Anesthesiology
Monica Williams, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an assistant professor and anesthesiologist. She earned her medical degree and completed her anesthesia residency at UAMS.
Emily Breland Edwards, M.D., has joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an instructor and anesthesiologist. Dr. Edwards completed medical school and her residency in anesthesiology at UAMS. She is a fellow in pediatric anesthesiology at UT Southwestern.
Dermatology
Emily Coleman, M.D., has joined the Department of Dermatology as an assistant professor and dermatologist. Dr. Coleman earned her medical degree from Yale School of Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency at Yale-Waterbury Hospital, followed by additional dermatology training at the University of Vermont Medical Center. A board-certified dermatologist with an interest in complex medical dermatology, Dr. Coleman sees patients at the UAMS Dermatology Clinic in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Emergency Medicine
Ryan Le, M.D., has joined the Department of Emergency Medicine as an assistant professor and emergency medicine physician at UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock. Dr. Le earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health San Antonio and completed his emergency medicine residency at UAMS.
Family and Preventive Medicine
Ahmad Debian, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and family medicine physician at UAMS Northwest in Fayetteville. Dr. Debian earned his medical degree from the Cairo University Faculty of Medicine in Egypt and completed his family medicine residency at UAMS Northwest.
Dylan Fedor, D.O., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and family medicine physician at UAMS Northeast in Jonesboro. Dr. Fedor earned his medical degree from NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine in Jonesboro and completed his family medicine residency at UAMS Northeast, where he served as chief resident.
C’Asia James, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and family medicine physician at UAMS South in El Dorado. Dr. James earned her medical degree from UAMS and completed her family medicine residency at UAMS Northwest in Fayetteville. She also completed a fellowship in family medicine surgical obstetrics at UAMS South.
Charles Jones, Jr., M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and family medicine physician at UAMS East in Helena. Dr. Jones earned his medical degree from UAMS and completed his family medicine residency at UAMS South Central in Pine Bluff.
Primus Mbawuike, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and family medicine physician at UAMS South Central in Pine Bluff. Dr. Mbawuike earned a pharmacy degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and his medical degree from UAMS. He completed his family medicine residency at UAMS South Central.
Molly Mefford, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an instructor and a family medicine physician at UAMS South in El Dorado, where she is a fellow in family medicine surgical obstetrics. Dr. Mefford earned her medical degree from American University of Antigua College of Medicine and completed her family medicine residency at UAMS West in Fort Smith, where she was chief resident.
Tatiana Torres Costa Lino, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and family medicine physician at Baptist Health-UAMS in North Little Rock. Dr. Lino earned her medical degree from Escola de Medicina Souza Marques in Brazil and completed her family medicine residency at UAMS, where she served as chief resident.
Anima Gnawali, D.O., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and family physician at the UAMS Neighborhood Clinic in Maumelle. Dr. Gnawali received her medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her family medicine residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Emily Reams, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and associate program director of the Baptist Health-UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Reams earned her medical degree at UAMS and her residency in family medicine and community health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Before joining UAMS, she served as a family physician at Baptist Health Family Clinic in Lonoke, Ark.
Payal Gandhi, M.D., has joined the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an assistant professor and family physician. Dr. Gandhi earned her medical degree from Krishna Institute for Medical Sciences in India, followed by a residency in general surgery at Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College. She completed an additional residency in family medicine at UAMS and practiced family medicine at Saline Memorial Hospital before joining UAMS. Dr. Gandhi is board certified in family and obesity medicine. She sees patients at the UAMS Neighborhood Clinic on Rahling Road in Little Rock.
Geriatrics
Namrata Dogra, M.D., has joined the Department of Geriatrics as an assistant professor and physician at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. Dr. Dogra earned her medical degree from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College and Hospital in India, followed by a degree in pathology from Mumbai University, Tata Memorial Hospital. She completed a family medicine residency at UAMS South Central in Pine Bluff and a geriatrics fellowship at UAMS.
Benjamin Frazier, M.D., has joined the Department of Geriatrics as an assistant professor and physician at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. Dr. Frazier earned his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada and completed an internal medicine residency at UAMS Northwest in Fayetteville. He is a fellow in the UAMS Geriatrics Fellowship Program.
