Associate Professor
Division of Developmental and Rehabilitative Medicine Department of Pediatrics
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
“Implementation of guidelines for medication management of Complex ADHD in children”
Shruti Tewar, MBBS, MPH
Jarna Shah, M.D.
Assistant Professor Chronic Pain Division Department of Anesthesia
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
“Implementation of Nutrition Screening in Patients Undergoing Elective Joint Replacement Surgery”
Veronica M. Raney, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Interim Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Medical Director, Child Study Center
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
“Implementation of specialized mental health services to address gaps in care for Transitional Age Youth (TAY)”
Chelsea Mathews, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Arkansas Children’s Hospital
“Improving the Patient Experience through Journey Mapping at The Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital”
Stephen Foster, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Family Medicine
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northeast
“Improving outcomes for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the primary care setting through electronic health record optimization”
Sayem Miah, PhD
Dr. Sayem Miah is an assistant professor of the Department of Biochemistry and molecular biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He is also a full member of Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, UAMS. Now he is leading a research laboratory focusing on tyrosine kinase signaling in tumorigenesis and metastasis in the UAMS cancer research institute.
Dr. Miah received his doctoral studies in the laboratory of Dr. Kiven E. Lukong at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. During his doctoral studies, he demonstrated that the promotion of tumorigenesis by BRK in vivo primarily relies upon the full activation of BRK. He also showed that BRK targets the tumor suppressor Dok1 for proteasomal degradation to induce tumorigenesis.
For the postdoctoral training, Dr. Miah was drawn to the lab of Dr. Michael Washburn at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research (SIMR) for a “systems-wide” interrogation of signaling networks using innovative proteomic and genomic techniques. I showed that activated BRK directly interacts with and phosphorylates SMAD4 and causes proteasomal degradation to repress tumor suppressor gene FRK and to increase expression of the mesenchymal markers SNAIL and SLUG published in Sci. Adv.
He has authored and co-authored over 20 research articles, reviews, and book chapters. He received several awards, including Research excellence award KU Cancer Center Annual Research Symposium (2018), Saskatchewan Innovation and opportunity scholarships (2014).
Dr. Miah received a Bachelors and Master in Applied chemistry from the University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh and Masters in Medical Biology from the University of Linkoping, Linkoping, Sweden.
Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH
Dr. Lovelady is an Assistant Professor in the College of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education and a native of the Arkansas Delta. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and a Master of Public Health and Doctor of Philosophy in Health Promotion and Prevention Research from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She completed a T32 NIDA-funded postdoctoral fellowship with the UAMS Translational Training in Addiction Program.
Dr. Lovelady’s primary research interests are centered around investigating health disparities and violence prevention, particularly developing and implementing multi-level public health interventions to improve mental and behavioral health outcomes and reduce gun violence among vulnerable racial-minority populations such as young African American men and their families. This includes exploring linkage interventions that leverage peer support, enhance healthy coping, and improve access to structural/systemic supports to confront persistent post-traumatic stress among African American men in both institutional settings (i.e. hospitals, jails, and prisons) and non-traditional community settings (i.e. barbershops).
Dr. Lovelady’s most recent research highlights barriers and facilitators to implementing a Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) designed to reduce the risk of recurrent injury and enhance recovery from violent assault by connecting patients to necessary mental, behavioral, and social services. With recently awarded funding from the City of Little Rock, a local HVIP will be piloted to examine preliminary intervention and implementation effectiveness. Her KL2 research will further explore the rural expansion of an HVIP to identify factors and strategies for providing HVIP follow-up services for UAMS patients returning to underserved rural Arkansas communities.
Dr. Lovelady has an extensive background in community engaged research dating back to her years with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute and UAMS Translational Research Institute. She wholeheartedly believes that community is the essence of public health and key to reducing complex health disparities and achieving health equity. It is her hope to build a robust research program to inform and effect real-world meaningful change among communities with the greatest need.