About Us

Dr. Rusch serves as the Executive Associate Dean for Research in the College of Medicine.  She also serves as chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Rusch co-leads workforce development efforts in the UAMS Translational Research Institute (TRI) and co-directs the TL1 postdoctoral training program in Health Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HSIE) that is a component of the Center for Translational Science Award (CTSA) at UAMS. Dr. Rusch is a cardiovascular pharmacologist by training with an interest in ion channel remodeling during hypertension and ion-channel based therapies for cardiovascular diseases. To contact or schedule a meeting with Dr. Rusch, please email nrusch@uams.edu.

Dr. Drew serves as the Assistant Dean for research in the College of Medicine. He also serves as director of research in the Department of Neurology, where he holds a secondary appointment, and is co-director of the mock study section program in the UAMS Translation Research Institute. He has held a variety of leadership roles, including service on the promotion and tenure committees of multiple departments and a term as chair of the college’s Promotion and Tenure Committee. He has contributed extensively to faculty mentoring. His research interests include neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases with a focus on multiple sclerosis and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. To contact or schedule a meeting with Dr. Drew, please email DrewPaulD@uams.edu.

Renee serves as the Administration Assistant Dean in the College of Medicine. Renee Raines, Assistant Dean for Administration, is a key member of the College of Medicine’s leadership team. She has over twenty years of finance and research administration leadership experience, with 13 of those years at UAMS. In addition to the research administration expertise that Renee brings to the COM Office Research, she is an outstanding mentor for employees interested in research administration, finance and compliance. Her mentees have moved onto positions having considerable responsibilities in finance, compliance and business administration. Renee enjoys working on challenging research administration and compliance matters. Her breadth of knowledge and experience in research administration, grants, clinical trials and compliance, positions her as a key resource for faculty and staff to call upon for expert advice and problem solving in the research arena. To contact or schedule a meeting with Renee, please email renee@uams.edu.

Jessica is the Research Program Manager in the College of Medicine Research Office. She previously served as a Research Assistant and Nutritionist. Her current efforts focus on assisting with grant management and budgeting allocations for UAMS COM Researchers as well as other administrative tasks for the COM Research Office. To contact or schedule a meeting with Jessica, please email JEBulmanski@uams.edu or call 501-686-5322.

Donté is the Program Manager in the College of Medicine Research Office. He previously provided administrative support for the Center for Faculty Excellence’s faculty appointment processes. He also served as the Database Specialist for FacFacts, JFR, and the CFE’s Promotion & Tenure system. His current efforts focus on supporting UAMS Core Research Lab Services as well as other administrative tasks for the COM Research Office. To contact or schedule a meeting with Donté, please email kdstephens@uams.edu or call 501-320-7040.