UAMS Performs Record 7,000th Myeloma Stem-Cell Transplant

The internationally known treatment program for multiple myeloma at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) reached another milestone today as Jeffrey Zwerin of California received the 7,000th stem-cell transplant procedure performed at the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy.

The institute, a part of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute (formerly the Arkansas Cancer Research Center), has performed more blood stem cell transplants for myeloma than any other facility in the world.

“This medical milestone represents the continued impact that Dr. Barlogie and the staff at the Myeloma Institute have on medicine through their dedication to patient care, research and education,” said UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D. “They’ve built a program that keeps Arkansans from having to leave the state for treatment while at the same time attracting patients from around the world.”

Between 1995 and 2001 the five-year survival rate reported by the National Cancer Institute for newly diagnosed myeloma patients was 34 percent. At the Myeloma Institute, for the same time period, 57 percent of newly diagnosed patients lived five years or more. Five-year survival rates at the institute are now more than 65 percent. UAMS has achieved a median survival rate of seven years.

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Jeffrey Zwerin is honored for receiving the 7000th stem cell transplant performed at UAMS by (from left) Betsy Baldwin, Myeloma Institute director of clinical operations, his wife Sharon, and Ellen Sullivan, an advanced practice nurse.

New UAMS Energy Plant to Save $3.5 Million a Year

A new power plant featuring a slate of energy-saving measures expected to save the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and others $3.5 million a year was celebrated today with an open house.

The West Central Energy Plant was built to provide utility service to more than 1 million square feet of new construction on campus and to the nearby Arkansas State Hospital and electrical service to the Arkansas Department of Health campus.

The plant’s energy-saving features include items such as insulated windows, high-efficiency lighting and equipment to better regulate energy consumption.

Also included is heating and cooling technology that simultaneously produces 155-degree heating water for water heating and space heating along with 38-degree chilled water for cooling and dehumidification purposes. It is one of the first such units to be installed in the United States. Usually different pieces of equipment are used to heat and cool water.

The facility’s emergency generators can provide electrical power and cooling to all UAMS patient care areas in the event of a power failure. In a complete power failure, power can be restored in minutes, with generators that can operate for 48 hours before refueling.

“The West Central Energy Plant plays a critical role in allowing UAMS to deliver patient care, even more so in the event of power failure,” said UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D. “The energy-saving measures in the project underscore our commitment to being good stewards of our finances and good citizens in our community.”

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