HJAR Nov/Dec 2020

30 NOV / DEC 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs Creation of the program was funded in part by a grant from the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administra- tion (SAMHSA) NYITCOMat A-State Faculty Receive Grants to Study Air Quality, CVDTreatment at Arkansas Biosciences Institute Two New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) at Arkansas State University faculty members have received grants that will fund research projects at A-State’s Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI) for the next two years. One of the grants will fund a study by Troy Camarata, PhD, assistant professor of basic sci- ences at NYITCOM at A-State, titled, “Explor- ing Causative Relationship Between Agricultural Burning and Negative Public Health Outcomes in the Arkansas Delta.” Joe Ford, an associate pro- fessor at Arkansas State University, will serve as co-principle investigator on the project. Additionally, Viswanathan Rajagopalan, PhD, assistant professor of basic sciences at NYITCOM at A-State, received a grant that will fund his study titled, “Long Noncoding RNAs in Heart Failure Related to Impaired Thyroid Hormone Function.” A-State graduate assistant Sankalpa Chakraborty will work with Rajagopalan on the project. Both projects aim to address health issues that are prominent in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta region. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) kills more people in Arkansas than any other disease, and Rajagopalan’s study will explore new strate- gies to treat heart failure. Camarata will explore how air pollution in a major agricultural region where field burning is a common practice impacts the health outcomes of those who live here. “Both of these studies are extremely important to the people of this region, and we’re incredi- bly grateful to Arkansas State University for sup- porting them,” said Rajendram Rajnarayanan, PhD, assistant dean for research at NYITCOM at A-State. “These projects will provide invaluable information that is directly relevant to residents of Northeast Arkansas. Further, these grants will also enable our faculty to gather valuable prelim- inary results to be competitive for major research funding from extramural agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Sci- ence Foundation (NSF), and the Environmental Protection Agency.” The grants provide $35,000 a year for the next two years to support the research, and they’re funded through Arkansas State University’s por- tion of the ABI tobacco settlement funds. NYIT- COM medical students and Arkansas State Uni- versity students will be heavily involved in both studies. Little Rock Allergy &Asthma Clinic Adds Physician Kim Jackson, MD, has joined the staff of Little Rock Allergy & Asthma Clinic. In her practice with the clinic, she will specialize in the treatment of pediatric and adult allergy, asthma, and immuno- deficiency disorders. She was born and spent her early childhood in Vietnam before moving with her family to Nash- ville, Ark., where she graduated from high school as a Nashville Scrapper. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Arkansas Tech University, and holds a medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean. Jackson completed a three-year residency in internal medicine at Loui- siana State University in Shreveport, after which she completed her fellowship training in allergy and immunology at the same institution. Jackson is now accepting new patients in the clinic’s Little Rock, North Little Rock, Benton, and Pine Bluff locations. UAMS-Based Investigators Receive $39Million Grant Renewal to CoordinateMultistate Clinical Trials in Infants, Children The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been awarded $39 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue to Troy Camarata, PhD, assistant professor of basic sciences at NYITCOM at A-State, received a grant to fund a study titled, “Exploring Causative Relationship Between Agricultural Burning and Negative Public Health Outcomes in the Arkansas Delta.” Viswanathan Rajagopalan, PhD, assistant professor of basic sciences at NYITCOM at A-State, received a grant that will fund his study titled, “Long Noncoding RNAs in Heart Failure Related to Impaired Thyroid Hormone Function.”