• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Choose which site to search.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Translational Research Institute
  • UAMS Health
  • Jobs
  • Giving
  • About TRI
    • What We Offer
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Staff
    • Cite TRI
    • What is Translational Research?
    • Contact TRI
  • Funding Opportunities
    • Grants
      • Pilot Award Program
      • CTSA Multi-Institutional Pilot Award Program
      • Data Science Scholars Program
      • Team Science Voucher Program
      • Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Rural Research Award Program
    • Scholarships
      • KL2 Mentored Research Career Development Scholar Awards Program
      • HSIE (TL1) Training Program
      • Implementation Science Scholar Program
      • (STARs) Program – Strategies for Training and Advancing under-represented Researchers
      • MS-CTS Scholarship Program
    • Community
      • Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Scholars Program
      • Community Partners Educated as Arkansas Research Leaders (CPEARL) Program
    • Awardee Responsibilities
  • Services & Resources
    • Services
      • Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) Consultation
      • Clinical Data Repository (AR-CDR)
      • Comprehensive Informatics Resource Center (CIRC)
      • Mock Study Sections
      • Research Participant Recruitment
      • Research Support/Clinical Trials Innovation Unit (CTIU)
      • The Center for Implementation Research
      • Research Ethics Consultation
    • Resources
      • ARresearch Registry
      • Center for Health Literacy
      • Data Safety Monitoring
      • UAMS Profiles
      • UAMS Rural Research Network
      • Other Resources
      • COVID-19 Research Guidelines
  • Training & Education
    • Scholarship Opportunities
      • KL2 Mentored Research Career Development Scholar Awards Program
      • HSIE (TL1) Training Program
      • Data Science Scholars Program
      • Implementation Science Scholar Program
      • MS-CTS Scholarship Program
      • Translational Research Innovations and Partners (TRIP) Program
    • Training & Educational Opportunities
      • innOVATION Seminar Series
      • Path 2 K Program
      • Translational Workforce Development
      • Graduate Certificate in Implementation Science
      • Master’s Program in Clinical and Translational Sciences (MS-CTS)
      • Good Clinical Practice Training
    • Video/Knowledge Library
    • Didactic Training
    • Diversity Initiatives
  • Community
    • Community Engagement Leadership
    • Community Advisory Board
    • Community Engagement Partners
      • Community Partner Celebration
    • Community Engagement Services
      • Consultations and Technical Assistance
      • Community Review Boards
      • Arkansas Community Researcher Training (ArCRT)
      • Equipment Library
    • Integrating Special Populations
    • Programs and Funding
      • Community Partners Educated as Arkansas Research Leaders (CPEARL) Program
      • Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Scholars Program
      • Community Scientist Academy
    • Toolkits
      • CPEARL Toolkit
      • CSA Online Toolkit
  • Events
  • Newsroom
  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. Translational Research Institute
  3. UAMS Midsouth Black Expo Draws 2,100 Attendees

UAMS Midsouth Black Expo Draws 2,100 Attendees

Hayes Miller of Little Rock was among the expo attendees who joined the UAMS ARresearch registry of potential research volunteers.
Hayes Miller of Little Rock was among the expo attendees who joined the UAMS ARresearch registry of potential research volunteers.

Among Thelma Shorter’s first stops at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Midsouth Black Expo was the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s booth offering take-home colorectal screening kits.

Crystal Crosswell, representing the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, assists Thelma Shorter, who signed up to receive a colorectal screening kit.
Crystal Crosswell, representing the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, assists Thelma Shorter, who signed up to receive a colorectal screening kit.

“For colorectal cancer, and all cancers, it’s better to find out if you are at risk sooner rather than later,” said Shorter of Little Rock. “If you can catch cancer before it gets too far then you have a better chance of it being corrected.”

Shorter was among 2,100 attendees at the 19th annual expo, held Feb. 25 at The Venue at Westwind in North Little Rock. A free event with 25 speakers and 20 performances, the expo celebrated Black History Month with health education, an “Ask the Doctor” segment, a showcase of more than 100 Black-owned businesses, and Black cultural and historical education. In addition, the UAMS MammoVan, a mobile mammography unit, was on-site to provide prescheduled mammograms.

Representatives of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Cancer included Director Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., Ryan Williams, community health advocate, Beverly Johnson Wells, M.L.S., associate director of the UAMS Rural Research Network, and Matthew Kovak, M.S., director of the Cancer Clinical Trials Office.

“I’ve been here before, and I always find it interesting with lots of information, plus the entertainment and a little shopping,” Shorter said. “It’s something good for the community.”

Other UAMS booths were represented by the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DDEI), and the UAMS Translational Research Institute’s ARresearch registry of potential research volunteers.

Many attendees were happy to learn about and join the research registry, which is available at ARresearch.org.

“I lost my mom to vascular dementia, and if that research comes up I would certainly sign up and participate in that study,” said Melissa Kaiser of Little Rock.

Alyssa Robinson, RN (right), representing the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, demonstrated telehealth technologies during the expo.
Alyssa Robinson, RN (right), representing the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, demonstrated telehealth technologies during the expo.

People who join the ARresearch registry provide their contact information and select from a list of 31 health interest areas, such as heart disease, cancer and COVID-19. When studies at UAMS match a registrant’s health interests, UAMS may contact the registrant to ask if they want to volunteer.

Stephanie Wilson of Monticello joined the registry after seeing the value of research as a former employee at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

“I know what the benefits to research are, so I’d like to aid if I could, especially being an African American female,” Wilson said, noting the lack of diversity in research.

The expo celebrated Black History Month with 20 performances.
The expo celebrated Black History Month with 20 performances.

Hayse Miller of Little Rock said his health experiences motivated him to join the registry.

“I’ve always been interested in doing some type of study, especially when COVID-19 came and I got infected,” Miller said. “As someone who has polio, I’ve also been interested in some physical-related studies.”

Parents and K-12 students were also drawn to DDEI’s Pathways Academy booth, where they learned of opportunities in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The Pathways Academy is a statewide K-12 STEM-Health Science educational and community engagement program with the goal of diversifying the health care workforce. It offers licensed teachers providing hands-on, real world and interactive experiences.

Ophelia Malone of Little Rock and her daughter, Star Hughes, were excited to hear about the Pathways Academy and learn how to apply for the summer 2023 program.

“I first heard about Pathways at a PTA meeting, and I think it would be a great opportunity for Star to engage with other youth who share her interests,” Malone said, noting that as a fifth-grader, her daughter was part of a robotics team that won a Little Rock School District competition.

Posted by David Robinson on March 7, 2023

Filed Under: Front, News, Newsroom

Translational Research Institute LogoTranslational Research InstituteTranslational Research Institute
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

© 2023 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences