Tiffany Miles, Ph.D., a researcher with the UAMS Translational Research Institute, wants to understand barriers to addressing obesity and food insecurities in two east Arkansas communities — Marvell and Elaine.

Miles, who’s also an instructor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics Division of Nutrition, led a nine-month project in Marvell and Elaine designed to determine health barriers and facilitate discussions around a community-led obesity intervention. The study was funded by a $25,000 pilot award from the Translational Research Institute.

Miles’ study “Community Developed and Implemented Obesity Interventions in Marvell, Arkansas,” launched in March and concluded in November. It explored the communities’ perception of nutrition, obesity, food insecurity, maternal nutrition as well as whether residents of Marvell and Elaine were aware of the area’s obesity rates, and how they wanted to solve the issues. Additionally, the researchers wanted the public’s outlook on past interventions brought into, or developed by, the community.  

“The project focused on what worked, what didn’t work, if something did work, why wasn’t it sustained, what the community members would like to see moving forward and how they’d like to maintain the project, once the research is complete,” Miles said. “I wanted the residents to discuss evidence-based interventions and programs and how to adapt it to their community.

“By fostering trust, partnership and shared leadership between researchers and residents, the project examined the health disparities in a region that’s disproportionately affected by food insecurity and metabolic disease.”

To execute this community-based participatory research project, Miles partnered with Marvell’s Boys, Girls, Adults Community Development Center and held five focus group sessions. Each group had 20 to 25 participants, primarily consisting of Marvell or Elaine residents who were between 18 and 39 years old.

Information gathered from the focus groups helped the researchers better understand community perceptions of obesity, maternal health and nutrition. The candid, in-person interactions with the study’s participants were vital to the team.

“When people came to the first focus group, I could tell they wondered who we were and why we’re there,” Miles said. “Some of them even asked me straight-up, what I wanted with them. Community members told us that they’re tired of people coming to their town and telling them that they’re obese. That’s not a positive conversation they want to have, especially if the researcher is not from their community. They wanted people to hear them and understand their reasons for why they can’t maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

Participants also referenced that people not understanding what malnutrition was, along with the Delta region being food insecure, factored into the high rates of obesity.

“We often discussed how food insecurity can lead to obesity,” Miles said. “We also discussed how it’s not about eating less, it’s about not eating the proper amounts of certain foods, that can lead to malnutrition.”    

Empowering people to tackle obesity                 

The project also included a grand finale community gathering, “Seeds for the Harvest.” During the event, findings from the focus group discussions were disseminated, and a breakout session was facilitated on how to best modify and sustain evidence-based strategies took place. 

Attendees also gave their feedback on the study, the potential implementation of a nutrition education class, and the creation of a partnership with the Marvell-Elaine School District EAST program in which students develop a technology to help address a community need.

“It’s a blessing to be able to work with Dr. Tiffany Miles,” said Beatrice Shelby, executive director of the community center. “Her project gave our center, and the residents of both Marvell and Elaine, one more opportunity to build community competency by empowering people to help themselves.”   

Miles said that Marvell is similar to communities surrounding Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she grew up. That’s one of the reasons why she enjoyed leading the program.    

“Any research that I do, I must have a connection to my personal why,” she said. “This project connected with my personal why.

“During our final event, the people cared about everything we did. They were attentive. That reminded me of how vital this study and event is for the people of Marvell and Elaine. Coming together as a community was important to them. Research aside, I was so glad that we could meet a need for these communities.”

Monica Smith, manager of regulatory affairs at the UAMS Translational Research Institute, recently received the 2025 Bonny Hope Wallace Award for her knowledge, leadership and compassion in conducting clinical trials.

The Bonny Hope Wallace Award is given to a UAMS certified research specialist who works directly in human subject research and is selected by their peers. Wallace worked in research at UAMS for more than 30 years before her death in 2004. The award was presented earlier this month at the annual Certified Research Specialist Awards Ceremony, which is sponsored by the UAMS Office of Research Compliance.

