HJAR Jul/Aug 2019

Healthcare Journal of ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2019 37 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com Sara Tariq, MD, Named Associate Dean for Student Affairs Sara Tariq, MD, has been named to the newly established position of associate dean for student affairs in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Tariq joined the faculty in 2002. She is a profes- sor of internal medicine and has served as assis- tant dean for undergraduate clinical education since 2009. She will continue to lead this area as well as serve as medical director of the Center for Clinical Skills Education. “Dr. Tariq has been integral to many educa- tional initiatives in the College of Medicine, including development of our clinical skills edu- cation programs, integration of clinical expe- riences in the first two years of the curriculum, creation of our Academic Houses, and teaching- focused faculty development,” said Christopher T. Westfall, MD, dean of the College of Medicine and executive vice chancellor at UAMS. “She is devoted to patients and students alike and brings her remarkable energy to her role as associate dean for student affairs.” Tariq received a medical degree from UAMS in 1998. She completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Brown University in Prov- idence, Rhode Island. She served an additional year as chief resident and then joined the UAMS faculty. She was promoted to associate professor in 2008 and was promoted to professor in 2018. Tariq’s national honors include the prestigious Herbert S. Waxman Award for Outstanding Medi- cal Student Educator from the American College of Physicians in 2010, and being selected for the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Medicine fellowship at Drexel University, which she completed in 2015-2016. In Arkansas, col- leagues in the American College of Physicians (ACP) presented Tariq with the Robert Shields Abernathy ACP Laureate Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine in 2013.  Tariq has earned many teaching awards at UAMS, including numerous annual consecutive Golden Apple, Gold Sash, and Red Sash awards from students. She has been invited by the grad- uating class to deliver the Faculty Charge at Honors Convocation eight times. In 2013, Tariq received the Outstanding Woman Faculty Award from the UAMS Women’s Faculty Development Caucus. She received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award from the College of Medicine in 2014, and has been the recipient or co-recipi- ent of other faculty honors, including Educational Research and Educational Innovation awards. UAMSWest Regional Campus Names Nine NewFamily Medicine Resident Physicians The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) West Regional Campus announced the names of the nine new resident physicians who will begin practicing medicine in Fort Smith on July 1. The new residents are: • Caitlin Anee Elmore, MD Hometown: Lenexa, Kansas • Kaethe Goodwin Chigumira, MD Hometown: Greenwood • Prudence Ipaye-Adebiyi, MD Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • Dorcas Lomo, MD Hometown: Choctaw, Oklahoma • Elaina Hope Murray, MD Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri • Sydnee Nelson, MD Hometown: Clay Center, Kansas • Cassandra Sharp, DO Hometown: Langley, Oklahoma • Jack Zepeda, MD Hometown: Cordova, Tennessee • Fashanu Olawafunto, MD Hometown: Edmond, Oklahoma The new physicians are part of the family med- icine residency program at UAMS West Regional Campus in Fort Smith. The resident physicians practice at the UAMS Family Medical Center there and at Baptist Health-Fort Smith. “We only seek out the best and brightest can- didates annually to join our residency program,” said Katherine Irish-Clardy, MD, director of the residency program. “We are thrilled that these excellent physicians will be joining our ranks to provide quality health care for the people of west- ern Arkansas.” Many of the healthcare providers in western Arkansas were trained at the UAMS Family Medical Center in Fort Smith, which pro- vides primary care to patients of all ages. The cen- ter offers pediatric and obstetrical care, as well as treatment of immediate medical needs and ongoing management of chronic conditions. It serves 13 Arkansas counties: Conway, Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Perry, Polk, Montgomery, Pope, Sebastian, Scott, and Yell. The UAMS West Regional Campus has gradu- ated almost 250 residents since it was established in the 1970s; and another nine residents will grad- uate June 30. “Our collaboration with Baptist Health-Fort Smith is helping us train the next generation of health care leaders for the people of Arkansas,” said Sterling Moore, vice chancellor for UAMS Regional Campuses. “We are extremely proud of these working relationships because of the excel- lent learning environments that they provide. We also know that those who complete their train- ing here are more likely to stay and work here. In fact, UAMS ranks third in the nation for retaining the healthcare providers we train, making UAMS a good investment for the health of Arkansas.” NYITCOMat A-State Receives Grant toMentor Underserved High School Students The Society for Science & the Public recently announced that New York Institute of Technol- ogy College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkan- sas State is one of 60 advocates that has been awarded a $3,000 grant from the organization. The funds will be used to mentor underrepre- sented and low-income high school students, and guide them in entering science research competitions.  “It’s very important to NYITCOM that we fos- ter interests in science in young people and this grant provides an excellent opportunity for us Sara Tariq, MD