HJAR Nov/Dec 2019

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2019 23 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine) fields. Harrisburg, Brookland, Valley View, and Nettleton High Schools were repre- sented among the nine students who partici- pated in the program. Twice a week, the students received a pre- sentation from a professional who works in a STEMM field, including NYITCOM and Arkansas State University faculty. The interactive sessions gave the students an opportunity to hear about potential careers they may like to pursue and ask questions of the professional. SHARE participants were each paired with an NYITCOM faculty men- tor, with whom the students conducted research and received encouragement. “It’s was an excellent experience for all of the students and for the faculty that were involved,” said Rajendram Rajnarayanan, PhD., assistant dean of Research at NYITCOM. “We had a num- ber of tremendous speakers that gave the stu- dents valuable information about their careers, and I really enjoyed watching the students engage and learn.” The SHARE program is funded by American Chemical Society, #ProjectSEED, NYITCOM, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, and Community Health Centers of Arkansas, Inc. (CHCA). Each student received a stipend for participating in the program, a critical element of SHARE. “Students often miss out on valuable educational opportunities like this because they have to work in the summer,” Rajnarayanan said. “We are extremely grateful for the support of our sponsors who are investing in these students to give them this unique opportunity.” For NYITCOM-Arkansas, SHARE provides a valuable pipeline program to foster interest in science among young people and connecting them to the medical school. “We’re seeing a shortage of people going into medical fields across the board,” Rajnarayanan said. “We have to get young people excited about science and expose them to the opportu- nities that are out there. My hope is that we will see some of these students in our program in a few years training to become a physician.” Amyleigh Overton-McCoy, PhD, APRN, Named Centers on Aging Director at UAMS DonaldW. Reynolds Institute on Aging Amyleigh Overton-McCoy, PhD, APRN, has been named the director of the UAMS Centers on Aging, a program of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She succeeds Angela Norman, DNP, who suc- ceeded Claudia Beverly, Ph.D., RN, as the director of these statewide programs. Norman elected to continue to collaborate with the UAMS Centers on Aging as the associate director on a part time basis while she explores other avenues to assist the geriatric population. Overton-McCoy also has joined the UAMS Col- lege of Medicine Department of Geriatrics as an assistant professor. As Centers on Aging director, Amy Fry, MD and Katie Beal, MD Nine high school students from Northeast Arkansas spent their summer immersed in science thanks to a new program hosted by New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine on the campus of Arkansas State University.