Internal Medicine
Charmee Vyas, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Vyas earned her medical degree from Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai, India. She completed an internal medicine residency at Rutgers Health Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, followed by fellowships in hospice and palliative medicine at the University of Kentucky and critical care medicine at UAMS.
Deepak Sherpally, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an assistant professor and myeloma hospitalist in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Before joining UAMS, Dr. Sherpally was an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at New York Medical College Metropolitan Hospital Center. He earned his medical degree from Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India, and completed internal medicine residencies at St. Stephen’s Hospital in Delhi, India, and New York Medical College. Dr. Sherpally cares for patients at UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock.
Freddy Toloza Bonilla, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as assistant professor and endocrinologist in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Bonilla received his medical degree from Universidad de los Andes School of Medicine in Bogotá, Colombia. He completed an internal medicine residency at MetroWest Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine. He earned a Master of Health Sciences from Duke University School of Medicine and completed an endocrinology research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bonilla sees patients at the UAMS Head and Neck Oncology Clinic at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Mohammad Fhad Salam, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, as an assistant professor. Dr. Salam earned his medical degree from Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, followed by an internal medicine residency at Michigan State University College of Medicine. His training also includes a general cardiology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Salam sees patients at the UAMS Cardiology Clinic and Heart Center in Little Rock.
Omar Darwish, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as assistant professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Darwish earned his medical degree at Mu’tah University Faculty of Medicine in Jordan and completed an internal medicine residency at UAMS, where he was awarded the Thomas E. Andreoli Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine. Dr. Darwish cares for patients as a hospitalist at the UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock.
Shahrukh Arif, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an assistant professor and pulmonologist in the Division of Pulmonology and Critical Care. Dr. Arif earned his medical degree from Jinnah Medical and Dental College in Karachi, Pakistan. He completed an internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Lahey Health in Burlington, Massachusetts, and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at UAMS. Before joining UAMS, Dr. Arif served as an assistant professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Dr. Arif sees patients at UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock.
Vikas Vujjini, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an assistant professor and nephrologist in the Division of Nephrology. Dr. Vujjini earned his medical degree from MNR Medical College and Hospital in Sangareddy, India. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in transplant nephrology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an internal medicine residency at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, where he served as chief resident. He subsequently completed a nephrology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining UAMS, he was a staff physician at Nephrology Associates, P.A., in Little Rock. He sees patients at the UAMS Renal Clinic in the UAMS Outpatient Center in Little Rock.
Zelalem Mekuria, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an assistant professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Mekuria earned her medical degree from Hayat Medical College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and completed an internal medicine residency at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, also in Addis Ababa.
Benjamin Blaske, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as a chief resident and instructor. Dr. Blaske earned his medical degree and completed his internal medicine residency at UAMS.
Stephen Aguilar, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as a chief resident and instructor. Dr. Aguilar earned his medical degree and completed his internal medicine residency at UAMS.
Sydney Edson, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as a chief resident and instructor. Dr. Edson received her medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and completed her internal medicine residency at UAMS.
Tamer Hellou, M.D., has joined the Department of Internal Medicine as an assistant professor in the Hematology Oncology Division. Dr. Hellou received his medical degree from Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, followed by an internship at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital in Ashdod, Israel, and a hematology fellowship at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan. His training also includes a fellowship in advanced hematology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he specialized in plasma cell disorders, including AL amyloidosis and multiple myeloma. Dr. Hellou will see patients at the UAMS Myeloma Center in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Neurology
Abhilash Thatikala, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurology as an assistant professor and vascular neurologist. Dr. Thatikala earned his medical degree from Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India, where he also completed an internal medicine residency. He completed a neurosurgery residency at UAMS, serving as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in vascular neurology at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. He sees patients at the UAMS Neurology Clinic in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute in Little Rock.
Neuroscience
Cory Willis, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Neuroscience as an assistant professor. He earned his doctoral degree in biomedical sciences with a concentration in neuroscience from the University of Connecticut Health Center. He completed postdoctoral research in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and earned his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh.
Neurosurgery
Dagoberto Estévez-Ordonez, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the Department of Neurosurgery as an assistant professor and assistant director of the Neurosurgical Skills Lab. Dr. Estevez-Ordonez earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed a neurosurgery internship and residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also completed a fellowship in tumor and skull base surgery at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. He sees patients at the UAMS Neurosurgery Clinic in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute in Little Rock.
