Newsroom

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…

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 15, 2018

Informatics Track, First in U.S., Has Key CTSA Role

Amy Jones (left) chats with Meredith Zozus, Ph.D., before the start of a Clinical Research Informatics program class.

Amy Jones, M.S., often studies at a back table at Cheers in the Heights restaurant in Little Rock, where she also waitresses. Over the years she’s come to know the regulars, who include UAMS physicians and researchers. They’ve watched her grow up there, she said, and they have always encouraged her scholarship. Last summer when…

February 2, 2018

Doctor, Researcher, Inventor Offers Lessons in Perseverance

Carrie Byington, M.D., is flanked by TRI Director Laura James and Mary Aitken, M.D., who co-directs TRI's KL2 Scholars program.

Drawing on her early career experiences with rejection, Carrie Byington, M.D., offered some advice during a Jan. 29 lecture at UAMS. As a new physician researcher, Byington, now dean of the Texas A&M College of Medicine, said all of her initial research papers in 1995 were rejected. “Not by one reviewer – by reviewers 1,…

December 22, 2017

Mobile Health Gathering Draws a Crowd, Sparks Potential Collaborations

Tamara Perry, M.D., spoke about her work developing an asthma management app for adolescents.

Tamara Perry, M.D., an early adopter of mobile health technology in research, was excited to see more than 35 other like-minded professionals at the first UAMS Mobile Health and Wearable Innovations Mingle in November. “The mHealth Mingle provided investigators an opportunity to learn about exciting research at UAMS,” said Perry, who developed a mobile app…