Post doctoral fellow in the department of epidemiology, Patrick Apopa, recently won an award for his scientific poster at the 14th annual MidSouth Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Conference, March 23-25. Apopa’s poster was titled, “Cyanobacteria Colonization in the Lung Exhibit Innate Inflammatory Response Leading to Lung Adenocarcinoma.” He won $150 for his work. Other UAMS authors on the abstract include Rosalind Penney, Ph.D., Konstantinos Arnaoutakis, M.D., Matthew A. Steliga, M.D., Susanne Jeffus, M.D., Nishi Shah, M.D., Orloff Mohammed, Ph.D, Emine Bircan, Ph.D. student, and Jing Jin, Ph.D. student.
COPH News
MPH Student Presents Grand Rounds at Arkansas Department of Health
Jonathan Aram, MPH student and epidemiologist at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), presented at ADH grand rounds July 6 on the Arkansas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP).
The PMP is a database that collects and stores prescribing and dispensing data for controlled substances and other drugs specified by Arkansas law. Aram, along with Denise Robertson, PMP Administrator, discussed how far the program has come since it was established by Act 304 in 2011.
Pharmacies input prescriptions for controlled substances into the system. Doing this allows the prescriber to see how many times an individual has filled a prescription. Since implementation in 2013, the PMP has been voluntary, but that will change in the fall when prescribers will be required to check the PMP before prescribing certain drugs.
PMP authorized users include pharmacists, physicians, advanced practice nurses, optometrists, dentists, law enforcement, and licensing board members.
Despite a recent reduction in the number of prescriptions written, per captita, opioid use in Arkansas remains high.
Along with an increase in prescribing, Arkansas has seen rising drug overdose death rates beginning in the late 1990’s. Drug overdose deaths occur more frequently among non-Hispanic whites, adults with low educational attainment and people living in certain counties in Arkansas.
For more information, visit https://www.arkansaspmp.com/.
COPH Graduates Present Grand Rounds at Arkansas Department of Health
COPH graduates and Delta Omega inductees, Melissa Clemens and Shelbie Stahr, presented grand rounds on June 22 at the Arkansas Department of Health. They each presented research from their culminating experience projects in the MPH program.
Clemens looked at the effects of nicotine and tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) from e-cigarettes on pregnant women. The study, which was the first of its kind, specifically looked at the effects of the biomarkers, nicotine, cotinine, and the TSNAs NNK and NNL, which are carcinogens and what most people assume are not in ENDS, by sampling the hair of 81 pregnant women who use Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS).
Results showed that dual users (or those who smoke cigarettes and are ENDS users) and smokers expose themxelves to the same amount of nicotine. Nicotine i also only paritally responsible for adverse birth outcomes; therefore, cigarettes must contain additional toxins. Lastly, dual users expose themselves to more NNK than smokers, which may affect them down the road.
Stahr’s research looked at the biomarker SULT1A1 and its capabilities for cancer. She aimes to identify a biomarker that could ultimately reduce invasive procedures and large costs that a cancer diagnosis brings.
SULT1A1 is a drug-metabolizing enzyme, expressed in the liver, that engages in modifying metabolites and neutralizing toxins. Stahr looked at 288 liver samples to see if there was a correlation between SULT1A1 expression and activity levels and the methylation status. Ultimately, she couldn’t make a correlation, but if work like this continues, eventually a biomarker will be found that can reduce the cancer burden in our health care system.
Clemens and Stahr will both continue their education at UAMS in the fall by pursuing Ph.D.’s, one in Toxicology and the other in Epidemiology, respectively. Congrats to both ladies on all their hard work.
Mentorship Program Encourages Careers in Public Health
Eliminating tuberculosis, preventing violence, and improving health for people worldwide.
A mentoring program provided jointly by the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health and the Arkansas Department of Health has inspired students to study and make an impact in these areas of public health — areas they may not have thought about before participating in the program.
The Stead Scholars Mentorship Program is in its seventh year.
Students receive a $2,200 stipend to complete a public health project while working with a mentor for eight weeks. They get an introduction to public health, including exposure to science by public health professionals, clinical practice and health policy development. Students learn about topics such as Zika and Lyme disease, the opioid epidemic and climate change.
