HJAR Jul/Aug 2021

24 JUL / AUG 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs COVID-19 on surgical case volume and finances at UAMS. From March 17 to June 7, 2020, UAMS tem- porarily postponed and rescheduled many elec- tive surgeries and procedures because of the pandemic. Through analysis of data gathered by UAMS during 2020, Hollaway examined surgical post- ponements and cancellations and the impact of that financially on UAMS. Hollaway completed this work as part of her capstone research proj- ect, known as the Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) in the College of Public Health. Hollaway hypothesized that the mandated elec- tive surgery cessation, along with other COVID- 19 related case cancellations, had a substantial economic impact on UAMS. Her findings showed a 16.2% decrease in case volume and a 13.8% decrease in financial charges levied during 2020 on average when compared to 2017-2019. Most case deficits occurred between March and May. UAMS Breaks Ground on NewRadiation Oncology Center, Will House First Proton Center in Arkansas The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) broke ground on an expanded Radiation Oncology Center, which will be home to Arkan- sas’ first Proton Center. The center, part of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rock- efeller Cancer Institute, will use the expanded capabilities of three new linear accelerators as it relocates in 2023 to a new 52,249 square-foot- building facing Capitol Avenue, between Pine and Cedar streets. The new three-story structure, located south- east of the BioVentures building, is being built primarily to accommodate a proton center — one of fewer than 40 that exist nationwide — in part- nership with Arkansas Children’s, Baptist Health, and Proton International. Jenifer Kowalik, MD, Joins Bradley CountyMedical Center Rural Health Clinic Bradley County Medical Center’s newest phy- sician, Jenifer Kowalik, MD, recently joined the staff at the Bradley County Medical Center Rural Health Clinic, located at 304 East Central Street in Warren across the street from the ER entrance at the hospital. Kowalik, who practices family medicine and obstetrics, joins Kristen Dent, MD, at the BCMC Rural Health Clinic along with APRNs April Harris and Kristen Harvey. Kowalik was most recently a physician and the director of maternal and neonatal care at Brown- field Regional Medical Center (BRMC) in Brown- field, Tex. Prior to her experience at BRMC, she was in private practice from 2009-2019 in San Mar- cos, Texas. A graduate of St. Mary’s University in San Anto- nio, Tex., Kowalik earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1993 before receiving a medi- cal degree in 1997 from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. Kowalik completed an internship and residency in family medicine at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio from 1997-2000. Study to Focus on Link Between Blood Sugar, Alzheimer’s Disease The Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been awarded a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, a divi- sion of the National Institutes of Health. The project, led by Steven Barger, PhD, will focus on glucose transporter cells and their inabil- ity to deliver glucose to the brain in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Glucose is most commonly referred to as blood sugar. “We were interested in determining what kind of mechanistic events might explain the lack of glucose uptake in the brain,” said Barger, a professor and holder of the Louise G. Hearn Chair in Dementia and Long-Term Care in the College of Medicine’s Department of Geriatrics. “We started looking at the amount of glucose trans- porters in the surface of these brain cells, and there seems to be a problem with the delivery of the Glut1 transporter into the cell surface.” To get to the brain, glucose must travel through specific gateways located in the surface of the cells for the brain to function properly. Barger said data they’ve collected has indicated only one transporter cell in particular, Glut1, was altered in certain tissues of the brain. In addition to Barger, College of Pharmacy associate professor Antiño Allen, PhD, will serve as co-investigator; others working on the project include Yang Ou, PhD; Jin Hee Sung, PhD; Keri Crowder; and Larissa Porter, all from the Depart- ment of Geriatrics. Mercy Fort SmithWelcomes Daraspreet Kainth, MD Daraspreet Kainth, MD, recently joined Mercy Clinic Neurosurgery in Fort Smith. Kainth is a board-certified neurosurgeon who began practicing at Mercy Fort Smith on March 15. Previously, he practiced in Ohio and com- pleted neurosurgical training at the University of Minnesota, where he held fellowships in endovas- cular surgical neuroradiology and integrated neu- rosurgery/orthopedic spine surgery. He earned a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stan- ford University, where he graduated with honors. He is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and is board-certified with the Ameri- can Board of Neurological Surgery. n Jenifer Kowalik, MD Daraspreet Kainth, MD