“Bonny Hope Wallace exemplified integrity, dedication, professionalism and a commitment to mentoring,” Smith said. “Knowing my dedication to research will benefit our patients is rewarding in itself.”

Smith, who was nominated by her colleagues, joined UAMS in 2005 and has worked with the Translational Research Institute since 2018.

As a regulatory affairs manager, Smith works with her team to ensure that clinical research studies move along smoothly, including securing approvals through the UAMS Institutional Review Board. Her work helps ensure that people are able to enroll in research studies that test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis or treatment for various diseases.

David Avery, the institute’s senior director for clinical research operations, has worked alongside Smith for over a decade. He directs the clinical trials office that includes several functional areas, including the regulatory team that Smith manages.

“Monica embodies all of the values and characteristics promoted by the Bonny Hope Wallace Award and is an incredibly deserving recipient,” he said. “She is an exceptional team member and has a rare depth and breadth of clinical trial regulatory experience that makes her invaluable to UAMS’ clinical research enterprise.”

Avery said he remembers Smith standing out from the time that they worked together at the Myeloma Center in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

“I would argue that her technical expertise is overshadowed by the dedication, integrity, patience and the genuine kindness she conveys to everyone she meets and every challenge she faces.”

Despite a decidedly chilly breeze permeating the night air, more than 100 supporters from across Arkansas gathered Dec. 5 in Little Rock for the 10^th Annual Translational Research Institute Community Partner Celebration.

The annual ceremony and dinner organized by the institute’s Community Engagement Core recognizes the pivotal role of community partnerships in helping the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) advance research and improve health.

The partners include organizations, institutions and individuals who share their experiences and knowledge to ensure that the institute’s research and programs meet the real needs of the people they serve.

Under a ceiling draped with sheer fabric interspersed with tiny golden lights, the guests gathered around tables in the Chenal Event Venue while UAMS Interim Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes thanked them for their contributions. After dinner, Tiffany Haynes, Ph.D., director of the institute’s Community Engagement Core, led a presentation announcing the winners of awards in six categories.

The 2025 awardees are:

• The Chancellor’s Community-Based Organization of the Year: NAMI Arkansas, the Arkansas chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness.

• Research Partner of the Year: Arkansas Minority Health Commission.

The commission’s goal is to ensure that all Arkansans receive equitable access to preventive health care and to seek ways to promote health and prevent diseases and conditions that are prevalent among minority populations.

Hayes noted the award “recognizes an outstanding clinical partner, state agency or business that has participated in research that improves health care in Arkansas.”

• The M. Kate Stewart Community Engaged Researcher of the Year:  Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., a professor in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health Department of Health Behavior and Health Education and director of the UAMS Center for the Study of Tobacco.

“Dr. Fagan leads her research projects with integrity, writes grants, develops materials, writes manuscripts, attends community events and always thinks about what she can do to help others,” according to a nomination letter. “She thinks big and is very inclusive of others to ensure that they have the resources and opportunities to thrive.”

Kate Stewart, M.D., MPH, now retired, was the founding director of the institute’s Community Engagement Program. She is known for her labor and commitment to building strong partnerships between academic institutions and the communities they serve.

• Community Engaged Research Staff Member of the Year:  Sandra Cooper.

Cooper, a community health worker in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health’s Center for Research, Health and Society, “has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to uplifting her community through collaboration, compassion and consistent action,” according to a letter nominating her for the award. “She plays a vital role in strengthening partnerships between local organizations, residents and institutions. She goes above and beyond to ensure that projects addressing community needs are effectively supported and sustained.”

Cooper’s nomination letter went on to note that “what sets Sandra Cooper apart is her dedication to empowering others. She listens deeply, advocates for underrepresented voices and mobilizes resources that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.”

• Community Engaged Student/Trainee of the Year: Ashley Williams, research project director, UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.

