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News from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
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JULY 31, 2003 | Kent D. McKelvey, Jr.,
M.D., an authority on rural medicine and
medical genetics, has returned to Arkansas
to join the University of Arkansas for
Medical Sciences (UAMS).
Dr. McKelvey will be an assistant
professor and director of predoctoral
education in the
Department of Family and Preventive
Medicine in the UAMS College of
Medicine.
Dr. McKelvey completed a second residency
in medical genetics in June at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. He previously practiced family
medicine in Mountain Home, Arkansas. He
completed a family medicine residency at
the UAMS Area Health Education
Center-Southwest in Texarkana, Arkansas,
and is a 1996 graduate of the UAMS College
of Medicine.
Dr. McKelvey emphasizes the importance of
family physicians to the state. “As
director of predoctoral education, I plan
to utilize our strong network of devoted
and caring family doctors to carry out
this goal. The integrity and enthusiasm of
preceptors impacted my career choice and I
believe this program provides an excellent
example to our students.”
With combined expertise in family medicine
and medical genetics, Dr. McKelvey brings
a unique perspective and an added service
for patients at UAMS and throughout the
state. “Genetic testing can be a valuable
tool for geneticists as well as primary
care physicians. It is currently the
standard of care for familial cancer
syndromes (there are 35 known syndromes)
and can be used for definitive diagnosis
of hundreds of disorders,” he explains.
Genetics also brings a new level of
complexity to medicine. “Genetic tests
present a new set of ethical, legal and
social implications because the tests
predict a future health condition and
affect other related individuals – not
just the person being tested,” he says. “I
want to help educate health care providers
and patients about the positive uses of
genetic testing as well as the potential
harms and limitations.”
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Kent D. McKelvey, Jr., M.D.
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An explosion of knowledge in the last five
years has given genetics new clinical
relevance. This prompted Dr. McKelvey to
pursue specialized training in the field.
He explained that medical genetics is not
confined to one tissue or organ system but
is broadly applicable in clinical
medicine. As clinical and epidemiologic
data catch up with the pace of mutation
and gene discovery, genetics will impact
pharmaceutical choice and the management
of common disease.
“Genetics provides a deeper level of
understanding of the biochemistry and
pathophysiology of disease,” he says. “In
some situations, we can even answer the
age-old questions, ‘Why did I get the
disease?’ or ‘Why me?’”
In addition to instructing family medicine
residents and medical students, Dr.
McKelvey will conduct clinics in both
family medicine and medical genetics.
“Similar to my family medicine practice, I
plan to have a broad scope in genetics
clinic where I have a particular interest
in cancer genetics,” he said. “Genetic
testing is perhaps most applicable in
familial cancer syndromes where the
outcome of the genetic test often directs
medical and surgical management. The
implications for family members are
immediate.”
I am excited about the possibilities of
integrating genetic scientists with
clinical medicine at UAMS,” said Dr.
McKelvey. “We have entered a new era of
laboratory and predictive medicine where
it is essential for all physicians to have
a familiarity with genetics. This is an
exciting time in medicine and I am happy
to return to UAMS to teach and to
integrate medical genetics in clinical
medicine.”
Dr. McKelvey’s own research has focused on
a way to computerize family history to
screen for inheritable disease. Until it
is possible to obtain a blood sample to
evaluate polymorphisms and predict
disease, family history often provides the
best relative risk estimate. Busy
clinicians rarely have time to obtain a
complete family history and then apply
detailed guidelines to each case.
Information technology offers solutions to
this problem. Validating and assessing the
clinical utility of a computerized family
history may allow for more accurate risk
assessment and more efficient use of
genetic testing.
Dr. McKelvey has extensive family and
friends in Arkansas and his family is
well-represented in the medical field.
His father, K. David McKelvey, M.D., has
practiced obstetrics and gynecology in
Little Rock for more than 30 years.
Sisters Samatha McKelvey, M.D., and Betsy
McKelvey Dean are an OB/GYN resident at
UAMS and neonatal intensive care nurse at
Children’s Hospital, respectively. Cousin
Richard McKelvey, M.D., is a surgeon in
Clarksville.
Links on This Page
Department
of Family and Preventive Medicine:
http://www.uams.edu/dfcm/
Three Ear-Nose-Throat:
http://www.uams.edu/today/2003/063003/EarNoseThroat.htm
Genetic Research:
http://www.uams.edu/today/2003/022003/htyh_genetic_research.htm
New Gift: http://www.uams.edu/today/2002/121802/newgift.htm
UAMS Researchers: http://www.uams.edu/today/2002/110702/tamoxifen.htm
Molecular: http://www.uams.edu/today/2002/090502/cmresearch.htm
© 2003
University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences (UAMS). A single copy of these
materials may be reprinted for
noncommercial personal use only. “UAMS,”
“UAMS Online,” “UAMS Today,” “UAMS
Update,” “uams.edu,” and “Here’s to Your
Health” are marks of UAMS. |
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