HJAR Sep/Oct 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2020 31 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com training in cardiovascular disease at the University of Arizona School of Medicine in Phoenix. The CHI St. Vincent Cardiology and Medicine Clinic is a cardiology specialty clinic for the diag- nosis and treatment of diseases and conditions of the heart and vascular systems. 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 NYIT- COM 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. 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. Jessica Snowden, MD, Named Chief of Division, Pediatric Infectious Disease at UAMS Jessica Snowden, MD, has been named chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease in the College of Medicine Department of Pediat- rics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sci- ences (UAMS). Snowden is a nationally recognized expert in pediatric infectious diseases and pediatric clin- ical and translational research. She is vice chair of research for the Department of Pediatrics and associate director of clinical and transla- tional Research at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute. She also serves as co-principal investigator of the NIH-funded IDeA (Institutional Development Awards Program) States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network Data Coordinating and Operations Cen- ter, directing clinical operations for trial imple- mentation and professional development across a 17-state NIH-funded research group. Snowden also has an active, NIH-funded basic science laboratory studying the role of age on the immune responses and neurologic outcomes fol- lowing infections in the brain, so that we might design improved prevention and treatment strat- egies for these infections. In addition to her basic science and clinical research, she has a long his- tory of active involvement in medical student, res- ident and fellow education. She serves on several national research commit- tees, including the American Academy of Pedi- atrics Committee on Pediatric Research and the Infectious Disease Society of America Research Affairs Committee. Dr. Jesse D. Abeler Joins Bowen Hefley Orthopedics Jesse D. Abeler, DO, has joined the team of orthopedic surgeons at Bowen Hefley Orthopedics. Abeler completed and received a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Rocky Vista University College in Parker, Colo. He com- pleted an orthopedic residency at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Oklahoma City and then went on to complete a hand fellowship at the University of Massachusetts. Abelers’ areas of expertise include shoulder, elbow, hand, and sports injuries. He is able to treat complex hand and upper extremity injuries as well as routine treatment of hand, elbow, and shoulder complaints. He joins Drs. Scott Bowen, William Hefley, Jason Stewart, David Rhodes, Larry Nguyen, Samuel Moore, Jesse Burks, and Paul Edwards at Bowen Hefley Orthopedics. Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, MD, PhD, AwardedNearly $3.14Million to Further Myeloma Research Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, MD, PhD, Myeloma Center research director at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), has received two grants totaling almost $3.14 million to study the molecular genetics and drug resis- tance of multiple myeloma, the second-most common blood-related cancer. One grant from the U.S. Department of Defense provides $1.4 million, and the other comes from the National Institutes of Health for nearly $1.74 million. Both projects aim to better understand the biological processes behind myeloma in order to search for new treatments and cures. Jessica Snowden, MD Jesse D. Abeler, DO