The award recognizes an undergraduate student, graduate student or medical student, resident, fellow or postdoctoral fellow who demonstrates the initiative, commitment and passion in an academic university partnership project involving the academic health of children or adults or communities.

Williams “deserves to be recognized for the work she has done on the Brother Project,” which examines how income can impact health among Black men impacted by chronic illness, according to a nomination letter. “She understands every aspect of the program and adapts to various roles as needed. Her encouragement and support bring out the best in others on the project, from the researcher to the participants.”

• The Naomi L. Cottoms Community Advisory Board of the Year Award: Project Heal Coalition.

The award honors the memory of Naomi Cottoms, who died last year. She was executive director of the Tri-County Rural Health Network, based in Helena-West Helena, and a longtime UAMS community partner. She was well-known for her passionate work on behalf of underserved communities in the Delta.

“Recipients of this award are groups that provide feedback to research partners that ultimately affect the health of underrepresented populations,” Haynes said.

Project Heal Coalition was founded in 2024 by Joyce M. Raynor, founder and executive director of the Center for Healing Hearts and Spirts at UAMS, a hospital-based violence intervention program designed to prevent assaults. The coalition brought together 15 stakeholders from 15 unique service provision sectors who meet quarterly to ensure that all voices are heard, especially those of people who have experienced violence, as well as those who have provided services to help them.

Haynes told the group of nominees and awardees, “I hope you all realize how important you are to our mission. We cannot do what we do without you. Thank you so much. From every community partner here to every community-engaged researcher, to all our staff, for everything that you do to make community engagement work at UAMS, have a great evening and happy holidays!”

The UAMS Translational Research Institute has named five UAMS researchers who will receive pilot grants of up to $40,000 each for studies that impact rural health.

The one-year awards went to projects led by researchers in the College of Medicine. They are: 

Melody Greer, Ph.D., associate professor, College of Medicine, Biomedical Informatics.
Project: Developing an AI Pipeline for a Microplastics Knowledgebase

Fred Prior, Ph.D., professor, College of Medicine, Biomedical Informatics.
Project: Training Data for LCS-DINO, an AI Model for Lung Cancer Screening

Joseph Thompson, M.D., professor, College of Medicine, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
Project: Preservation of Deidentified Longitudinal Cohorts for LifeSpan Research

Brian Varisco, Ph.D., professor, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics Critical Care.
Project: Lung Ultrasound Strain Mapping for BPD

Elissa Wilburn, Ph.D., assistant professor, College of Medicine, Department of Psychology.
Project: Machine Learning Models for Adolescent Suicide Risk Assessment

For more information about funding opportunities available through TRI, please visit TRI.uams.edu.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Translational Research Institute recently hosted an interactive workshop, “Complementary by Design: A Mixed Methods Workshop to Optimize Your Research,” designed to improve a researcher’s ability to use mixed methods.

Two external facilitators from the University of New Mexico, Cathleen Willging, Ph.D., and Janet Page-Reeves, Ph.D., partnered with two UAMS faculty, Kathy Allison, Ph.D., MPH, and Paula Roberson, Ph.D., to design and deliver the workshop.            

Mixed methods research combines qualitative and quantitative methods and intentionally integrating these methods to answer complex research questions. Quantitative data involves measurable, numerical information to test hypotheses, while qualitative data involves descriptive words and images from interviews and observations to help us understand contextual nuance of the human experience.  

The two-part training on Nov. 6 was attended by 27 UAMS trainees, staff and faculty.

Phase one featured workshop facilitators Willging and Page-Reeves presenting on the value of mixed methods research, types of mixed methods research designs, and examples of mixed methods studies.

Willging, center director and senior research scientist for the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, said during her presentation that mixed methods can be a game-changer. Thus, health professionals should know how to properly employ the approach.

“Mixed Methods research helps produce impactful work that can improve public health,” Willging said. “It’s essential to doing innovative projects and fostering productive collaborations.”