This year’s Stead Scholars are James Abraham, Kristin Donadeo, Jared Goff, Rachel Parker, Sarah Munro, Katherine Darden, and Aaron Underhill.
“This is an opportunity to show students what public health entails, and perhaps we can encourage them to consider a professional career in public health,” said Joseph Bates, M.D., professor and associate dean for public health practice in the College of Public Health. Bates recently retired as deputy state health officer and chief science officer at the Arkansas Department of Health.
The program, named for William “Bill” Stead, M.D., began in 2012 as a way to attract younger people to the public health field. Stead, who was an internationally recognized physician, scientist, educator and humanitarian, served as the Tuberculosis Control Officer for 26 years at the Arkansas Department of Health until his retirement in 1998. He is credited for developing innovative measures in tuberculosis treatment and control such as short course chemotherapy for tuberculosis and making groundbreaking contributions in tuberculosis control among the elderly and prison system. After his death in 2004, his friends created an endowment to memorialize his work.
The Stead endowment provides funds for two students, while the College of Public Health funds additional students each summer. Twenty-one students have completed the program.
Katy Allison, Ph.D. student and graduate research assistant in the College of Public Health, was among the first class of Stead Scholars in 2012.
“The Stead Scholars Program was my first introduction to public health after graduating college. I am grateful for the opportunity the program gave me because it jump-started my career in public health,” said Allison. “I knew very little about public health or the potential for a career in the field before the Stead program, but the experience exposed me to an area I fell in love with, Trauma and Injury Prevention.”
Allison developed a report on the Arkansas Trauma System, which is readily accessible and still used by public health professionals. After the program, Allison enrolled in the UAMS College of Public Health and earned a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree and is pursuing a doctorate in health promotion and prevention research because of her interest in injury and violence prevention.
Sydney Haldeman, who went through the program in 2014, recently finished her M.P.H. at Boston University. Prior to the Stead Scholars Program, Haldeman wanted to pursue a career in biology, but now she is pursuing a career in global health because of her experience in the program.
“Because of this program, I’m now genuinely excited about public health and I hope to work in this field one day,” said Haldeman.
Heather Prowse, who is entering her senior year at Hendrix College, completed the program in 2016.
“I was able to work with Dr. Lori Fischbach at the College of Public Health when I was in the program,” Prowse said. “I even co-authored a paper that’s in process of being published.”
Prowse credits her guidance from Bates in encouraging her to go into the public health field, which led her to an internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. After graduation, Prowse plans to pursue an M.D./M.P.H. degree.
“The Stead Scholars program has been in place for several years now and it has served to introduce promising college undergraduates to the many and varied career opportunities in public health” Bates said.
May 2017 Events and Reminders
New Programs at COPH
COPH is now offering an Executive Certificate in Healthcare Management and a Certificate in Global Health. Courses begin this summer for the Executive Certificate in Healthcare Management and this fall for the Global Health.
UAMS Celebrates National Public Health Week
UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health (COPH) celebrated National Public Health Week April 3-9 by hosting events to promote healthy behaviors. The national theme this year, “Healthiest Nation 2030,” calls on individuals to ensure conditions — such as access to safe, healthy food — in which everyone has the opportunity to be healthy. Arkansas’ theme, “Healthiest Arkansas 2030,” aims to make Arkansas the healthiest state in the nation by 2030.
On April 3-4, the Arkansas Blood Institute held a campuswide blood drive in the College of Public Health. Those who donated received a “blood donor hero” t-shirt. Also April 3, the college hosted the movie, Living on One Dollar, as a part of a IPE event University wide. The movie aimed to reveal the lives of those in other countries who are poor. It follows the story of four young American friends who set out to live on just one dollar a day for eight weeks in rural Guatemala. They battle hunger, parasites and the realization of the differences that exist around the world in the way in which people live. Friends are made and life lessons are learned.
“As a public health student, I was able to see the whole picture and not just the situation defining the people living in the rural Guatemala town. To me, this movie shows that we can all learn compassion together and that as public health practitioners, we must strive to understand the people we are serving,” said Kailyn-Marie Bostic, first year Master of Public Health student. Alesia Ferguson, Ph.D., an associate professor, co-facilitated the question and answer discussion after the movie.
