HJAR Jul/Aug 2022

36 JUL / AUG 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs UAMS Graduates 942 Healthcare Professionals Degrees and certificates were conferred to 942 graduates of the University of Arkansas for Med- ical Sciences’ (UAMS) five colleges and gradu- ate school. Degrees were awarded to 162 in the College of Medicine, 182 in the College of Nursing, 91 in the College of Pharmacy, 67 in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, 382 in the College of Health Professions, and 58 in the graduate school. Degrees and certificates conferred include the doctor of philosophy, doctor of medicine, doc- tor of pharmacy, doctor of nursing practice, Mas- ter of Science, master of nursing science, Bache- lor of Science in nursing, master of public health, doctor of public health, master of health admin- istration, postbaccalaureate certificate in public health, Master of Science in healthcare analyt- ics, and a variety of degrees in allied health dis- ciplines including certificates, Bachelor of Science degrees, postbaccalaureate certificates, master of communication sciences and disorders, master of physician assistant studies, doctor of audiology, and doctor of physical therapy. NYITCOMat A-State’s Levy Wins First Place in National Case Competition Erika Levy, a third-year medical student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteo- pathic Medicine at Arkansas State University, won first place in the A. Hollis Wolf Case Competi- tion at the American Academy of Osteopathy’s (AAO) annual conference held March 23-27 in Orlando, Florida. The competition featured 15 students from osteopathic medical schools across the coun- try. Students were required to demonstrate their understanding and application of osteopathic principles and treatment, their knowledge of pathophysiology and clinical aspects of their cases, and the impact of osteopathic care. Pre- senters were judged on their presentation style, skill, and slide design in addition to the students’ involvement in decision-making and delivering treatment. “We are all incredibly proud of Student Doc- tor Levy for her work and for the exemplary way she represented our medical school,” said Regina Fleming, DO, chair of osteopathic manipulative medicine at NYITCOM at A-State. “This is a tre- mendous achievement that required a lot of work on Student Doctor Levy’s part and we’re thrilled to see that work rewarded.” Levy’s presentation was titled, “That’s the Last (Copper) Straw.” As part of the competition, Levy articulated her approach to treating a patient that presented to the Scholar’s Osteopathic Educa- tional Service with uterine-induced lower back pain. Levy developed her presentation with the assis- tance of Joy Skaug, MD, and Amy Suessle, DO, both of whom serve as assistant professors in NYITCOM’s Department of Osteopathic Manip- ulative Medicine. Skaug and Suessle provided Levy with feedback and enhanced her under- standing of the pathophysiology behind the use of copper IUDs. Levy received a $500 scholarship to be applied to osteopathic continuing medical education, a ticket to the 2023 AAO convocation in Colorado, and a percussion hammer (a tool used in osteo- pathic manipulative treatment). Gynecological Surgeon J. Afton Cooper, MD, Joins CHI St. Vincent Urogynecology Clinic CHI St. Vincent announced that gynecologi- cal surgeon J. Afton Cooper, MD, has joined the team of specialists at the CHI St. Vincent Urogy- necology Clinic in Little Rock. Cooper is now see- ing patients at the clinic, located at 5 St. Vincent Circle, Suite 300 in the Blandford building. Cooper most recently served as assistant pro- fessor in the St. Thomas OB/GYN Residency Program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Nashville. After attending medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, she completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Cooper completed fellowship training in minimally inva- sive gynecologic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida. The team of specialists at the CHI St. Vincent Urogynecology Clinic provide evaluation, diagno- sis, and treatment of conditions that affect female pelvic organs, including overactive bladder, uri- nary incontinence, fecal incontinence, vaginal fis- tulas, recurrent UTIs, and pelvic organ prolapse. Whole Health Institute Names Walt Cooper, PhD, as CEO Whole Health Institute, a nonprofit organiza- tion founded to make whole health available to all people in all communities, named Walt Coo- per, PhD, as chief executive officer. Cooper served as managing director for health- care initiatives, overseeing strategic planning, budget, and operations at Whole Health Institute. Prior to this role, he served as head of Walmart health innovation and optimization. Previously, he co-founded and served as pres- ident of San Diego-based Cortica Healthcare, treating children with autism and other neuro- developmental conditions. At Cortica, Cooper developed an operational infrastructure that enabled this novel clinical model to grow and expand. He has also worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs following a highly decorated career in the military. Cooper holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Harvard and a Master of Science from Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. NYITCOMat A-State Student Receives RAMP Scholar Award to PerformResearch at Columbia University Jessika Sanz, a third-year medical student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State Uni- versity (NYITCOM at A-State), has received a Research and Mentor Program (RAMP) Scholar Award to perform a research elective at Colum- bia University during the 2022-23 academic year. J. Afton Cooper, MD