Phase two of the training featured roundtable discussions between designated moderators and the attendees. The moderators described their mixed methods research projects, what has worked for them, what has proved unsuccessful, how they’ve built their interprofessional teams, and how they have enhanced their research through community-engagement.

Allison, assistant professor in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, helped moderate the roundtable discussions and lead the conversations. Prior to the discussions, Allison emphasized to the participants how they could best benefit from that portion of the training. 

“We want you to workshop your own ideas,” Allison said. “We want this to be very conversational. Ask questions. Share your ideas. Get feedback from the roundtable moderators and your peers.”

Larissa da Cruz, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the UAMS Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine, wanted to learn more about the use of statistics in research. She appreciated the opportunity to receive pertinent mixed methods guidance.    

“I work full time in research, so it’s very important for me to learn about mixed methods,” Cruz said. “There are times in which research requires the use of different tools. If we’re going to use quantitative data, we’ll also need to learn about using qualitative data. So, I was really pleased with the workshop, for me, learning more statistics is never too much.”

Shannon Vitone, D.O., is a fellow in the Department of Pediatrics’ Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship program. She’s working on a neonatal therapy-related project that requires the use of mixed methods. Vitone said that the training was timely and informative.

“I’m taking implementation science courses to learn how to better execute mixed methods research,” she said. “It’s helpful to see how mixed methods can out combine quantitative and qualitative components to achieve a better understanding of a clinical environment and best determine how to implement a medical therapy.  This workshop broadened by understanding of how to successfully conduct a mixed methods research study.”

Roberson, chair of the UAMS Department of Biostatistics, commended the training for how it addressed a major issue within the realm of research.

“There’s often a lot of disconnect between quantitative and qualitative research,” she said. “But there’s a growing interest in how to integrate those forms of research. It’s important to integrate the two approaches in order to come to meaningful conclusions about your research.”

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The latest issue of The TRIbune features stories that illustrate TRI’s work across the translational science spectrum – from discovery to community engagement. Read about the Advancing Arkansas Lifespan Research Conference, where national experts Heather Leidy, Ph.D., and Sameera Talegawkar, Ph.D., discussed how nutrition influences health and resilience across the lifespan.

Also featured: Nakita Lovelady, Ph.D., MPH, whose TRI K12 experience helped lead to a $3.8 million NIH grant to prevent gun violence in Arkansas, and new graduates of TRI’s Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Scholars Program expanding UAMS’ community-academic partnerships.

Read the October TRIbune (PDF).

At the 2025 Advancing Arkansas Lifespan Research Conference, two nationally recognized nutrition scientists emphasized how diet quality throughout life profoundly influences long-term health and resilience.

The daylong event, held Oct. 14 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, brought together about 80 researchers from across UAMS and beyond to explore the conference’s theme of “Charting a Path to Lifelong Health and Resilience through Nutrition.”

The conference featured keynote talks from Heather Leidy, Ph.D., of the University of Texas at Austin, and Sameera Talegawkar, Ph.D., of George Washington University in Washinton, D.C.

Leidy, associate professor in the departments of Nutritional Sciences and Pediatrics at the Dell Medical School, described a “perfect storm” for today’s adolescents with a combination of higher nutrient needs, poor diet quality, and rising rates of mental health challenges and obesity.

“Adolescence is one of those underexamined, really important life stages,” Leidy said. “It’s the bridge between establishing a healthy lifestyle and preserving it as we age.”

Drawing on national data from NHANES 2017–2020, she noted that older teens, particularly females, fall short on essential nutrients such as iron, calcium, vitamin D and omega-3s. “Teenage girls have the lowest diet quality of any group,” she said. “They’re underconsuming nearly everything — calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, iron, protein — you name it.”

Her research shows that simply adding a high-protein breakfast can improve appetite control, diet quality and metabolic health. “If you provide a high-protein breakfast of about 24 to 30 grams you can change their appetite and energy balance for the entire day,” she said.

