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  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. Translational Research Institute
  3. Funding Opportunities
  4. K12 Mentored Research Career Development Scholar Awards Program
  5. Program Leadership

Program Leadership

UAMS’ Career Development Scholars Program is led by Mario Schootman, PhD, Associate Director, K12 Program; Associate Director, SMART Program; Professor and Vice Chair for Mentoring and Innovation in the Department of Internal Medicine, Co-Director of the Workforce Development Core at TRI. Dr. Schootman is supported by program Associate Directors, Jason Farrar, MD and Joshua Kennedy, MD.

Program Leadership

Mario Schootman headshot
Mario Schootman, PhD
Director, K12 Program; Associate Director, SMART Program; Professor and Vice Chair for Mentoring and Innovation in the Department of Internal Medicine, Co-Director of the Workforce Development Core at TRI
Email: MSchootman@uams.edu

Dr. Schootman is Professor and Vice-Chair for Mentoring and Innovation in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Co-Director of the Workforce Development Core of the Translational Research Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. His research focuses on various aspects of epidemiology using advanced epidemiological methods, including geographic information systems and multilevel models, to examine the effect of neighborhood conditions on various health outcomes. He has been the principal investigator of several NIH grants. He has mentored numerous early-career faculty.

Jason Farrar, MD
Associate Director, K12 Program
Email: jeffarrar@uams.edu

Dr. Farrar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. He is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist with clinical and research interests in childhood leukemia, lymphoma, and inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. His research program focuses on genomics studies to better understand the genetic basis of abnormal bone marrow function that underlies these diseases in children, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic options and improving treatment outcomes. He serves as the Director of the Genomics Core Laboratory at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute and co-directs the Leukemia and Lymphoma Program at Arkansas Children’s.

Joshua Kennedy, MD
Associate Director, K12 Program
Email: jlkennedy@uams.edu

Dr. Kennedy is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine in the Divisions of Allergy and Immunology (Peds) and Pulmonary/Critical Care (IM). He serves as the K12 Program Co-Director and the Associate Vice Chair for Basic and Translational Research in the Department of Pediatrics. His research focuses on viral infections in children with chronic disease, particularly asthma, emphasizing host immune responses that may contribute to worse outcomes

Program Administration

Paul Duguid
Paul Duguid, MPH
Director of Research Programs
Email: pduguid@uams.edu
Betsy Eglash
Program Manager
Email: beglash@uams.edu
Translational Research Institute LogoTranslational Research InstituteTranslational Research Institute
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
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