“There are some takeaways from this movie for our students. First, UAMS students observed the resilience of people living in poor communities like the one displayed in the movie and how they strive as a cohesive community to help one another. Second, the simple things of life must be appreciated. Third, any help we provide to such communities must be practical, suitable and sustainable in the long-term.,” said Ferguson. The college’s Student Council gave back to the community by providing, preparing and serving lunch at Our House shelter in Little Rock.
The college’s Office of Student Affairs held a career fair on campus featuring entities that are hiring health- related positions. Vendors included Centene Corporation, the Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas Department of Human Services, the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency, the Childhood Obesity Prevention Research Program and others.
April 6, the college welcomed four alumni for an Alumni Panel Discussion. Participants heard about their career paths since graduating and were able to ask questions. Panelists included Master of Public Health graduates Brian Delavan, a statistician for the federal government; Morgan Uchtman, an epidemiologist at the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality; and Micheal Knox, assistant director of population health at the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement; and Doctor of Public Health candidate Amanda Philyaw Perez, a program associate in policy and education at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Public Policy Center.
Also, the UAMS Fitness Center offered a free week trial to any College of Public Health student, faculty or staff not already a member. The Student Council also began hosting a food drive that will last until April 14, and is selling college t-shirts and pullovers until May 1. All proceeds from both of these will benefit the UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center.
Faith, Community Leaders Address Health Disparities
The importance of partnerships and networking to reduce health disparities was emphasized April 7 at the Community Campus Partnership Conference to address health disparities held at the Four Points by Sheraton in Little Rock. The conference, presented by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), brought together over 200 faith and community leaders, educators, health care providers and researchers to discuss health equity in Arkansas.
“This is an opportunity for us, as researchers, to explain to community leaders what community-based participatory research is, as well as an opportunity to share the research we’ve been working on with the faith community and what we have found along the way,” said Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor in the UAMS College of Public Health’s Health Behavior and Health Education Department and conference planning committee chairperson. Attendees are able to utilize the conference to identify potential partners, as well as tie already existing community programs to ongoing research.
Keynote speaker Joshua Dubois, former White House director of faith-based and neighborhood partnerships under President Barak Obama, discussed how effective it is for people in health care to partner with hospitals, the community and other leaders to reduce health disparities. Dubois offered the “Memphis Model,” as an example of a community working together for health equity. The model shows that by engaging faith-based communities in partnerships, health care providers can build relationships with communities and determine how to reduce those existing health disparities.
The morning session featured Wana Bing, project manager for the UAMS Office of Community Health and Research; Nia Aitaoto, Ph.D., co-director of the UAMS Center for Pacific Islander Health; and Sheldon Ricklon, M.D., associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. Northwest Arkansas is home to the largest population of Marshall Islanders outside of the country itself. The panel gave an overview of the history of this population coming to Arkansas and discussed the importance of the Marshallese community engaging in research.
The Marshallese in northwest Arkansas have high rates of diabetes and other chronic diseases, as well as disparities such as access to health care and healthy food options. This makes it even more important for them to engage with researchers so these disparities can be addressed.
The afternoon closed with breakout sessions on six main topics: service learning, brainstorming on addressing health issues in the community, community-based participatory research training, faith and government collaborations for health equity, mental health in faith communities, and best practices to engage faith communities.
The conference was supported by grants from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Nursing Workforce Diversity grant, the UAMS Translational Research Institute, and the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. It was held in collaboration with the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, the Arkansas Department of Health and Baptist Health Physician Partners.
COM/COPH Students Awarded Bourne Scholarships
Two UAMS College of Medicine (COM)/College of Public Health (COPH) students were awarded the David Bourne Public Health Physician Memorial Scholarship in February. Brian Kennedy and Collins Scott were presented their $1,000 scholarships on Feb. 7 at the UAMS COPH.
The David Bourne Public Health Physician Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a medical student or resident who exhibits an interest and aptitude in public health policy through study in obtaining an MPH at the COPH. David Bourne, M.D., was a public health advocacy leader in Arkansas who worked successfully to ensure that all tobacco settlement funds awarded to the state went toward health promotion and disease prevention programs.
Kennedy is a fourth year COM student and will finish his MPH later this year. “I was fortunate enough to live in Southern Africa for two summers. I helped build a health clinic, taught English at a university, and played soccer with children living in government apartments that are plagued by gang violence,” Kennedy said. “While there I recognized a desperate need, relief from HIV/AIDS. The epidemic exists largely because women lack basic rights, are often prevented from receiving an education, and are subsequently forced into prostitution in order to provide for their children.” This experience helped Kennedy see the importance of public health.
“As a public health physician, I plan to empower and educate the women of Southern Africa by teaching in and continuing to build clinics. I’m especially interested in obstetrics and infectious disease transmission during childbirth,” said Kennedy.
Scott is a third year COM student with an interest in general surgery. “I am hoping to use the knowledge I acquire in the MPH program to identify areas for improvement in the field of surgery,” Scott said. “I am specifically interested in outcomes-based research and identifying barriers that patients face to access surgical care.”
May 2017 Faculty News
Dr. Mick Tilford gives Grand Rounds at Arkansas Department of Health
Mick Tilford, Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, gave Grand Rounds at Arkansas Department of Health on March 2. His presentation, “What do Students of Healthcare Economics know about Health Care Reform,” discussed economic analysis in health care reform. He presented different areas of healthcare economics that students, both those in the COPH and anyone interested in learning about healthcare economics, know. He said the three most important ideas in health care economics are payment reform, payment reform and payment reform. Ultimately more work is needed to understand the differences in financing Medicaid and determining quality of care. If you’d like to view his presentation, follow this link: https://vimeopro.com/healthyarkansas/20170302.
Dr. Pebbles Fagan gives Grand Rounds at Arkansas Department of Health
Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education and director of the Center for the Study of Tobacco in the UAMSCollege of Public Health, presented at Grand Rounds at the Arkansas Department of Health on March 30. Her presentation, “Vape Shop Manufacturers and Distributors: What We Can Learn from Observational Studies,” discussed the sales, marketing, promotion and social environment of vape shops, which is an emerging public health issue. Additionally, she talked about what goes on in vape shops and presented implications for policy related to them.
Fagan also presented an overview of the authority the Food and Drug Administration now has over vape shops. Vape shops are establishments that can sell the product, including Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) devices, ENDS replacement pieces, hardware, e-liquids, etc. These shops can mix or prepare liquid nicotine and flavors. Depending on the activities that go on in the vape shop, it can be considered a tobacco product retailer, a tobacco product manufacturer, or both. These shops are subject to inspection by FDA. Fagan then presented an overview of studies that she has been working on with relation to vape shops. If you’d like to view her presentation, follow this link: https://vimeopro.com/healthyarkansas/20170330
James M. Raczynski, Ph.D., Named to Inaugural M. Joycelyn Elders, M.D., Chair in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
James M. Raczynski, Ph.D., dean of the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested April 20 as the inaugural recipient of the M. Joycelyn Elders, M.D., Chair in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Raczynski, professor and founding dean of the College of Public Health since 2002, has focused the college’s mission on health promotion and disease prevention to improve quality of life for entire communities.
An endowed chair is among the highest academic honors a university can bestow on a faculty member and is established with gifts of at least $1 million, which are invested and the proceeds used to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chair holder. Those named to a chair are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians, and professors in their fields.
The chair is named in honor of Elders, a UAMS emeritus professor of pediatrics and distinguished professor of public health who served as the 15th U.S. surgeon general under then-President Bill Clinton from 1993-1994. She was the first African-American, second woman and first Arkansan appointed to the post. Several hundred individual donors contributed to the funding of the chair to honor her legacy.
“Dr. Elders is a real pioneer here at UAMS, and what she has done for public health over the course of her lifetime is nothing short of remarkable,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn. “Dr. Jim Raczynski’s leadership as dean, scientist and teacher has been the driving force behind the success of our College of Public Health. This chair symbolizes UAMS’ commitment to build upon Dr. Elders’ legacy of better health for all, and Dr. Raczynski is the perfect choice to continue that legacy.”
Elders is a member of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board and was inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame in August. UAMS honored Elders in 2015 with a portrait commissioned by the College of Public Health. A video of the portrait unveiling was shown at Raczynski’s investiture. It included remarks from former Gov. Mike Beebe and the late Thomas Bruce, M.D., inaugural dean of the College of Public Health and former dean of the College of Medicine. Bruce, who died in 2016, was a longtime supporter of Elders and helped facilitate the creation of the chair.
