Our own PGY-2 resident Dr. John Ukadike and other UAMS residents discuss what makes their training here so special. Watch the video and learn more about why UAMS is the place to be.
Family Medicine Resident Featured in UAMS Video
Department News
Faculty Members Earn Distinctions in the Past Year
Our faculty members always perform notable work, but 2020-2021 was a special year of note.
Faculty distinctions include:
Shashank Kraleti, M.D., FAAFP, received a 2021 Program Director Bronze Recognition Award from the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.
Leslie Stone M.D., MPH. received the UAMS Edith Irby Jones Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award for Early Career Faculty.
Steve Sorsby M.D., MHA, received the 2021 Outstanding Family Medicine Teaching Award from our graduating residents. Dr. Sorsby also received the Master Evaluator Award from the residency program for his superior work on evaluating resident clinical performance.
Lauren Gibson-Oliver M.D., MBA, was featured in a UAMS-produced YouTube video about the importance of breastfeeding.
Taren Swindle, Ph.D., was named a Health Disparities Research Institute Scholar by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Dr. Swindle also received the 2021 Norman Kretchmer Award in Nutrition and Development from the American Society for Nutrition. And there’s more: She also received a UAMS Implementation Science Pilot Award for her project titled “Assessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual Approach to De-implementation of Inappropriate Feeding Practices in Early Care and Education.”
Lorraine McKelvey, Ph.D., received national notice for her work on home-visiting support for low-birth-weight preterm infants.
Articles written by Dan Knight M.D., FAAFP, and Diane Jarrett Ed.D., were added to the AAFP Academy Updates LGBTQ Health Toolkit, an online resource for clinicians.
Chief Residents for 2021-2022
The 2021-2022 Chief Residents for the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine residency program are Wayne Bryant, M.D., M.S., and Rebecca Moore, M.D.
Dr. Bryant is originally from Florida. He has a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of South Florida, along with an M.S. in Molecular Medicine. He is a graduate of the American University of Antigua College of Medicine.
Dr. Moore grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She has a B.A. in History and French from the University of Kansas and is a graduate of the UAMS College of Medicine.
Dr. Bryant and Dr. Moore join the long list of Chief Residents who have provided outstanding service and leadership during their tenure.
Community Medicine Liaisons Are Ready to Serve
The UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine Residency Program has chosen Diorella López-González, M.D., and John Ukadike, D.O., MPH, as the Community Medicine Liaisons for 2021-2022.
These PGY-2 residents will lead initiatives and outreach to promote the health and well-being of central Arkansas dwellers, especially for persons in socio-economically depleted and/or underserved areas. A particular focus will be COVID-19 vaccinations.
Dr. López-González and Dr. Ukadike follow in the footsteps of the inaugural Community Medicine Liaison, 2021 residency graduate Dr. Alexa Martin. Our thanks to these excellent residents for taking on this important work.
DFPM-RED Researcher Leading $3.1 Million Preschool Intervention to Reduce Obesity and Cancer in Arkansas, Louisiana
DFPM-RED faculty member Taren Swindle, Ph.D. leads a major new effort to reduce cancer by addressing eating habits in early childcare and education settings.
The project, led by UAMS’ Taren Swindle, Ph.D., will reach about 5,000 children and 500 teachers across Arkansas and Louisiana. It is supported by a five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NCI upgraded the grant to an R37 MERIT Award, giving Swindle the option to extend the project another two years.
Read the full article here.
DFPM-RED Professor discusses kids and COVID with local TV news outlet.
DFPM-RED Assistant Director Nikki Edge, Ph.D., discussed the mental health consequences of COVID among young children with local ABC affiliate KATV-7.
“We had no idea we would be, 18 months later, still talking about potential disruptions to school life and to the other kids’ normal everyday life”
“If you’re seeing changes in mood and behavior, if there’s changes starting to impact their ability to succeed in school and their other activities, then it’s time to think about talking to a professional”
Nikki Edge, Ph.D
Article shines spotlight on DFPM-RED’s Project PLAY
A recent article in The 19th discusses the links between mental health support and the lowering of expulsion rates in schools. The article features the work of DFPM-RED’s Project PLAY and highlights the great work of DFPM-RED team member Elizabeth Waldrum.
Read the full article.
Blue & You awards $1.95 million grant to include new K-12 project led by DFPM-RED’s Dr. Nikki Edge.
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Blue & You Foundation has awarded a $1.2 million grant to UAMS Arkansas Trauma Resource Initiative for Schools (TRIS), a program in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Education and multiple statewide partners designed to build trauma-informed schools in which all staff, students, families and community members recognize and respond to traumatic stress. TRIS is led by DFPM-RED’s Dr. Nikki Edge.
New DFPM-RED Faculty Member Receives $2 Million Grant Award
During her initial week as a newly promoted faculty member, Isis Martel, M.S., an Instructor in the Research and Evaluation Division (RED) of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, was awarded a five year, $2 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The grant was awarded for a new project known as Parents and Children Together (PACT).
PACT will enhance services for clients through case management and connection to clinical and community resources. This collaborative effort between UAMS, County Drug Courts, Ozark Guidance, Inc., and community agencies will link children to evidence-based treatments to treat past trauma and prevent future trauma. The target population is children of parents who have a substance use disorder (SUD), or co-occurring SUD/mental illness (COD), have experienced trauma, and who are at high risk for trauma continued inter-generational trauma. PACT will enroll participants in Benton, Washington, and Madison Counties in Northwest Arkansas (NWA). PACT will serve 335 children and their families throughout the lifetime of the project. Goals of the project are to: 1) Increase access and engagement of services among the target population; 2) Improve system capacity and infrastructure to provide effective, evidence-based, culturally appropriate trauma services; and 3) Improve child/family outcomes in NWA and reduce health disparities among historically disadvantaged populations. UAMS will facilitate infrastructure development to expand and enhance access to a comprehensive and trauma-informed continuum of care and connection to resources for our population of focus.
Get additional information about this new grant and about PACT.
Sen. John Boozman visits UAMS GAP facility.
Sen. John Boozman was in Prescott Wednesday for a tour of the UAMS GAP facility. UAMS was represented by Michael Keck, Mark Golden, and DFPM-RED’s Dr. Nikki Edge. Several local dignitaries were on hand for the visit as well. The visit was covered by local media: https://www.hopeprescott.com/2021/06/boozman-visits-gap-center/