In a series of studies, Leidy’s team found that teens who ate protein-rich breakfasts reduced evening snacking, stabilized glucose levels and prevented unhealthy fat gain. Yet maintaining those habits is difficult. “We see 80-90% of teens return to skipping breakfast once the intervention ends,” she said. “It’s not a motivation issue; it’s access.”

Her “Breakfast in the Classroom” project in Kansas City replaced refined-carb foods with egg-based meals for 585 middle school students. Participation rose sharply, and students reported fewer afternoon cravings. Leidy urged family and school-based solutions: “If you make it tasty and portable, teens will eat it.”

Talegawkar, the conference’s second keynote speaker, shifted the focus to later life. A professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, she described how long-term eating patterns influence cardiovascular health, mobility and frailty.

“There are multiple ways to achieve a healthy dietary pattern,” she said. “The emphasis should be on fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish and unsaturated fats — foods that support both physical and cognitive health.”

Her research, which draws on aging studies in Italy and the United States, shows that older adults who follow a Mediterranean-style diet experience slower physical decline and less frailty. She also found that high consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to greater frailty, while better cardiovascular health scores, measured by the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, were associated with lower risk of dementia, disability and mortality.

“Diet is important,” she added, “but movement may be where we can make the biggest difference.”

Talegawkar is extending this work to study diet-related metabolites that may explain links between nutrition and frailty. She also co-leads a new Washington, D.C., project examining whether new urban parks and grocery access can influence physical activity and eating behaviors.

The day also included presentations by UAMS scientists covering topics such as early-childhood nutrition, gut health, collagen and connective tissue, and dietary supplements. Presenters included Taren Massey-Swindle, Ph.D.; Britni Ayers, Ph.D.; Brian Piccolo, Ph.D.; Stacie Jones, M.D.; Shiloah Kviatkovsky, Ph.D.; Igor Koturbash, M.D., Ph.D.; Nithya Neelakantan, Ph.D.; and David Church, Ph.D.

Moderators were Laura James, M.D.; Elisabet Børsheim, Ph.D.; Colin Kay, Ph.D.; and Craig Porter, Ph.D.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researcher Nakita Lovelady, Ph.D., MPH, has received $3.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to lead a three-year clinical trial aimed at reducing risky firearm behaviors among assault survivors in central Arkansas.

The award from NIH’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) supports the UH3 phase of Project Heal, a hospital-community partnership tailored for the region most affected by violent assault.

“This grant allows us to rigorously test strategies that can help survivors of violent assault move forward in their lives,” said Lovelady, an assistant professor in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health and a graduate of the UAMS Translational Research Institute’s K12 Mentored Research Career Development Award Program. “By combining the expertise of hospitals, community organizations, and people with lived experience, Project Heal is designed to create practical solutions that prevent reinjury and promote recovery.”

The UH3 builds on Lovelady’s two-year UG3 planning grant that established a 15-member community-academic coalition and conducted 10 evidence-based quality improvement sessions with 30 stakeholders to refine intervention components and implementation strategies for central Arkansas.

Lovelady leads the project with Joyce Raynor, executive director of the Center for Healing Hearts and Spirits, who serves as a multiple principal investigator with Lovelady. Raynor played a critical role in engaging community partners during the UG3 planning grant and will continue to ensure strong support services for participants during the UH3 trial phase.

The study will test different mixes of four support services to find out which work best for survivors. These include: bedside help while patients are in the hospital, ongoing peer support, case management with service vouchers, and virtual group therapy called SELF (safety, emotions, loss and future). The study will look at whether the program helps people avoid unsafe gun behaviors and whether it improves their mental health, including stress, anxiety and depression.

The project is part of NIH’s research on community level interventions for firearm and related violence, injury and mortality prevention (CLIF-VP) initiative.

The NIH’s ongoing support reflects the promise of Project Heal to make a lasting impact in Arkansas and beyond, said Laura James, M.D., director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute.

