Grand Rounds May on Arkansas Medical News Inc.

Grand Rounds May

Imran Ahmad, M.D., Joins UAMS Department of Hematology/Oncology

LITTLE ROCK – Imran Ahmad, M.D., has joined the Department of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and will see patients in the Medical Oncology Clinic.

Ahmad previously served as clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and as consultant medical oncologist at Saskatoon Cancer Center in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

He graduated from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, and served his internship and residency in the Department of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Following his residency, Ahmad held consecutive fellowships in the Department of Medicine Oncology, Department of Hematology and bone marrow transplantation at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY.

He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in medical oncology, internal medicine and hematology.

Northwest Medical Center – Springdale First Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI in Northwest Arkansas

Springdale — Northwest Medical Center – Springdale announced today that it is the first hospital in the region to be accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPS) and the only hospital in the state of Arkansas to receive the “full Cycle III accreditation with PCI” from SCPS. SCPS is an international organization dedicated to the improvement of clinical processes for the early assessment, diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes such as chest pain, unstable angina and heart attack.

Jonathan Clopton, Ph.D., Administrator of The Heart Hospital Network of Northwest Health System explained that the “full Cycle III accreditation with PCI” means that the hospital met the most rigorous existing requirements in earning the accreditation. Hospitals must apply for accreditation in particular cycles, and the requirements become tougher and more exact with each cycle. Receiving the accreditation during Cycle III means that Northwest Medical Center—Springdale met the most stringent standards in Arkansas to date.

According to Michael Green, MD, Interventional Cardiologist and the medical director of The Heart Hospital Network Cardiac Catheterization labs, their dedicated professionals earned the accreditation by far exceeding the requirements set by the Society of Chest Pain Centers for patient outcomes in both the numbers of patients with heart attacks treated and in exceeding the time requirements set by the Society to get patients from ‘door to balloon’ or from arrival in the emergency room to diagnosis and treatment.

Currently, a task force is being organized to apply for Chest Pain Center Accreditation at Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville, a part of The Heart Hospital Network of Northwest Health System.

Drasco Clinic Announces Changes

The Drasco Medical Clinic is pleased to announce the return of Dr. J.P. Wornock and Yolonda Reed, Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Wornock and Yolonda Reed will begin seeing patients April 12th 2010. Appointments for new and returning patients are now being scheduled.

The clinic will also be changing its hours to 7 am - 5 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Clinic hours on Wednesday will be from 7 am - 11 am.

The Drasco Medical Clinic is a rural health clinic and an affiliate of White River Medical Center in Batesville. The clinic provides family medical care for all ages from well baby care to the management of chronic illness in senior adults.

The clinic is a preferred provider for most commercial insurance plans and it accepts medicare and Medicaid. It is located at 60 Greers Ferry Road in Drasco.

Harper Named Vice Chair for Education at UAMS Jones Eye Institute

LITTLE ROCK – Richard A. Harper, M.D., was recently named vice chair for education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute.

Harper will coordinate the educational activities within the Department of Ophthalmology, which includes residents, medical students and ophthalmic medical technology undergraduates. He also will direct community and graduate education support by the JEI faculty and will continue as a tenured professor of ophthalmology, residency program director, and director of the Low Vision Clinic.

Harper, who received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma and completed his residency at UAMS, is nationally known for his innovative work in educating residents and has guided the residency program to become one of the most sought-after programs in the South.

Arkansas Schools Continue Healthy Changes to Curb Obesity

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas’ public schools have continued to make healthy changes to their nutrition policies and practices, according to the sixth annual evaluation of Act 1220 of 2003, a comprehensive and coordinated approach to addressing childhood obesity in schools and communities.

The report finds that only 23 percent of adolescent students said they had access to food vending machines at school, which is significantly less than the 64 percent reported in Act 1220’s first-year evaluation, both conducted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.

The full report can be found online at www.uams.edu/coph/reports/#Obesity.

NIH Awards ACHRI Nearly $1 Million to Study Link Between Water Pollutant and Autoimmune Diseases

LITTLE ROCK — A pollutant common in American water systems may have been increasing people’s risk of autoimmune disease for years, and now with a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) scientists believe they may be able to determine how.

Kathleen Gilbert, PhD, and her lab have received a three-year grant worth more than $997,000 from NIH to investigate how chronic low exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) affects T-cells and contributes to the development of diseases like lupus, scleroderma and autoimmune hepatitis.

