Kapil Arya, M.D., a graduate of the TRI Implementation Science Scholar Program, has been selected for the 2025 Viste Patient Advocate of the Year Award from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
Arya will be honored at the AAN annual meeting in April for his outstanding work with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), including his leadership as an Implementation Science scholar to implement statewide newborn screening for the rare disease.
Arya is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Section of Pediatric Neurology. He directs the SMA and spasticity programs at Arkansas Children’s.
If not detected and treated within a few weeks of birth, SMA can be debilitating and often fatal. The Arkansas General Assembly enacted a law requiring newborn screening for SMA in 2019, but a complex system was still needed for the screening to become routine across the state. Arya developed the system as an Implementation Science scholar in the UAMS Center for Implementation Research in 2020. You can read more about this transformative initiative in this UAMS news story. In addition to receiving the AAN award, Arya will present the AAN’s priorities to congressional lawmakers as part of the “Neurology on the Hill” advocacy program in 2025.