HJAR Jul/Aug 2022

40 JUL / AUG 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs regional campuses program through Arkansas Medical Education Primary Care Partnerships (AR MEd-PCP). The program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administra- tion (HRSA) Value-Based Medical Student Edu- cation Training Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $12,282,365 with 10% financed with non-governmental sources. UAMS Infectious Disease Researchers Awarded $5.7 Million COBREGrant Extension The National Institute of General Medical Sci- ences within the National Institutes of Health awarded an additional $5.7 million, five-year grant to fund the third and final phase of a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences program that sup- ports infectious disease research. This final phase of the Centers for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant is for the 11th through 15th years of the program, which, since 2012, has now received more than $26 million in federal funding. “The goal of the COBRE grants is to establish a center of research excellence around a specific scientific theme that will ultimately become self- sustaining, and in our case this theme is broadly focused on the growing problem of infectious disease,” said Mark Smeltzer, PhD, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunol- ogy and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine. In 2012, UAMS was awarded more than $10 million for the first phase of the program, which allowed Smeltzer and Richard Morrison, PhD, to establish the UAMS Center for Microbial Patho- genesis and Host Inflammatory Responses to focus on diverse microbial pathogens — bacte- ria, viruses, and parasites — and the impact of the host response that these pathogens elicit in humans. “The goal is to understand the pathogen and the host response to a point that allows us to manipulate the interaction between the two in favor of the host and the desired therapeutic out- come,” said Smeltzer, director of the center. Working with Morrison, who, at the time, was chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and served as co-director of Phase I “allowed us to start recruiting outstand- ing young investigators we wouldn’t have been able to recruit otherwise,” said Smeltzer. “It was their success in developing their own indepen- dent research programs that allowed us to build our center and obtain an additional $11 million in 2017 to fund Phase II, and it was our continued success in Phase II that allowed us to obtain this additional funding for Phase III.” Smeltzer said that “to date, we have recruited 10 new investigators to UAMS and Arkansas, and one of the things I’m proudest of is that all of these investigators are still here,” which Smeltzer noted is “particularly important to me personally both as a long-time faculty member at UAMS and a native Arkansan.” Seven Local High School Students Participate in NYITCOM Summer Research Program Seven Jonesboro-area high school students are participating in a summer research program offered by New York Institute of Technology Col- lege of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM at A-State). Emalee Gillean, Jakayla Scott, Jason Smith, and Keona Harris of Nettleton High School along with Abril De La Rosa, Anahi Garcia Valdez, and Madison Russell of Jonesboro High School were selected to enjoy eight weeks of intense labora- tory exposure along with career and professional development experiences through NYITCOM’s Summer Health Academy for Research Explora- tion (SHARE) program. SHARE, which runs from June 6-Aug. 5, is designed to increase the students’ chances of navigating the academic pipeline toward a STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine) or professional degree. “The goal of the SHARE program aligns well with the institutional mission to foster interests in science in young people,” said Troy Cama- rata, PhD, who serves as director of the program in addition to his role as an associate professor at NYITCOM at A-State. “The SHARE program is designed to provide very practical, hands-on learning opportunities that will be extremely ben- eficial and enjoyable for high school students aspiring toward STEMM careers.” The SHARE program is open to Arkansas high school students from backgrounds that are under- represented in the STEMM areas. Students cho- sen to participate in SHARE receive a stipend through funding provided by a Project SEED grant from the American Chemical Society. Arkansas Urology Forms NIL Partnership with College Football Kicker Cameron Little Arkansas Urology announced a partnership with college football kicker Cameron Little to help raise awareness about men’s health, pros- tate cancer prevention, and overall health and wellness around the state. The partnership includes promotional efforts and events, including an appearance by Little at the 18th annual Kickoff to Men’s Health in Sep- tember, which is national prostate cancer aware- ness month. Kickoff to Men’s Health is an event hosted by Arkansas Urology and the Arkansas Urology Foundation that is intended to inform the public about free prostate cancer screenings offered across the state throughout the month of September. “Early detection is vital when it comes to treat- ing prostate cancer. We are thrilled Cam will help advance our efforts to educate the com- munity on opportunities for free screenings and encourage men to get screened regularly,” said E. Scot Davis, CEO of Arkansas Urology. “Cam is a nationally recognized kicker who racked up some impressive stats during his freshman season playing college football this past year. We could not think of a better partner for our prostate can- cer awareness event, Kickoff to Men’s Health.” Little is a native of Moore, Oklahoma, currently playing college football in Fayetteville. In 2021, Little was a perfect 46-for-46 on extra points. He scored 20 out of 24 field goals and reached an overall score of 106 kicking points, ranking 21st in the country. The partnership with Arkansas Urology was formed in light of the law passed in July 2021 allowing student athletes to be compensated for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). “This is Arkansas Urology’s first NIL partner- ship. We were eager to work with a well-known college athlete like Cam, because we know the value of his brand advocacy to amplify our mes- sage and help us reach more Arkansans,” said