Front

May 25, 2018

UAMS Clinical Trials Day Punctuated by Success Stories

Former UAMS patient Harold "Hap" Peterson survived melanoma thanks to his participation in a clinical trial that was testing a new drug.

In May 2006, Harold “Hap” Peterson was advised to get his affairs in order by UAMS cancer specialist Laura Hutchins, M.D. He had late-stage melanoma, a type of skin cancer, with tumors spreading throughout his body. He was shocked to hear he had only three to six months to live. “I said, ‘I don’t feel…

May 22, 2018

TRI’s Amy Jo Jenkins to Lead International Society of Clinical Research Professionals Board

Amy Jo Jenkins, M.S., C.C.R.P., executive director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute, has been named president-elect of the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) Board of Directors. SOCRA, a nonprofit, charitable and educational membership organization, provides an internationally recognized certification program for clinical research professionals (CCRP®). Jenkins founded the Arkansas SOCRA chapter in 2011….

May 18, 2018

BioVentures fastPace Course Helps Researchers Grasp Business Basics

Marie Burdine, Ph.D., left, makes her presentation to the judges, foreground, during the final class session of the fastPace course.

Even a classroom full of experienced researchers with Ph.D. and medical degrees still found useful things to learn about business during the fastPace course organized by BioVentures. “We enrolled in the class because we thought we had a good idea, but we didn’t really know how to take it to the next step,” said Marie Burdine, Ph.D. “We…

May 4, 2018

Public Invited to Attend UAMS Community Scientist Academy

Community Scientist Academy participants taking part in a class exercise.

Arkansans interested in having a voice in research programs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) or simply learning how research is done are invited to participate in UAMS’ Summer 2018 Community Scientist Academy. Sponsored by the UAMS Translational Research Institute, the Community Scientist Academy will be on Tuesdays each week May 22…

April 30, 2018

TRI Helps Center for Health Literacy Make National Impact

Kristie Hadden, Ph.D., and her team at the Center for Health Literacy have been busy collecting national and international awards, grants and attention for their research-based tools and interventions. And for good reason – their products are becoming models for addressing a key barrier to health improvement and human subjects research. Hadden attributes much of…

April 17, 2018

March/April TRIbune

This issue of the TRIbune highlights the vital work of the UAMS Center for Health Literacy, which is garnering national attention as it tackles a key barrier to human subjects research and health improvement. Led by Kristie Hadden, Ph.D., the center and TRI have established fruitful translational research partnerships since 2013. We also celebrate the…

March 9, 2018

New Opioid Studies Led by UAMS Researchers and Collaborating Sites

Funding for two inter-institutional pilot studies looking at opioid abuse was announced today by the UAMS Translational Research Institute. One study seeks to address opioid use disorders in pregnant women. “The study will harmonize data collection utilizing an iPad-based data collection tool with input from providers and patients,” said Jessica L. Coker, M.D., who will…

March 1, 2018

UAMS Researchers Seeking More than 1,000 Completed Medical Marijuana Surveys

Nalin Payakachat, Ph.D., (left) is leading the study of Arkansans’ attitudes about medical marijuana. William Fantegrossi, Ph.D., a co-investigator on the study, shows Payakachat a vial of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his UAMS lab.

A first-of-its-kind survey is being circulated in Arkansas by UAMS researchers interested in Arkansans’ attitudes and perceptions about cannabis (marijuana) as state officials prepare to make it available for medical use. Of the 28 other states with medical marijuana, none have conducted surveys prior to its legalization that document public attitudes about marijuana as a…

February 21, 2018

TRI Co-Sponsored CTSA Workshop Using AI to Mine Research Data

Mathias Brochhausen, Ph.D. (right), with Jonathan Bona, Ph.D., has led organization of the ontology workshop.

As an ontologist, UAMS’ Mathias Brochhausen, Ph.D., teaches computers the meaning of words. He takes a term, such as “informed consent,” and writes a definition in language the computer can interpret. “Here’s something about ontologies that is very cool: Ontologies are actually an artificial intelligence product,” he said. Brochhausen’s expertise and enthusiasm for ontology/AI solutions…

February 13, 2018

Jan/Feb TRIbune

This issue of the TRIbune highlights nationally significant TRI partnerships with the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) in the UAMS College of Medicine. Our main story is about the first-of-its-kind Clinical Research Informatics track in the U.S. being offered by DBMI. This program, supported by TRI, helps address a national concern about study reproducibility and…