Elders received her medical degree from UAMS in 1960 and joined the faculty after completing her master’s degree in 1967. Before being appointed surgeon general, Elders served as director of the Arkansas Department of Health from 1987-1993. During her tenure she nearly doubled childhood immunization rates, expanded the state’s prenatal care program, and increased home-care options for the chronically and terminally ill.
Elders continues to advocate for access to health care as a fundamental right. Her work as a pediatric endocrinologist led to her advocacy for adolescent health and reducing rates of substance abuse and pregnancy among teenagers. She continues to be a champion for the poor and disadvantaged, challenging leaders to acknowledge the evidence that there are socio-economic benefits in healthy communities.
Elders recently donated her professional and personal papers, memorabilia, and artifacts to the UAMS Library Historical Research Center. Once organized, the collection will be available for use by researchers, students, faculty and the public.
As a special surprise for Elders, former President Bill Clinton penned a letter congratulating her on the chair being created in her honor. It was read aloud by Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and provost. “We all owe you a debt of gratitude for your lifelong work, and I can’t think of a better way to honor you than with an endowed chair at UAMS, to which you have already given so much,” Clinton’s letter said.
“It is fitting that this chair is named for one of our state’s pioneering public health advocates in Dr. Elders,” Gardner said. “This chair will help with long-term strategic goals in public health that can have a far-reaching impact in Arkansas, and Dr. Raczynski’s leadership and vision are essential to making those impacts felt.”
Elders, who attended the ceremony along with her husband, Oliver Elders, thanked her family for their support, and made special mention of Tom Bruce and also Jennifer Pritzker, founder and president of the TAWANI Foundation, for their dedication.
“I am very grateful, but I’m not grateful for me,” Elders said. “I’m grateful for all those young women over there along the Delta, and I say but for the grace of God, there go I. Dr. Raczynski, along with myself and many others, are going to make sure to reduce poverty, ignorance and enslavement along the Delta,” Elders said.
Raczynski was presented with a commemorative medallion by Rahn and Gardner. Raczynski thanked Pritzker and the other donors who helped establish the chair, and acknowledged his wife, Martha Phillips, Ph.D., an associate professor in the College of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology, and their extended family in attendance.
“I am deeply honored to receive this chair, and to have my name associated with Dr. Elders, whom I deeply respect,” Raczynski said. “We will use this chair to work to create a center for women’s health that will address the issues of teenage pregnancy and risky sexual behavior, while providing educational opportunities and treatment options.”
Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., praised Elders for her tireless work in pursuit of better public health, particularly sexual health. “Dr. Elders has meant so much to me, and my life and career, and to so many others in public health,” Satcher said. “First and foremost, we in public health are supposed to care, and she cares deeply. I don’t need to tell you that she has the courage to act.”
Other speakers at the ceremony were William Greenfield, M.D., division director of obstetrics and gynecology and associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine; Billy Thomas, M.D., UAMS vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion and professor in the College of Medicine; Herman Taylor, M.D., endowed professor and director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine; Jodiane Tritt, J.D., vice president of government relations for the Arkansas Hospital Association; and Joseph Bates, M.D., professor of epidemiology and associate dean for public health practice in the UAMS College of Public Health, and deputy state health officer and chief science officer for the Arkansas Department of Health.
During Raczynski’s time as dean, the College of Public Health was accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health in a record two years. It expanded from four initial faculty members to 57, and from 90 graduate students to 272, spread across 24 different education programs. Raczynski’s leadership has helped create multiple practice, research and educational partnerships between the college and academic institutions, organizations and agencies throughout Arkansas.
“Jim, your body of work reflects the basic principle that health includes, but is much more than, hospitals and medications,” Taylor said. “All of us who are concerned about health disparities owe you an incalculable debt.” “There is not a soul more deserving of this chair than Dr. Raczynski,” Tritt said. “He does extraordinary things in the most humble way.” “As the founding dean of the College of Public Health, Dr. Raczynski took on the daunting task of starting from scratch,” Bates said. “He is a man of great achievement who has led this school to its outstanding situation.”
