HJAR Sep/Oct 2019

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2019 29 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com such as insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea, which is characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. The cen- ters are staffed by seven registered polysomno- graphic technologists, four of whom also are cer- tified respiratory therapists. Mercy Sleep Center in Booneville provides studies Monday through Thursday nights weekly, with plans to add Fridays. The labs are nationally accredited, offer private rooms, queen-size beds with premium mattresses, and daytime studies (at the Fort Smith lab only) for those who work the night shift. A primary care physician may recommend a sleep study for patients who have trouble falling or staying asleep, who snore, pause in breathing or gasp at night, experience daytime sleepiness, or have other sleep disruptions. After it’s determined a sleep study is needed, a technician walks patients through an in-depth, one-on-one discussion before they’re wired with sensors. The technician closely monitors patients while they are sleeping. Testing and treatment is determined by a board-certified sleep specialist. Last year, Mercy Sleep Centers received a three- year national accreditation that demonstrates a commitment to providing the highest level of performance and patient care. The Accredita- tion Commission for Health Care granted the accreditation, which focuses on clinical care when patients are tested for a variety of sleep disorders. UAMS Translational Research Institute Launches Entrepreneurship Training Programwith University of Arkansas, Fayetteville A first-of-its-kind entrepreneurship training pro- gram at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sci- ences (UAMS) will teach its most promising young innovators how to move their health-science tech- nologies into the marketplace. The UAMS Translational Research Institute kicked off the program with the announcement of its first four postdoctoral trainees in the Health Science Innovation & Entrepreneurship (HSIE) Postdoctoral Scholars Program. The 15-credit graduate entrepreneurship train- ing includes a significant new partnership with the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The college will provide distance education courses to the UAMS scholars, who also will work with MBA student teams at the UA to develop commercialization plans for health-science tech- nologies conceived at UAMS. The four selected in the competitive application process and their research interest areas are: • Samir Jenkins, PhD, nanomaterials and stem cell differentiation. • Astha Malhotra, PhD, 3-D printing and tis- sue regeneration. • Melody Penning, PhD, algorithms to predict adverse events in health care. • Aaron Storey, PhD, identification of bacte- ria in synovial fluid. “The concept of translational research chal- lenges us to more quickly move biomedical innovations and new technologies into everyday practice, and knowledge of the commercialization process is a critical factor to meet that challenge,” said Nancy Rusch, PhD, the program’s co-direc- tor, and professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UAMS Col- lege of Medicine. “I am thrilled to see this program take off and to have such an esteemed partner as Dr. Carol Reeves at the Walton College of Business, who is known nationally for developing entrepreneurs,” she said. Carol Reeves, PhD, UA associate vice chancellor for entrepreneurship and innovation, said the pro- gram establishes an important new link for collab- oration between the UA and UAMS. “What the Translational Research Institute is doing with this program is a great complement to our MBA program and our graduate certificate in entrepreneurship. The UAMS scholars, biomed- ical discoveries, and innovations are an exciting addition that strengthens both institutions.” The collaborative relationship with Reeves’ pro- gram has its roots in the 2016 Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for UAMS graduate students. Reeves led instruction along with Rusch and Nancy Gray, Ph.D., president of BioVentures, and there have been many other collaborations since then. The boot camp inspired Amanda Stolarz, PhD, a then UAMS graduate student, to join one of Reeves’ MBA teams that went on to win the 2017 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup competition along with the $25,000 top prize. “Dr. Stolarz set a high bar for future UAMS entrepreneurs,” said Gray, who is part of the pro- gram’s leadership team. “We have a program in place now to provide the mentorship and coach- ing that will help aspiring UAMS entrepreneurs translate biomedical discoveries into new prod- ucts, diagnostics, and medications to improve health outcomes. In parallel, and in partnership with the Arkansas’ business community, we plan to contribute to the growth of biotechnology- based jobs in the state.” In addition to Rusch and Gray, the program’s leadership team includes other UAMS faculty with entrepreneurial backgrounds. They are Curtis Lowery, MD, the program’s co-director and direc- tor of the new UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation; Kevin Sexton, MD, a surgeon and assistant professor in the College of Medicine; and Jay Gandy, PhD, chair of the program’s Inter- nal Advisory Committee. Gandy also is professor and chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the UAMS College of Public Health and incoming associate provost at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. The project is supported by the Translational Research Institute, grant TL1 TR003109, funded by the National Center for Advancing Transla- tional Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Baptist Health Specialty Clinic-North Little Rock Adds Infectious Diseases Specialist Dr. Maxine C. “Seales” Kasangana recently Maxine Kasangana, MD