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  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. Translational Research Institute
  3. Author: dsrobinson

dsrobinson

TRI Employee’s Good Deeds Garner UAMS MVP Award

TRI’s Sharon Martin receives UAMS MVP of Month Award from Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA.

As part of her UAMS job, Sharon Martin talks to many Arkansans who are struggling, but a recent call with an elderly Little Rock woman was different.

Martin, based at the UAMS East Regional Campus in Helena-West Helena, works as a research coordinator for the UAMS Rural Research Network within the Translational Research Institute, contacting potential research participants. On Nov. 4, she was calling prospects about a UAMS diabetes study when one of the contacts revealed her dire situation.

The woman, who declined to be identified publicly, told Martin that she and her two dogs were freezing and began to cry. Martin learned that she was without insulin for her diabetes, that her home’s gas had been shut off due to a leak she could not afford to fix, and that she was hungry, with no way to cook or heat food. She was also grieving, having recently lost her husband and mother.

“I run across many people to help, but this one really tugged at my heartstrings, and she was in an unsafe situation,” Martin said.

Given the urgency, she immediately contacted local resources in central Arkansas to assist. A friend helped get the woman’s insulin supply restored at a low monthly cost, and one of Martin’s many former foster children who lives in central Arkansas provided food, a microwave, and a space heater while a local contractor fixed her gas leak at no cost.

Martin has traveled to Little Rock twice to see her, once with her local 4H chapter the day before Thanksgiving. She continues to check on her twice a week by phone.

Her actions did not go unnoticed; she got a surprise visit Thursday from Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, who presented her with the UAMS MVP Award.

Becky Hall, Ed.D., center director at the UAMS East Regional Campus, said Martin’s big heart is no surprise to her.  

“She is one of the very most caring, loving, and action-oriented people I have ever met,” Hall said. “She always puts the needs of others before her own, many times spending her hard-earned money to help someone in need.”

Hall said Martin also identified a single dad of a young girl who did not have any food in his house.

“We helped gather food, and Sharon rallied our staff to pitch in to buy his little girl a coat, several outfits, shoes, a backpack, and toiletries,” Hall said. “She is an amazing lady.”

“Compassion is a core value of UAMS and its employees,” Patterson said in his announcement about Martin. “Thank you, Sharon, for putting such heart into your work and caring for others like you do.”

Martin will be recognized in several ways as January’s MVP. Her photo will be posted on the Employee Appreciation Wall outside the Chancellor’s Suite in the Central Building. She will receive free parking for a month. She will be featured in a Faces of UAMS video and receive some great UAMS swag. She will also be presented with a certificate and monetary award at an upcoming UAMS cabinet meeting and will be honored at the year-end MVP luncheon.

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

Let’s Jump Into January!

TRI has an exciting start for the New Year with several new funding opportunities and great events for your calendar. Check them out!

Tuesday, Jan. 12.
TRI innOVATION Seminar Series, 4 – 6 p.m., featuring presentations from KL2 Program awardees and Health Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship awardees (HSIE/TL1 Program). CME available. Add to calendar

Wednesday, Jan. 20.
“K to R Roundtable: Leveraging Research Career Development Awards into Independent Funding,” 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Roundtable featuring former KL2 program awardees – now NIH-funded researchers – Lisa Brents, Ph.D., Joshua Kennedy, M.D., and Taren Swindle, Ph.D. Add to calendar:

Friday, Jan. 29.
Mentoring Matters Workshop, “Life Happens: Mentoring, Grit and Resilience,” 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A free workshop open to anyone interested in mentoring, including graduate students and postdocs. CME credit. Register Now.     Add to calendar (Full announcement below)

New Funding Opportunities

Research Benefitting Rural Populations Pilot Awards.
Request for Application (RFA) release – Jan. 11, 2021; Letter of Intent due Feb. 19, 2021. Includes one-year awards of up to $50,000. TRI Pilot Award Program details

Recently announced funding opportunities: 

Consortium Of Rural States (CORES) Interinstitutional Pilot Awards.
Request for Applications (RFA) release -Jan. 11, 2021; Letter of Intent due Feb. 15, 2021. CORES Pilot Program details. (Full announcement below)

KL2 Mentored Research Career Development Awards.
A non-binding Letter of Intent for prospective applicants is due Feb. 1, 2021. Full applications due March 1, 2021. Includes 75% salary support up to $95,000 per year and two years of additional research/career development funding totaling $50,000. KL2 Program details (Full announcement below)

Data Scholars Program.
An informational session will be held via Zoom, Jan. 14, 2021, 10 – 11 a.m., for this one-year program, which provides 20% salary support; tuition support up to $5,000 per year; and mentoring from UAMS TRI faculty and staff in developing a research project. Applications are due March 1, 2021. (Full announcement below)On the Horizon: Team Science Vouchers.
TBD; View our Team Science Program web page  fffff

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

The TRIbune Is Here!

The November-December issue of The TRIbune reports on the important contributions to national COVID-19 research platforms made by Fred Prior, Ph.D., and Ahmad Baghal, M.D., Ph.D., through their TRI-supported biomedical informatics programs.

We also report on a NCATS/CTSA award to Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., enabling telehealth research that could improve maternal health for rural Arkansas women. Our Study of the Month features Allen Sherman, Ph.D., who used the ARresearch registry to conduct a COVID-19-related survey of Arkansans. Read The TRIbune

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

TRI Announces 5 New Implementation Science Scholars

Geoffrey Curran, Ph.D., is director of the UAMS Center for Implementation Research, which joined TRI in naming the Implementation Science scholars.

TRI and the UAMS Center for Implementation Research (CIR) have selected five UAMS-based and Arkansas Children’s Hospital clinical faculty as UAMS 2021 Implementation Science Scholars. Using the principles of implementation science, CIR faculty will guide the scholars through 10 didactic sessions per year and provide oversight and mentoring for their experiential implementation science projects. The two-year program will provide 20% salary support (up to salary cap). 

The scholars and their project titles are:

Laura Jean Hobart-Porter, D.O., Assistant Professor, Developmental Pediatrics and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Division (ACH), and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (UAMS); Medical Director, Spinal Cord Disorders Program, Concussion Clinic, and Children’s Rehabilitation Center (Easter Seals of Arkansas), Department of Pediatrics, ACH/UAMS College of Medicine“Prevention of Sleep-Associated Mortality through Implementation of ‘Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida’”

Kyle J. Kalkwarf, M.D. Assistant Professor, Acute Care Surgery Division Department of General Surgery and Critical Care; UAMS College of Medicine
“Implementation of Combined Strategies to Reduce Opioid Consumption for Acute Pain in the Surgical ICU at UAMS”

Riley Lipschitz, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
“TelePrEP – Utilizing Technology to Prevent HIV and Improve Health Equity among Vulnerable Arkansans”

Elizabeth Riley, D.N.P., RNC-NIC, CNE, Clinical Assistant Professor, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, UAMS College of Nursing
“Implementation of Standardized Bedside Interprofessional Rounds in Neonatal Intensive Care”

Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, M.D., Assistant Professor, Director, Comprehensive Neuromuscular Program; Medical Director, Headache Clinic, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, ACH/UAMS College of Medicine
“Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice to Improve Care for Children with Headaches”

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

Robin Liston, M.P.H., Joins TRI as Executive Director

Robin Liston, M.P.H., has joined the UAMS Translational Research Institute as executive director.

Liston was previously assistant administrative director at Frontiers: University of Kansas Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Kansas City, Kansas.

As executive director, Liston oversees all TRI staff and services to UAMS researchers and will serve as a liaison to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsor for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program.

“After an extensive search with many excellent candidates, we are excited to have Robin as part of our team,” said TRI Director Laura James, M.D. “Robin’s diverse skillset developed over the last 18 years in research management helped set her apart. Her proven leadership within a CTSA Program will ensure the highest degree of efficiency and professionalism in our delivery of resources and services to all UAMS-affiliated investigators.”

The Translational Research Institute is supported by NIH/NCATS CTSA UL1 TR003107.

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

NCATS Supports UAMS Telehealth Study to Improve Mortality Rate Among Rural Pregnant Women

LITTLE ROCK – Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will use a $228,000 federal grant to test telehealth as a way to improve Arkansas’ death rate among pregnant women, which ranks fifth nationally.

Led by UAMS’ Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., the research team will focus on remote health monitoring of pregnant women in rural areas with few health providers or resources. The goal is to determine if remote health monitoring can improve care for rural pregnant women with high blood pressure.

The one-year grant is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The funding was awarded as a supplement to UAMS’ NCATS-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA).

Laura James, M.D., is principal investigator of the CTSA and director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute, whose work is supported by the five-year, $24.2 million award UL1 TR003107.

Statistics show that Arkansas has 44.5 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births annually. The national average is 29.6 deaths.