Raczynski received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology at The Pennsylvania State University in 1978 and 1980, completed his clinical psychology residency training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and became a faculty member at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1981, where he remained for 21 years prior to assuming his current position at UAMS.
Raczynski serves as the founding principal investigator and director for two federally funded research centers: the Arkansas Center for Health Disparities, funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and the Arkansas Prevention Research Center, funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His research involves primary prevention of chronic diseases and racial and ethnic health disparities.
Raczynski has helped the College of Public Health create a diverse public health workforce well-suited to help solve Arkansas’ health issues, particularly those related to health disparities. He has focused his research on health promotion and disease prevention in the predominantly African-American and rural Arkansas Delta region.
Raczynski has a long and distinguished research career, with funding from over 30 extramural grants and contracts from the NIH, CDC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, and three books.
Alex Marshall Presents Webinar to Illinois Public Health Professionals
Alex Marshall, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Health Behavior and Health Education Department, presented a webinar on “Developing Allyship and Advocacy” to public health workers in Illinois on April 19. Illinois hosts a monthly statewide webinar series through the Illinois Department of Public Health-STD Section and asked Marshall to present on the topic. In her presentation, Marshall discussed what she’s learned while building her cultural sensitivity and competency. She described sexual and gender microaggressions, defined cultural competency and identified some things that every ally needs to remember. If you’d like to listen to a recording of Marshall’s presentation, go to https://idph.adobeconnect.com/p13f4v995mi/.
Keneshia Bryant-Moore Presents at COPH Public Health Seminar
Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor in the Health Behavior and Health Education Department, presented the public health seminar April 11 in COPH 3202.
Bryant-Moore’s presentation, “Development of a Faith Academic Initiatives for Transforming Health (FAITH) Network,” discussed the work she and others in the COPH have been doing with the faith community to address health disparities that exist in Arkansas. She discussed many different projects, including REJOICE (Renewed and Empowered for the Journey to Overcome in Christ Everyday), The Word, the Jefferson County Faith Task Force, the Phillips County Faith Task Force, Trinity Life Management, and the Arkansas Faith Network. These projects address such health issues as depression, obesity, stress management, diabetes, etc. Another big focus is on patient centered outcomes research, which is a goal of the Arkansas FAITH Network.
Kim Hayman, R.N., who works with the Growing Your Own in the Delta program at UAMS, assisted Bryant-Moore to give an update on seven focus groups that were done earlier in the year. These focus groups were essential to learning community member’s opinions about the faith community’s role in address health topics.
Public Health Seminar’s occur the second and fourth Tuesday of every month in COPH 3202. This seminar series is sponsored by UAMS COPH and the Arkansas Department of Health.
COPH Students Participate in UAMS Student Research Day
Seven COPH students participated in the UAMS student research day on April 12. Clare Brown, Melissa Clemens, Laura Ewing, Jing Jin, Adrienne Nevola, Cole Pace and Sun Hee Moon all presented their work to peers and faculty in the I. Dodd Wilson Education Building.
The annual campus-wide event gives graduate and professional students, postdocs, and medical house staff/fellows the opportunity to communicate about their work. It included morning and afternoon poster sessions, where students explained their research to judges. About 70 volunteer judges helped make the event possible for the 132 poster presentations.
In addition, there was significant excitement over the speaker, Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. who spoke to an audience of over 300 students, faculty, and staff. Students lined up to have their photos taken and exchange a few words with Laurencin, the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut, who has won numerous distinctions, including national-level awards from two presidents. His innovations are frequently listed among the top scientific achievements of the century.
Laurencin gave an overview in his groundbreaking work in regenerative engineering. He and his research partners have successfully developed processes and technologies for re-growing bone and skin, nerves, ligaments and other tissues. His process for regenerating a torn ACL has been used in humans for three years. His current project to repair rotator cuff tears and other shoulder injuries through regeneration has proven successful in mice.
Looking forward, he has set a goal to regenerate a knee within the next seven years and an entire limb in 15 years. Laurencin characterized it as a lofty – but achievable – goal.
“Actually, a lot of people have told me, ‘believe me, it is a moonshot,’ but as I’ve said before, the last time I’ve checked, we’ve been to the moon,” Laurencin said
COPH students represented the MPH, MHA, and Ph.D. programs at the research day.