Dr. Rohit Dhall is an Associate Professor of Neurology and the Director of Neurodegenerative Disorders. He received his medical degree at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in 2000 followed by post-doctoral training in psychiatry at AIIMS. He obtained a Master’s of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Texas at Houston School of Public Health and completed his internship in medicine at the University of Tex as at Houston. He went on to complete his residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) followed by a two-year fellowship in clinical movement disorders and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) at UAB. He works to provide management of Parkinson’s Disease through advanced therapies including deep brain stimulations surgery and has providing intraoperative neurophysiology support for DBS. As an educator, Dr. Dhall shares UAMS’s deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of Parkinson’s disease researchers and neurologists. He has authored many research articles on neurological topics and has presented his work in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Mitesh Lotia is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at UAMS. He received his medical degree from Terna Medical College in Mumbai, India, followed by an internship through various medical and surgical specialties before relocating to the United States. He worked as a clinical stroke fellow at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC with National Institute of Health (NIH) stroke team where he learned the nuances of acute stroke management. He did a medicine internship followed by a neurology residency at University of Louisville school of Medicine where he also served as a chief resident in his final year. During residency, he became interested in movement disorders, leading to a two-year fellowship in movement disorders at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In addition to his interest in treating Parkinson’s disease, tremors, dystonia and other movement disorders, he is the only movement disorder neurologist in the state of Arkansas with active clinical and research interest in the treatment of Tourette’s Syndrome. In addition to providing compassionate patient and family-centered care, he is committed to the education of neurology residents and medical students along with the patients and their families.
Dr. Jennifer Kleiner is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr. Kleiner completed her doctoral degree at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. She then completed her neuropsychology-specialized internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the New Orleans VA Medical Center and Tulane University. She has evaluated hundreds of patients with movement disorders and is a lead investigator in assessing the linkage between brain imaging and cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. Erika Petersen is the Director of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery at UAMS. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, she furthered her education at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where she received her medical degree. From there, Dr. Petersen completed an internship in general surgery at the University of North Carolina Hospitals and a residency in neurological surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Parkland Hospital, where she was chief resident. She also completed an in-residency fellowship in deep brain stimulation at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of London in London, England. Dr. Petersen is the only board-certified, fellowship-trained movement disorders surgeon practicing in Arkansas.
Dr. Tuhin Virmani completed his medical training at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas where he was in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), receiving a combined M.D/Ph.D degree. His research in basic neuroscience explored the physiologic mechanisms by which neurons in the brain communicate with one other using chemical neurotransmitters at the synapse. He then pursued residency training in Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, where he developed an interest in Movement Disorders. This led to a two-year combined clinical-research fellowship in Movement Disorders under the guidance of Dr. Stanley Fahn and other members of the Center for Parkinson Disease and other Movement Disorders at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. While at Columbia University, Dr. Virmani became interested in the principles underlying the phenomenon of freezing of gait in Parkinson disease and he undertook a clinicopathologic study under the mentorship of Dr. Fahn and Dr. Jean-Paul Vonsattel (Department of Pathology). He also worked with Dr. Fahn to start a clinical trial using a novel motor-neuronotrophic factor for potential neuroprotection in Parkinson disease. In addition to his clinical duties as the Director of the Movement Disorders program at UAMS, Dr. Virmani has established the UAMS Gait Lab and has begun work towards participation in national clinical research trials.
Shannon Doerhoff, MNSc, ACNP-BC, CNRN, is the nurse practitioner for the Movement Disorder Clinic in the Neurology Department at UAMS. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Harding University (1989) and her Masters of Nursing Science at the University Of Arkansas Medical Sciences College Of Nursing (2008). She is board certified as an Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (2009). During her nursing career she developed an interest in caring for neurology patients and received her certification as a Neuroscience Registered Nurse in 2014. She joined the UAMS Movement Disorder Team in 2015 where she enjoys working closely with patients with Parkinson’s disease and their family members to help provide patient focused care with goal of optimizing one’s quality of life and overall well-being. She is a member of the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Neuroscience Nursing
Danny Dring is the owner and Master Instructor of Living Defense Martial Arts and has been teaching martial arts inCentral Arkansas since 1981. Danny holds the rank of 8th degree Black Belt in Taekwondo and with Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace in kickboxing. He is a 7th degree Black Belt in Japanese Jujutsu and with Joe Lewis in kickboxing, he is also a 4th degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu and a black Belt with John Korab in Shorin Ryu karate. In addition Danny is the Co-Chair of the Arkansas State Athletic Commission and a Reserve Deputy with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office where he teaches defensive tactics. Danny is also the co-author of ’Stay in the Fight-A Martial Athlete’s Guide to Preventing and Overcoming Injury’. As a coach Danny has had many champions in Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA and BJJ. Danny and his staff at Living Defense Martial Arts is excited to bring Rock Steady Boxing to Central Arkansas with the goal being to help as many Parkinson patients as possible enjoy a better quality of life through Rock Steady.
Mary Latham graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy. As a practicing physical therapist, Mary Margaret has worked in hospital based inpatient and outpatient acute care, pediatric school based therapy, and geriatric assisted living facilities; has owned and operated outpatient private practices, and has 28 years in home health care in the Little Rock area. In the three years she has been at UAMS, she has worked with orthopedic and neurological diagnoses and completed certification as a LSVT ‘BIG’ Therapist for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.
Rachel Beckham is an outpatient Speech-Language Pathologist at UAMS who works with adult populations including, but not limited to, Parkinson Disease, ALS, stroke and TBI survivors to address speech, language, and swallowing difficulties. Rachel completed her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Oklahoma State University in 2014. She then went on to complete her Master of Science at Harding University in Searcy, AR. Rachel enjoys cooking, working out, and anything to do with the arts. Rachel has been LSVT LOUD certified since January 2015. Recently, she received her certification in LOUD for LIFE which is a LSVT LOUD group maintenance program that will be launched in the near future here at UAMS.
Hanna Shearon is a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW). She attended the University of Central Arkansas as an undergraduate. She continued on to earn a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has been employed at UAMS for six years, working in both the hospital and clinic settings. Hanna is married and recently added the role of “mom” to her list of achievements.
Sheery Woods has been teaching exercise for 17 years in a hospital setting. Sheery’s goal is to help adults have a better quality of life thru physical fitness. Sheery is certified to teach Aquatic Fitness thru the Aquatic Exercise Association, Silver Sneakers, and Tai Chi for Arthritis thru Tai Chi for Health Institute. Sheery has been teaching Tai Chi for Arthritis for 14 years. Sheery has assisted with two research projects for Tai Chi and co-authored several papers on the subject. Sheery has worked for UAMS Therapy and Fitness for 7 years, teaching fitness and wellness to participants over the age of 50.