HJAR Mar/Apr 2023

34 MAR / APR 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs continue their legacy of service in our state,” said Susan S. Smyth, MD, PhD, UAMS executive vice chancellor and College of Medicine dean. “Schol- arships are a powerful tool for recruiting promis- ing students to UAMS and to careers in rural med- icine, and this endowment will have a tremendous impact for generations to come.” The scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in the College of Medicine who is a res- ident of Arkansas, with preference given to a stu- dent from or living in a rural area who demon- strates a financial need. Rhonda Dick retired as the medical director of pediatric emergency medicine at Arkansas Chil- dren’s in Little Rock in 2019. Ken Dick retired as an assistant director of fiscal services for the Arkan- sas Bureau of Legislative Research in 2006. Six NYITCOMat A-State Student Doctors Matched toMilitary Residencies Six members of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University Class of 2023 were matched to U.S. military residencies and will begin their graduate medical education in con- junction with service to their country. NYITCOM at A-State students who partici- pated in the military match include Maron Bar- rett (Navy), Preliminary Year, Internal Medicine, Naval Medical Center, San Diego; Brian Dreher (Navy), Transitional Year, Naval Medical Center, San Diego; Patrick Matulich (Army), Diagnostic Radiology, Tripler Army Medical Center, Hono- lulu; Josh Mihalcin (Army), Emergency Medicine, Army-Civilian Program, Augusta University Med- ical Center, Augusta, Georgia; Benjamin Munley (Navy), Preliminary General Surgery, Naval Medi- cal Center, San Diego; and Jini Song (Army), OB/ GYN, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio. Shane Speights, DO, is the dean of NYITCOM at A-State and is also a Major (O-4) in the U.S. Army National Guard attached to the Arkan- sas Medical Command (MED DET) unit based at Camp Robinson. Those roles give him a spe- cial appreciation for NYITCOM students who are committed to military service. “These student doctors are to be commended not only for their incredible accomplishment of completing medical school, but also for their commitment to our country,” Speights said. “On average, only one percent of all the physicians in the United States are serving in our military. It takes a special person to take that oath and agree to step into that role. I’m incredibly proud of each of these students, and I’m grateful for their ser- vice to our country.” Upon completing medical school, physicians must complete a residency training program and obtain a medical license to practice in the U.S. and become board-certified in a specialty. Medi- cal residencies last three to five years for primary care physicians, with other specialties requiring additional years. While the “civilian” match will take place in March, medical students who com- mitted to military service for their residency are matched a few months earlier. The six NYITCOM at A-State student doctors who will perform military residencies will take the military oath of office at NYITCOM’s 2023 hood- ing ceremonies next May. Physicians enlisted in the military deliver health- care services to military personnel and their fam- ilies and work in a variety of settings, including hospital ships and international medical centers, among others. Much like civilian doctors, their daily responsibilities include treating patients, diagnosing illness, and prescribing medicine. Military physicians may also participate in inter- national relief and humanitarian efforts, helping to care for the victims of natural disasters and other events requiring medical stability assistance. Amanda Deel, DO, associate dean of academic affairs at NYITCOM at A-State, attended medical school through the U.S. Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). Upon completion of medical school, she served five years of active duty with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, achiev- ing the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Her mili- tary experience also gives her a unique apprecia- tion for students who follow a similar path. “Our student doctors who were matched this week are not only committing to serve their fellow man, but also their country,” Deel said. “My time in the Navy was one of the greatest and most rewarding experiences of my life, and I’m thrilled for our students who are certain to gain similar invaluable lessons as they begin their graduate medical education and enter active duty in the military.” Lauren Thomas, APRN, Joins Baptist Health Sleep Clinic-Little Rock Baptist Health Sleep Clinic-Little Rock recently added Lauren Thomas, APRN, to its team of sleep medicine providers. Thomas, a native of Sheridan, received a med- ical education from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. “The Lord has given me a heart to serve those in need and I get to fulfill that calling by helping my patients identify and improve sleep related issues that can lead to better and healthier lives,” Thomas said. “I truly love spending one-on-one time with each patient to develop individualized care and improve their overall quality of life. Baptist Health Sleep Clinic-Little Rock is located at 1 Lile Court, Suite 100, on the campus of Bap- tist Health Medical Center-Little Rock. UAMS’ Fen Xia, MD, PhD, Named Fellow of the American Society of Radiation Oncology Fen Xia, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rock- efeller Cancer Institute, has been named a fel- low of the American Society of Radiation Oncol- ogy (ASTRO). Xia is among 27 distinguished cancer spe- cialists in the U.S. to be inducted into ASTRO’s 2022 Class of Fellows, which includes physicians from Stanford, Yale, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the National Cancer Institute. “We are so proud of Dr. Xia and her Lauren Thomas, APRN