• 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 Researchers Rise to ‘91-Day Writing Challenge’

UAMS Researchers Rise to ‘91-Day Writing Challenge’

(L-R) TRI's Leah Timmons, MPA, College of Medicine Dean Susan Smyth, M.D., Ph.D., TRI Director Laura James, M.D., and TRI's Paul Duguid, MPH, presented the 91-Day Writing Challenge Awards during the Sept. 1 celebration.
(L-R) TRI’s Leah Timmons, MPA, assists College of Medicine Dean Susan Smyth, M.D., Ph.D., and TRI Director Laura James, M.D., as TRI’s Paul Duguid, MPH, uses Facetime to include researchers in Northwest Arkansas during the presentation of the 91-Day Writing Challenge Awards.

The first summer writing challenge sponsored by the Translational Research Institute (TRI) revealed that UAMS researchers enjoy a friendly competition.

Don Willis, Ph.D., had the highest number of manuscript submissions.

TRI celebrated the end of its inaugural 91-Day Writing Challenge on Sept. 1.

“We had 173 submissions, almost two per day, which is pretty phenomenal,” said TRI Director Laura James, M.D., who led the outdoor event for the seven winning writers.

Eligible Writing Challenge participants included all researchers who have used TRI’s services or resources to aid their projects.

James, assisted by College of Medicine Dean Susan Smyth, M.D., Ph.D., announced the winning writers as the temperature was climbing toward 100 degrees for the first time in three years. Fortunately, a Loblolly Ice Cream truck was just steps away and helped the 25 UAMS Little Rock attendees survive the heat.

Celebration attendees such as former TRI KL2 Scholar Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Ph.D., FNP-BC, RN, were treated to ice cream. TRI got the idea for the writing challenge from Bryant-Moore, who led past summer writing challenges with UAMS colleagues.

Don Willis, Ph.D., an assistant professor, had the highest number of manuscript submissions – 10 – with three primary authorships and seven co-authorships. He won the Astounding Apprentice Award: Most Publications for the Rank of Assistant Professor/Instructor.

Based at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Willis said the competition was a good complement to a strong culture of manuscript writing at the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus.

In fact, four of the seven Writing Challenge winners are part of the Office of Community Health and Research, led by Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, the outgoing vice chancellor for UAMS Northwest, and director of the TRI Special Populations Core, and associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

Nishank Jain, M.D., was among the seven awardees.

“I didn’t do this alone,” said Willis, who attended the ceremony remotely via Facebook with McElfish and others. “We have an incredible team that provides a lot of support for one another, which makes it possible to submit and publish at the rate we have.” 

Summer is a great time to write, he said, and this year was busier than ever with a flood of research data pouring in at the right time.  

“I enjoy writing in the summertime on my back porch and front porch,” he said.

As institutional awards, the Writing Challenge awards can be used in UAMS promotion and tenure applications, James announced at the celebration.

Other Writing Challenge winners are:

Zulema Udaondo Dominguez, Ph.D., and Se-Ran Jun, Ph.D., were among the celebration attendees.
  • Jennifer Vincenzo, Ph.D., PT, MPH, associate professor, UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Office of Community Health and Research
    Wise Wordsmith Award: Most publications for the rank of associate professor for eight publications (two primary authorships and six co-authorships)
  • Nahed El-Hassan, M.D., professor, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
    Sage Scribe Award (tie): Most publications for the rank of professor for five publications (three primary authorships and two co-authorships)
  • Holly Felix, Ph.D., MPA, professor, UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Office of Community Health and Research
    Sage Scribe Award (tie): Most publications for the rank of professor for five publications (five co-authorships)
TRI KL2 scholar Yong-Chen Lu, Ph.D., was among the attendees.
  • Nishank Jain, M.D., assistant professor, College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine,
    Best Representation of Applied Data Sciences
  • Sara Landes, Ph.D., associate professor, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
    Best Representation of Implementation Science
  • Jennifer Andersen, Ph.D., assistant professor, UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Office of Community Health and Research
    Most Reflective of Community Engagement & Partnerships

The celebration also included prize drawings for all those who competed. Winners are:

Emily Hallgren, Ph.D., $25 gift certificate to UAMS Nutritional Services

Kristie Hadden, Ph.D., $25 gift certificate to UAMS Nutritional Services

Kate Stewart, M.D., MPH, $25 gift certificate to UAMS Nutritional Services

Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, TRI staff will facilitate submission of one manuscript of her choosing

Jennifer Vincenzo, Ph.D., Free statistical consultation for study planning purposes

Rosemary Nabaweesi, Dr.P.H., M.B.Ch.B., One manuscript submission fee to be funded by TRI

Posted by David Robinson on September 3, 2021

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