The team will recruit 50 pregnant women to test whether patient care can be improved using the combined systems of:

  • Telemedicine via interactive video with UAMS maternal-fetal specialists
  • Remote health monitoring (for example, blood pressure rates shared electronically from participants’ homes)
  • The UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation Call Center. The study’s remote patient monitoring system will become part of the institute’s existing rural telemedicine clinic and call center model for monitoring blood pressure in pregnancy.

“This is a critical health issue for us,” said Eswaran, a professor in the College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “No other developed countries have maternal mortality rates as high as Arkansas, and we know that lack of access to care is a significant factor.”

In the United States, severe maternal illness is on the rise, affecting about 52,000 pregnant women at delivery every year. According to a CDC report, the severe maternal illness rate during delivery increased almost 200% from 1993 to 2014. This increase is caused by increased rates of blood transfusion, acute renal (kidney) failure, respiratory (breathing) distress syndrome and cardiac (heart) disease.

Severe maternal illnesses are expected to continue to grow because women are becoming pregnant later in life, increasing pre-pregnancy obesity, pre-existing chronic medical conditions and cesarean deliveries, Eswaran said. Rates are also much higher among minority women and women from rural areas. Likewise, maternal death rates are higher for racial minorities and poorer populations.

“By identifying these at-risk women early in their pregnancy, we can potentially help provide timely medical care using telehealth technology,” Eswaran said. “This would help prevent illness and death, shorten hospital stays and reduce health care costs.”

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

Early UAMS Study Results Show 3.5% of Arkansans Infected by Coronavirus

LITTLE ROCK – Early results from a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)-led COVID-19 antibody study show that 3.5% of Arkansans have been infected with the novel coronavirus through August.

UAMS researcher Joshua Kennedy, M.D., revealed the initial findings of the Arkansas Coronavirus Antibodies Seroprevalence Survey during a presentation Oct. 21 with Laura James, M.D., director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute.

Laura James, M.D.

Laura James, M.D.

The Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA)-sponsored talk focusing on UAMS’ COVID-19 research efforts featured James, an ARA fellow, Kennedy and John Arthur, M.D., Ph.D., also a UAMS COVID-19 researcher. UAMS has eight other studies testing new therapies for COVID-19 either active or in startup.

Kennedy, associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, along with Craig Forrest, Ph.D., and Karl Boehme, Ph.D., associate professors in the College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology, have spearheaded an effort to analyze blood samples from Arkansans.

One aspect of the study involved using remnant blood samples from patients who visit UAMS clinics, including three Regional Campus clinics, and have their blood drawn for health reasons other than COVID-19. The samples, which would be discarded otherwise, are being collected and shipped to UAMS from across the state for the antibody test, which was developed in the laboratories of Boehme and Forrest.

Of 1,220 adult blood samples tested so far, 43 were positive, or 3.5%. From this analysis, samples were collected in July and August, 2020. While low overall, Kennedy said, there are noteworthy differences across racial and ethnic groups:

  • Hispanic (13 of 73 positive = 17.8%)
  • Black/African American (21/501 = 4.19%)
  • White/Caucasian (7/550 = 1.27%)

Kennedy said that, “based on the data and statistical analysis to date, Hispanics/Latinx and Blacks/African Americans have a higher percentage of positive COVID-19 antibody tests. This relationship will need to be studied further for other factors that might influence these numbers. We hope to work through some of these issues over the next two waves of the study.”

“These early results show the importance of our efforts to survey statewide,” said James, associate vice chancellor for Clinical and

Karl Boehme, Ph.D.

Karl Boehme, Ph.D.

Translational Research at UAMS. “We will continue to evaluate antibody rates over the next several months to monitor the impact of COVID-19 in Arkansas.”

Seroprevalence is the proportion of people in a population whose blood serum tests positive for a particular disease. Unlike diagnostic tests for COVID-19 the seroprevalence antibody testing looks back into the immune system’s history. A positive antibody test means the person was exposed to the virus and developed antibodies against the virus.

It will give state leaders a good estimate of how many Arkansans have been infected with the virus since it first came to the state, even if they did not become ill or have symptoms.

Kennedy praised the collaboration of UAMS Regional Campuses, whose family medical centers in Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Pine Bluff are all contributing remnant blood samples. The collaboration was also made possible by the new UAMS Rural Research Network and the Translational Research Institute, whose resources are helping make use of Regional Campuses’ infrastructure to include rural areas of Arkansas in health research.

The study began this summer after UAMS researchers developed high-accuracy antibody testing methods. As part of the research program, UAMS is collecting blood samples from nearly 7,500 Arkansas adults and children. Arkansas Children’s is leading the pediatric component of the study. The UAMS College of Public Health is leading the epidemiology component of the study, using the contact tracing call center to enroll study participants and collect health histories and blood samples from individuals who represent the entire state.

The study is supported by $3.3 million in federal coronavirus aid that was then allocated by the Arkansas Coronavirus Aid, Relief and

Craig Forrest, Ph.D.

Craig Forrest, Ph.D.

Economic Security Act Steering Committee created by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

The Translational Research Institute is supported by grant TL1 TR003109 through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom, Uncategorized

USDA Awards Grants for Backyard Gardens and Adapting to Climate Change

Rachel Hale (top left), Community Engagement program manager at the UAMS Translational Research Institute, helped acquire grants for community gardens and energy efficiency projects. She is joined in this file photo by other UAMS community garden volunteers (back row) Carissa Ansel, College of Public Health (COPH) student, Taylor Washington, COPH student, and Carolyn Greene, Ph.D. Front row, COPH students Taylor McClanahan and Sarah Fountain.
Rachel Hale (top left), Community Engagement program manager at the UAMS Translational Research Institute, helped acquire grants for community gardens and energy efficiency projects. She is joined in this file photo by other UAMS community garden volunteers (back row) Carissa Ansel, College of Public Health (COPH) student, Taylor Washington, COPH student, and Carolyn Greene, Ph.D. Front row, COPH students Taylor McClanahan and Sarah Fountain.

A UAMS-community partnership has garnered two grants for community and backyard gardens and energy efficiency projects.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a one-year $100,000 grant for developing a network of gardens to improve access to local foods for low-income communities of color in central Arkansas. The grant will also fund education programs and initiatives to promote urban agriculture, and will be evaluated by the UAMS Office of Community-Based Public Health.

Another $10,000 was awarded by Climate Reality to increase sustainability through backyard gardens and energy efficiency.

The grants resulted from a partnership that involves the College of Public Health Office of Community-Based Public Health, the Translational Research Institute Community Engagement Program, and community partner Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light. Other partners include the University of Arkansas Business Innovations Clinic and Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality Farm to School Program.

TRI Community Engagement Program Manager Rachel Hale worked with Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light’s Jimmy Parks, Dr.P.H., garden manager and Scharmel Roussel, executive director, to develop plans and apply for project funding.

The funding, which will provide volunteer and part-time internship opportunities for UAMS students , was applauded by Kate Stewart, M.D., director of the Office of Community-Based Public Health in the College of Public Health, and director of the Translational Research Institute’s Community Engagement Program.

“These exciting projects will engage our students as volunteers in their community gardens,” Stewart said. “It will also help them evaluate projects they are doing with community members to increase the use of backyard gardens.”

Projects will be focused in low-income central Arkansas communities of color living with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, especially the elderly, children, and veterans with high rates of food insecurity, high rates of chronic illness, and disproportionately high utility bills.

Activities to improve food security and help communities adapt to a changing climate will include:

  • Supporting community members in starting and maintaining backyard gardens and increasing access to energy efficient items and information.
  • Providing education about plant-rich diets, importance of local food, climate change and health, and energy conservation.
  • Supporting existing community gardens to provide excess food to the UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center and other food pantries.
  • Mentoring youth and young adults interested in becoming urban farmers.

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

October TRIbune Introduces UAMS Rural Research Network

The TRIbune
The TRIbune

This month’s TRIbune newsletter features the new Rural Research Network, an intra-institutional partnership that leverages the infrastructure of UAMS Regional Programs and its regional campuses.

The network will help TRI meet its mission of helping UAMS more effectively address chronic health conditions among rural underrepresented populations.

Read The TRIbune

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

Testimonial Video: Jessica Snowden, M.D., Explains How TRI, Teens Aided Study Recruitment

In this new video, UAMS researcher Jessica Snowden, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, explains why she was thrilled to consult a group of teenagers about her study recruitment materials.

Snowden, who needed feedback from those in her target audience, was the recipient of a free service provided by TRI’s Community Engagement Program. TRI offers all UAMS-affiliated researchers a one-time, two-hour Community Review Board (CRB) made up of participants whose life experiences are relevant to the study.

To assist Snowden, the Community Engagement team recruited Little Rock high school students who had recently graduated from TRI’s Community Scientist Academy.  

She said the CRB “was insanely helpful” in more effectively recruiting asthmatic children for a multi-site vitamin D study.

Snowden is also co-principal investigator of the NIH-funded IDeA (Institutional Development Awards Program) States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network Data Coordinating and Operations Center. The program directs clinical operations for trial implementation and professional development across a 17-state NIH-funded research group.

Watch the video to learn more about this service.

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

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