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Gratitude

As we approach this holiday season, let’s take a moment to reflect on the importance of Gratitude in Life.

Gratitude is strongly related to wellbeing.

Some benefits of gratitude can be better sleep, better immunity, decreased stress, lower blood pressure, stronger relationships and greater life satisfaction.

Practicing gratitude places a focus on the present, thus helping to magnify positive emotions.

And Gratitude can have a domino effect -If a person experiences gratitude, they are more likely to reciprocate in the future.

Here are some ideas, ways to practice gratitude.

Observe the moment
Create Gratitude Rituals
Write it down
Give Thanks
Savor the Moment

What are you grateful for this year?

Take it outside!

Now that the weather is cooling down, let’s take a quick moment to enjoy the benefits of nature.

Did you know that exposure to nature can help to regulate our sympathetic nervous system?

Even a quick 5-minute walk or work break outside can improve our mental focus and moods.

Take a walk today, eat lunch outside, enjoy a quick break in the sunshine. Try a new outdoor activity like cycling, pickle ball, go for a hike in our amazing state parks. It really can make a difference!

Try it!

Learn more about how nature can help to reduce stress and increase happiness:

Early-50s healthy hiker sets off for a bit of backpacking in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, USA. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Happy African American woman playing pickleball on an outdoor court and looking at camera. Copy space. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Cycling on a bridge — (Image credit: Getty Images)

New Article in “Family Medicine” from DFPM Faculty

Dr. Kraleti, Dr. Gibson-Oliver, and Dr. Jarrett are the authors of a brand new article in the journal Family Medicine.

Titled “The Importance of a Champion in Leading Major Improvements in Residency Programs,” the article addresses improvements in the numbers of pediatrics patients and procedures performed in the FMC.

It’s online ahead of print now, and it will be included in a monthly issue of the journal later this year.

Diane Jarrett Ed.D., M.A., is Published in JAMA Ophthalmology

Diane Jarrett Ed.D., M.A. has had a letter to the editor published online ahead of print in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Dr. Jarrett writes in response to a previous article about the need for vision screening for children from socioeconomically vulnerable groups, giving her personal take on being a child who benefited from free school-based vision screening.

View the online article. The print edition will be available in July.

DFPM Posters at the UAMS Teach the Teacher Symposium

Poster display — From left: Dr. Jasna Vuk, Dr. Diane Jarrett, Dr. Karina Clemmons

The 15th Annual UAMS Teach the Teacher Symposium was held today, and the DFPM was represented by two posters.

One poster was about the efficacy of a faculty champion to make residency improvements and was authored by Dr. Shashank Kraleti, Dr. Lauren Gibson-Oliver, and Dr. Diane Jarrett. The other poster addressed the usefulness of virtual mock interviews for medical students and was authored by Dr. Jarrett, Dr. Karina Clemmons, and Dr. Jasna Vuk.

The symposium is an educator’s workshop hosted by the College of Medicine’s Academic Affairs Office and the Educators Academy.

Funding for this conference is provided by a MEFFA grant, the UAMS Educational and Student Success Center, and the Arkansas Medical Society.

DFPM Mentors Are Recognized and Rewarded

The UAMS Excellence in Mentoring 2024 Awards were announced today.

Dr. Lauren Gibson-Oliver won in the category of Clinical Emerging Faculty.

Nominees, who will receive certificates of recognition, were noted in the following categories:

Diversity Faculty

Dr. Diane Jarrett, Dr. Pilar Murphy

Women Faculty

Dr. Sheena CarlLee

Administration And Education (Staff)

Dawn Horn, Deanna Stiles

Dr. Diane Jarrett Appointed as Co-Editor for STFM Education Column

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine has chosen Dr. Diane Jarrett to be co-editor of their monthly Education Column that appears in the STFM Messenger publication.

The peer-reviewed STFM Education Column focuses on descriptions of innovative undergraduate or graduate medical education curricula, solutions that address common educational challenges, innovative faculty development, and other educational topics.

Dr. Jarrett’s responsibilities will include reviewing and editing submitted manuscripts, communicating with the authors to guide revisions, and selecting content for 12 columns per year.

See previous issues of the STFM Education Column.

Dr. Diane Jarrett Wins the UAMS MVP Award

COM Dean G. Richard Smith presented Dr. Jarrett with the UAMS College of Medicine MVP Award during a surprise event in the DFPM.

Dr. Jarrett thought she was meeting with Dr. Kraleti to discuss changes in the website and in email distribution lists. Instead, she was surprised to find the Dean and many DFPM colleagues waiting to present this award to her.

The DFPM was really noticed in December, as Angie Kyzer from RED won the MVP Award earlier in the month. Great job!

UAMS Names Shashank Kraleti, M.D., Chair of Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

By Tamara Robinson

June 12, 2023 | LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine appointed Shashank Kraleti, M.D., as chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, effective July 1.

Kraleti will also hold the Dr. Algernon Sidney Garnett Chair in Family Medicine.

“Dr. Kraleti has served in numerous leadership roles since completing his residency training at UAMS and joining the faculty in 2012,” said G. Richard Smith, M.D., interim College of Medicine dean and executive vice chancellor of UAMS. “He has gained national recognition for his outstanding work to enhance the Little Rock Family Medicine Residency Program. He is highly respected by residents and faculty colleagues for his clinical skills and for the passion he brings to training outstanding family physicians.”

Kraleti has served as director of the department’s family residency program since 2016 and previously held other leadership roles in the program. He assumed the role of clinical informaticist in 2019. Since May 2022, he also has served as director of primary care services, a position he will continue to hold.

“I am excited for the opportunity to continue to serve and lead my family medicine and UAMS family that I have been a part of for more than a decade,” Kraleti said. “I look forward to working towards our vision of improving the health of Arkansans by providing relationship-centered and equitable care, while training the best and brightest family physicians, and conducting pioneering research in primary care.”

He has received many honors at UAMS and the national level. Kraleti was invested as the Jack W. Kennedy Chair in Family and Preventive Medicine at UAMS in 2013. He received the College of Medicine Residency Educator-Program Director Award in 2019. Recent national honors include the 2023 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors Program Director Silver Recognition, also this year.

Kraleti succeeds Richard Turnage, M.D., vice chancellor of Regional Campuses, who has served as interim chair since July 2020.

Kraleti earned his medical degree at Andhra Medical College in Visakhapatnam, India, in 2005. He came to UAMS for his family medicine residency in 2009 and served as chief resident in his final year of training. He completed the National Institute for Program Director Development Fellowship in 2013-2014 and more recently completed a practice pathway Clinical Informatics Fellowship at UAMS in 2022. He also completed the Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM) Leadership Education for Academic Development and Success (LEADS) fellowship in 2023.

He has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (FAAFP) since 2017. He is active in several other national professional organizations, including the Society of Teachers in Family Medicine, for which he serves on the Family and Behavioral Health Collaborative and the Global Health Educators Collaborative. He is a board member of the Arkansas Academy of Family Physicians.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,240 students, 913 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

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