It takes a combination of genetic and environmental factors to trigger autoimmune diseases said Gilbert, principal investigator of the ACHRI study and an associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. She says there isn’t much certainty about why they develop.

TCE is an industrial solvent accidentally introduced to water supplies decades ago through improper disposal. It is still present in many sources of ground water, some of which are used for drinking water in the United States. Studies have shown that TCE can be detected in as much as 10 percent of the American population that is not exposed to TCE in the workplace. Because TCE has a very short life once inside the human body, scientists believe that true exposure levels are much higher.

If the ACHRI team is able to figure out how TCE contributes to autoimmune disorders in humans, there could be potential for suggesting limits on the amount of the pollutant that is allowed in water supplies. Better yet, the research could lay the groundwork for developing a treatment that could neutralize TCE’s contribution to autoimmune disease and possibly even reverse some of the disorders’ effects. Children’s immune systems seem particularly sensitive to the effects of toxicant exposure even if the consequences are not detected until later in life.

Gilbert’s past research has proven the link between TCE and autoimmune diseases. These disorders develop when a process involving T cells, which typically protects against infection, instead attacks self tissue.

Preliminary studies to support the project were funded in part by the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, the major research component of the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act of 2000.

ANI at St. Vincent hosts international surgeons in microsurgery education

Twenty eight neurosurgeons from Brazil, The Netherlands, Finland, Taiwan, Italy, Dubai, Turkey, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, Spain and the United States visited the Arkansas Neuroscience Institute (ANI) at St. Vincent to learn the basics of microsurgical techniques at the first Neuroscience Symposium.

All of the surgeons had the opportunity to observe Dr. Ali Krisht, Director of ANI and Dr. Osama Al-Mefty, of the ANI, as they performed aneurysm repair surgery and surgical removal of tumors. Surgeons observed two aneurysm repair surgeries and the removal of a benign brain tumor. The surgeons had the added bonus of seeing exactly what Krisht and Al-Mefty see during surgeries performed through the use of a microscope. With this technology, three-dimensional images in real-time are displayed on a flat screen monitor so that surgeons and the entire staff in the operating suite can view what traditionally only the surgeon performing the procedure can see through the microscope.

A tour of ANI facilities was given during which attendees were shown the three dimensional imaging technology used at ANI. The guests also toured the recently completed Critical Care where ANI patients are treated after surgery.

Dr. Ian Dunn, a graduate of Harvard University has also joined the ANI team. Professor Al-Mefty, a world-recognized pioneer of skull-base surgery, serves on many international advisory committees for neurosurgery. Professor Krisht, chief editor of the journal: Contemporary Neurosurgery, has world-recognized expertise in vascular microsurgery involving the treatment of aneurysms, arterio-venous malformations, and acute treatment of stroke. Both surgeons are recognized for their expertise in the treatment of difficult and complex brain tumors.

Givens Named Chief Operating Officer At St. Bernards Medical Center

Michael Givens has been named chief operating officer at St. BernardsMedical Center.

Givens has served in various capacities at St. Bernards since 2001. Mostrecently he was vice president for patient services. He joined St. Bernardsas director of patient care services and has risen though the administrativeranks.

As COO he will be responsible for planning, organizing and directingoperations at the 438-bed acute care medical center, which serves as areferral center for a 23-county area in Northeast Arkansas and SoutheastMissouri.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Givens holds a bachelor’s degree in administrative management as well as a master’s degree in business administration and healthcare management from Harding University in Searcy. He holds fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

He is a graduate of the 2004 class of Leadership Jonesboro and has been active in numerous professional and civic organizations. He was recognized by the ACHE when he received that group’s Early Career Healthcare Executive Regent’s Award in 2006 at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Hospital Association. The award acknowledges significant contributions toward achievement of the goals of the ACHE and the advancement of healthcare management excellence.

AFMC names Interim Chief Executive Officer

Little Rock – John N. Robbins, FACHE, has been named the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. Robbins replaces Dr. Nick Paslidis, who recently resigned to pursue other career interests.

Robbins is currently President of Robbins and Associates Consulting of Germantown, Tenn., and is Past President and Chief Executive Officer of Conway Regional Health System. He previously served as Executive Vice President of the Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, Inc., in Memphis. He has more than 40 years of experience in health care administration in Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi, and is board-certified in health care management as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

He has also served on a number of boards, including the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care and Arkansas Hospital Association. Robbins has also been a Regent for Arkansas to the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has a master’s degree in healthcare administration.