HJLR Mar/Apr 2019

62 MAR / APR 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of little rock Hospital Rounds Baptist Memorial Announces Partnership with NYITCOM at Arkansas State University Baptist Memorial Health Care has begun a partnership with New York Institute of Technol- ogy College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM at A-State), located in Jonesboro, to train future doctors. The agreement identifies up to 25 NYITCOM medical student positions that will be dedicated specifically to students who want to train at Bap- tist Memorial Health Care facilities during medi- cal school. In subsequent years, the program can increase up to 50 students in the Baptist-NYIT- COM cohort. Students selected to participate in the program will have some designated opportu- nities through the Baptist Memorial Health Care system during their first and second year, and par- ticipants will execute their year three and year four clerkships at one of Baptist’s 22 hospitals.  Upon completion of their medical education, students will be encouraged to apply to one of Baptist Memorial Health Care’s affiliated residency programs. Baptist currently hosts residents and fellows in family medicine, internal medicine, radi- ology, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, neu- rology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, oph- thalmology, otolaryngology, pathology, and pulmonary medicine.      “We are so excited to launch this partnership because it will bring tremendous benefit to stu- dents, families, and communities throughout the Mid-South,” said Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care. “There is a sig- nificant shortage of physicians, particularly primary care, in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. This shortage poses a grave health risk, particularly to people in under-served rural and urban commu- nities. We believe this Baptist-NYITCOM program will help alleviate this shortage by giving more of our best and brightest students the opportu- nity to study and practice medicine in their home communities.” Established in 1977, NYITCOM is one of the largest osteopathic medical schools in the United States, with more than 7,500 graduates practic- ing in all 50 states and 18 countries. Housed in the 86,000 square-foot Wilson Hall, NYITCOM at A-State facilities include laboratories and class- rooms outfitted with technology for in-person and two-way live streaming of lectures between the Arkansas and New York campuses. “When we welcomed our first class in August 2016, NYITCOM at A-State began its mission to improve access to healthcare for the medically underserved and rural populations,” said Jerry Balentine, DO, dean, NYITCOM and vice presi- dent, Health Sciences and Medical Affairs. “With this partnership, we are proud to continue that mission, and expand opportunities for our stu- dents as they prepare to practice in the under- served areas of the Mississippi Delta region.” “This partnership aligns perfectly with our goal to train future physicians who are more likely to stay and practice in the Mid-South area,” said Shane Speights, DO, dean, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State Univer- sity. “The opportunity to study within the Mid- South’s largest healthcare organization, with a variety of locations in both rural and urban areas, will be extremely valuable for our future doctors.” Baptist Memorial Health Care has added and expanded a number of its graduate medical edu- cation programs recently. Within the past three years, Baptist has started new primary care res- idency programs at three of its hospitals—Bap- tist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, Tennessee in conjunction with Church Health; Baptist Memo- rial Hospital-Golden Triangle in Columbus, Mis- sissippi; and NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro, Arkansas. These programs offer area students an opportunity to complete their gradu- ate medical education training with physician edu- cators from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas.  The Baptist College of Health Sciences, which began educating nurses in 1912, has also grown. The College now offers a variety of health sci- ences programs to prepare students for health- care careers, including a biomedical sciences degree for students who want to become phy- sicians. Baptist College collaborates with NYIT- COM to provide pathways for students who want to apply to medical school. Arkansas Children’s Hospital Names Greg Sharp, MD, as Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) has pro- moted Chief of Neurology Greg Sharp, MD, to senior vice president and chief medical officer after a national search. Sharp, who also serves as a professor of pedi- atrics and neurology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, began serving in the role as he transitioned from his previous leadership positions. “Dr. Sharp’s commitment to our patients and families make him an asset to the Arkansas Chil- dren’s Hospital executive team,” said Chanda Chacon, MPH, FACHE, Arkansas Children’s exec- utive vice president and chief operating officer. “He has a strong reputation as a champion for patient and caregiver experience and a deep commitment to building partnerships that achieve excellent clinical outcomes. We are proud that he emerged as the right candidate amid an extensive national search with a robust field of applicants.”  Sharp has been board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with Special Com- petence in Child Neurology and Added Qualifi- cation in Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy.  He also holds the John H. Bornhofen, MD, Endowed Chair in Child Neurology and serves as co-medical director of the ACH Neuroscience Center, Neuroscience Inpatient Unit and Neuro- fibromatosis Clinic. He is the present chief of staff at ACH. Sharp earned a medical degree at UAMS, com- pleted a residency in pediatrics at UAMS and ACH, and completed a residency/fellowship in child neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with specialized training in clinical neurophysiology. Greg Sharp, MD