College of Medicine Spring Faculty Meeting 2008

College of Medicine (COM) faculty members honored their peers at the semi-annual faculty meeting June 10. The annual awards recognized six faculty members for their work in research, residency programs and innovative teaching. Dean Debra H. Fiser, M.D., also honored Ernest Ferris, M.D., for his 31 years of service as chairman of the Department of Radiology. Ferris came to UAMS in 1977. As a leader, he ensured the latest technology was available to faculty and staff in order to provide excellent care for patients. He also developed a satellite teleradiology service that has become one of the busiest academic institution-based programs in the nation. Ferris stepped down as chair May 1 and continues to serve as a faculty member in the department.

Ernest Ferris, M.D., (left) is honored by Dean Debra H. Fiser, M.D., with a plaque for serving as chairman of the Department of Radiology for 31 years.  

Master Teacher Award
E. Robert Burns, Ph.D.

E. Robert Burns, Ph.D., has brought innovative educational programs to UAMS for the past 15 years. In addition to demonstrating a commitment to excellence in medical education, he has worked with pre-K through 12th grade teachers and students from throughout Arkansas. He successfully proposed and received funding for a Partners in Health Sciences program, “Teachers Teaching Teachers,” to improve science education in elementary and high schools. He involved experts from all over campus and secured more than a decade of funding for the workshops.

“His teaching innovations continue to have significant impact on the field of medical education locally, statewide, nationally and internationally,” said Gwen Childs, Ph.D., chair of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, who presented Burns with the award.

Burns, a professor in the department, recently completed a term as the Lutterloh Medical Education Excellence Professor. During this time he revised a review book on histology and published the second edition in 2007. The value of the text has proven significant on student exam performance, both nationally and internationally.

E. Robert Burns, Ph.D., (left) receives the Master Teacher Award from Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences Chair Gwen Childs, Ph.D.

Educational Research Award
Nicholas Long, Ph.D.

Nicholas Long, Ph.D., has invested much research into the education of parenting, which crosses various disciplines including pediatrics, psychology, nursing, child development, social work and education. In 1999, the professor of pediatrics and chief of the Pediatric Psychology Section, led efforts to improve the effectiveness of child rearing with the “Parents Matter!” program, a multi-site, community-based research study of 1,115 families. Based on initial findings from the project, the prevention program was adapted for Kenya to improve its culture of child rearing, and other African countries have expressed an interest in implementing the program. National dissemination of Parents Matter! by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control will occur in 2008 and 2009.

Long serves as director of the Center for Effective Parenting, a collaboration of the Jones Center for Families, the UAMS Department of Pediatrics and Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) that provides parent education services throughout the state. He has obtained over $9 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education to support activities for the center.

Nicholas Long, Ph.D., (left) receives the Educational Research Award from Department of Pediatrics Chair Richard Jacobs, M.D.

Residency Educator Award
Ben Guise, M.D.

Ben Guise, M.D., the residency training director and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, initiated and obtained Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approval for the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program. In addition to improving psychotherapy training, the 1990 COM graduate was instrumental in redesigning educational programs in anticipation of the Psychiatric Research Institute opening.

Ben Guise, M.D., (right) is presented with a Residency Educator Award by Rick Smith, M.D., chair of the Department of Psychiatry.
 

Residency Educator Award
Laura Hutchins, M.D.

Laura Hutchins, M.D., has dedicated her 30-year career to patient care, clinical research and teaching. Hutchins is a professor of medicine and director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, in which she oversees an ACGME-accredited fellowship program accommodating nine fellows for a three-year program. The 1977 COM graduate also is the Virginia Clinton Kelly Endowed Chair for Clinical Breast Cancer Research and has been received awards for Outstanding Woman Faculty, Distinguished Faculty and Humanism in Medicine.

“A long-time faculty leader and distinguished educator, she has implemented a broad and thoughtful curriculum,” said Internal Medicine Chairman James Marsh, M.D., who presented Hutchins with the award. 

The following award recipients could not be in attendance and therefore will be formally recognized at the Fall Faculty Meeting:

Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award
Presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation
Robert Hopkins, M.D.

Robert Hopkins, M.D., an associate professor of medicine and director of the medicine/pediatrics residency program at UAMS and ACH, serves as a role model for medical students and residents. He also is developing a curriculum for professionalism for medical students that models the behavior. His patient-centered care demonstrates exceptional humanism in medicine, and his active voice for Arkansas’ medically underserved supports his commitment to care. The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award is presented annually to a faculty member and a graduating student at nearly 80 of the nation’s medical schools.

Educational Innovation Award
Kevin Means, M.D.

Kevin Means, M.D., chairman, professor and residency director in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, has led efforts to implement the Team-Based Learning (TBL) methodology in the PM&R residency program curriculum. TBL uses small groups working independently and structured in-class tests to enhance learning and reinforce a higher-level application of knowledge. The PM&R residency is the first in the nation to use TBL in a graduate medical education curriculum. Preliminary results of the impact of TBL show positive assessment.