition and a gift bag. He also will be honored during the Chair’s Awards for Recognition of Excellence ceremony during the annual DFPM Research Symposium.

Congratulations Jonathan!

August, 2025 – Paula Medina

The August MVP of the Month from the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line is Paula Medina. Paula is a Senior Business Manager with Primary Care and Population Health for Regional Programs. She has been at UAMS for twelve years.

Paula was recognized for her actions as follows:

Paula recognized an issue with Regional Programs Enhanced Medicaid payment issue was not correct and dug into reasons behind the problem.
Paula was able to identify the solution and work with appropriate individuals to correct the payment issue and resume the Enhanced Medicaid payment revenue.
Her nominator stated: Paula is absolutely one of the most stellar employees I have ever had the opportunity to work alongside. We are extremely lucky to have her on the team!

Paula will receive a certificate of recognition and a gift bag. She also will be honored during the Chair’s Awards for Recognition of Excellence ceremony during the annual DFPM Research Symposium.

Congratulations Paula!

July, 2025 – Kara Jones

The July MVP of the Month from the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and the Primary Care and Population Health Service Line is Kara Jones. Kara is a Clinical Pharmacist for Rahling Road and Internal Medicine Clinics and has worked at UAMS for eight years.

Kara was recognized for her actions as follows:

Kara goes above and beyond for our patients, providing education and follow up, advocating with local pharmacies to ensure patients receive medications prescribed by their physicians.
She is enthusiastic about educating patients on new technologies like continuous glucose monitors that help them better understand and control their diabetes.
Kare has compassionately served our refugee population at Rahling Road. She has developed and driven guideline-directed immunization practices for these patients.
She not only helps educate our residents during their ambulatory experience but also educates students from the College of Pharmacy during their month-long rotations.
Kara brings joy and encouragement to all her colleagues. We are all better clinicians because of her effort, attitude and willingness to serve others.

Kara will receive a certificate of recognition and a gift bag. She also will be honored during the Chair’s Awards for Recognition of Excellence ceremony during the annual DFPM Research Symposium.

Congratulations Kara!

Self-Care

This month let’s look at Self-Care and why it is important as a health care provider. We all know that working in the health care field is stressful. A 2022 study conducted in Minnesota found that 70% of frontline healthcare workers experienced some level of depression and 99.2% reported high levels of stress.

It’s easy to lose focus on self-care with our busy lives. But an absence of self-care can harm us both physically and emotionally, often resulting in struggles with compassion fatigue and professional burnout.

But we CAN prevent this from occurring. Here are some ideas for self-care. Try a few and see if they help.

Set Boundaries

Try saying NO. Especially to protect family and alone time. Don’t get involved in other people’s drama

Practice Mindfulness

Try a meditation video,
Write in a journal
Practice breathing skills
Sit in quiet for a few moments

Maintain a Work Life balance

Limit how much work you take home
Connect with family and friends during outside work time
Use your paid leave time
Take a lunch break – leave your desk, talk with co-workers, move around, sit in a quiet area

Take Care of yourself

Hydrate
Eat – don’t be Hangry
Exercise
Sleep

Disconnect

Put down your phone, especially one hour before bedtime
Don’t check work emails after hours
Reduce time spent on social media

Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.

Trivia Fun

Forty-seven medical students, faculty, residents, and staff came together for a lively evening of trivia at Stickyz Rock’n’Roll Chicken Shack. Programs from Batesville, Crossett, Jonesboro, Little Rock, and Pine Bluff were represented, giving students a fun way to connect and learn more about residency programs across the state.

The trivia competition was fierce but friendly, with the top spot going to Fourth Quartile.

OBGYou Askin’ Such Hard Questions clinched second place, while third place went to The Hippocratic Oafs.

The event was a great success, made possible by funding through a medical student education grant provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).