“We are extremely proud of Dr. Lovelady and her team,” said James, also UAMS associate vice chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research. “Her work is a model for community-engaged research that addresses one of our state’s most urgent health challenges.”

Funding acknowledgment: Research reported here is supported by the NIMHD at NIH under Award Number UH3MD019172. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Translational Research Institute brought together more than 60 researchers and leaders from nine Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) institutions Sept. 18–19 for the annual meeting of the Consortium of Rural States (CORES).

Over two days, attendees focused on the shared mission of improving health in rural communities, with sessions ranging from implementation science and community partnerships to dental health integration and strategies for strengthening the rural health care workforce.

Geoffrey Curran, Ph.D., director of the UAMS Center for Implementation Research and a pioneer in the field, opened the meeting by highlighting how implementation science can help rural communities benefit more quickly from proven health solutions.

“Implementation science is about more than proving that an intervention works, it’s about figuring out how to make it work in the real world,” said Curran, who also leads the Translational Research Institute’s Implementation Science Scholars Program.

For Philip Kern, M.D., director of the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science, the value of CORES lies in collaboration.

“As institutions with large rural populations, we all face many of the same challenges,” Kern said. “The CORES network gives us the chance to learn from each other and build solutions together.”

Patricia Winokur, M.D., director of the University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, echoed the importance of taking ideas to scale.

“We’re at the point where we need to start implementing the solutions that are working in one state and testing them in others,” she said. “That includes looking at sustainability, such as new payment models for pharmacy-based care, and innovative partnerships in areas like dental health.”

This year’s meeting also highlighted UAMS’ leadership role. For the past year, the Translational Research Institute managed all administrative oversight duties for CORES. The responsibility rotates annually among the consortium’s members; UAMS assumed it from Kentucky in 2024 and has now passed it to Iowa.

“Hosting this year’s meeting was a privilege and an opportunity to demonstrate UAMS’ strong commitment to rural health,” said Institute Director Laura James, M.D. “We are proud to have coordinated the consortium’s work over the past year, and we look forward to continuing partnerships that bring innovative health solutions to rural communities.”

The meeting also welcomed the Medical University of South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute as the consortium’s newest member. With its addition, the consortium now includes nine CTSA hubs, representing states with large rural populations across the country.

Other sites are: University of Utah Health Clinical & Translational Science Institute, Southwest Center for Advancing Clinical & Translational Innovation (University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and University of Arizona), Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Kansas, University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, Dartmouth SYNERGY Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Penn State University Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

The agenda reflected the importance of CORES’ mission: exploring the sustainability of evidence-based programs, testing new models of workforce retention, and creating opportunities for decentralized clinical trials in rural communities.

As Curran emphasized, implementation science can serve as the bridge from research to practice. “By working together, we can ensure that rural patients benefit from innovations in health care more quickly and more effectively.”

The 2025 TRI Summer Writing Challenge drew strong participation, with 24 UAMS researchers submitting 98 manuscripts.

The friendly competition to encourage publications included faculty, instructors, postdocs and staff who have received TRI support since 2019.

This year’s contributors earned awards across several categories:

Yong-Moon “Mark” Park, M.D., Ph.D., in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health Department of Epidemiology, received the Astounding Apprentice award for the most submissions (22) by an assistant professor.

Nishank Jain, M.D., MPH, in the College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, was named Wise Wordsmith with the most submissions (5) by an associate professor.

Sara Landes, Ph.D., in the College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, earned the Sage Scribe honor, recognized for the most submissions (10) by a professor.

Adrian Williams, MS, a research program manager in the College of Pharmacy, claimed the Stupendous Scholar distinction for the most submissions (14) in the “other” category.

“Congratulations to these honorees,” said TRI Director Laura James, M.D. “Beyond the awards, this challenge reflects TRI’s mission to support and celebrate the scholarly efforts of UAMS investigators at all career stages.”