Getting books from the doctor will soon be a routine part of regular well-child checkups at the UAMS AHEC South Arkansas as doctors and nurses welcome the Reach Out and Read program. AHEC joins more than 4,525 programs nationally that are working to make books part of a healthy childhood.

Medical research shows that literacy promoting interventions by pediatricians or family practioners have significant effects on parental behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes toward reading aloud. For more than a decade, studies have indicated that parents who get books and literacy counseling from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often, and provide more books in the home. One of the single most important things parents can do to enhance a child's well being and development is to read to their child.

Graduation ceremonies for the 2009 AHEC South Arkansas graduating residents were held on Friday, June 26th at 3:30 p.m. in the Ellis Conference Center of AHEC South Arkansas. Pictured above are the graduates, front row: Claudia Alfaro, MD; Shawn Cones, MD; back row: Marcel Ionita, MD, PhD; Shu Zang, MD; Jerry Sadler, MD.

The 2009 M*A*S*H program was be held at AHEC South Arkansas from June 15th through June 26th. Twelve area high school students participated in the program. The students are pictured above with the Air Evac LifeTeam helicopter.

Additional M*A*S*H Information

We are pleased to announce that the following matched applicants will be joining us as new residents on July 1, 2009:

Rajesh Bakhtiani, MD - Sind Medical College - Pakistan

Carmen Simona Busecu, MD - Universitatea de Medicina Si Farmacie Carol Davila - Romania

LS Coney, MD - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences - Little Rock, Arkansas

Caroline Corpus, MD - University of the East - Philippines

Mathilde Mozazai, MD - Universita Di Pavia - Italy

Magdalena Pasarica, MD - Universitatea de Medicina Si Farmacie Carol Davila - Romania