Hussam Abou Al-Shaar, M.D., has joined the Department of Neurosurgery as an assistant professor. He earned his medical degree from Alfaisal University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and completed a neurosurgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His training also includes three fellowships in open and endoscopic cranial base surgery, sports neurosurgery, and stereotactic radiosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Al-Shaar sees patients at the UAMS Neurosurgery Clinic in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute in Little Rock.
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Emily Ray, M.D., has joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an assistant professor and laborist in the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Ray earned her medical degree and completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at UAMS, where she was chief resident.
Brianna Hope, M.D., has joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an assistant professor in the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Hope earned her medical degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at UAMS. She also earned Master of Public Health and Master of Business Administration degrees from Texas Tech University.
Ophthalmology
Ryan Wood, O.D., has joined the Department of Ophthalmology as an assistant professor and optometrist at the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute at UAMS. Dr. Wood received his Doctor of Optometry degree from Midwestern University’s Arizona College of Optometry. His clinical training included rotations in private practices in Franklin, Tennessee, and Phoenix, as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Tallahassee, Florida.
Pathology
Igor Vidal, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an assistant professor. Dr. Vidal earned his medical school at the Universidade Federal do Ceara, Faculdad de Medicina in Fortaleza, Brazil, and completed an anatomical pathology residency at Hospital Haroldo Juacaba, also in Fortaleza. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at John Hopkins University and an additional residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB). His training also includes fellowships in cytopathology at UAB and surgical pathology at Case Western Reserve University.
Zubaidah Khalaf, M.D., has joined the Department of Pathology as an assistant professor. Dr. Khalaf earned his medical degree from the University of Anbar in Iraq and completed a pathology residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Dr. Khalaf’s training also includes fellowships in surgical pathology and cytopathology at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Psychiatry
Srujan Kaja, M.D., has joined the Department of Psychiatry as an assistant professor and psychiatrist in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Kaja is a board-certified psychiatrist who earned his medical degree from Maharajah Institute of Medical Sciences in Andhra Pradesh, India. He completed a psychiatry residency at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami, Florida, and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio.
Naama Hegenbarth, M.D., has joined the Department of Psychiatry as an assistant professor and adult psychiatrist at the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute. Hegenbarth graduated from Albert-Szent-Gyӧrgyi Medical School in Szeged, Hungary. She completed a residency at Asklepios Westklinikum in Hamburg, Germany, where she served as a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy.
Radiology
Goguldeep Veluswamy, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an assistant professor in the Division of Neuroradiology. Dr. Veluswamy earned his medical degree from Madras Medical College in Chennai, India, and completed a radiology residency at V.S.S. Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Odisha, India. He also served as a senior resident in radiology at Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research in Pondicherry, India. Before joining UAMS, he worked as a radiologist in academic and teaching institutes in India and completed fellowship training in neuroradiology.
Jesus Beltran-Perez, M.D., has joined the Department of Radiology as an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Radiology. Dr. Beltran-Perez received his medical degree from Universidad Panamericana School of Medicine in Mexico City. He completed a general surgery internship at the UT Health San Antonio and an internal medicine internship and diagnostic radiology residency at Tulane University. His training also includes additional residency training in interventional radiology and diagnostic radiology at the UT Health San Antonio and a fellowship in pediatric interventional radiology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Surgery
Venkat Kalapatapu, M.D., has joined the Department of Surgery as a professor and chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. A nationally recognized vascular surgeon, Dr. Kalapatapu returns to UAMS after 16 years at the University of Pennsylvania, where he held several academic leadership roles and helped advance the treatment of complex vascular conditions. Dr. Kalapatapu sees patients at the Vascular Surgery Clinic at the UAMS Outpatient Center in Little Rock.
Urology
Sallie Oliphant, M.D., has joined the Department of Urology as a professor and urogynecologist, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of female pelvic floor disorders. Dr. Oliphant completed a fellowship in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery at Magee-Women’s Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she also completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology. She earned her medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and a Master of Science in Clinical Research from the University of Pittsburgh. She sees patients at the UAMS Urology Clinic in Little Rock.