Chadley Uekman

UAMS to Offer Free Legal Document Assistance for Cancer Patients Oct. 26

LITTLE ROCK —Free legal assistance on important personal documents will be provided Oct. 26 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to anyone in cancer treatment or who has completed treatment, based on financial need.

The estate planning clinic will be held at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute as a free service by local attorneys. One-hour appointments are available at either 4:30 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. Lawyers will assist cancer patients in preparing wills, powers of attorney and living wills.

Advance appointments are required by contacting the UAMS Cancer Institute Social Work Department at 501-603-1612 or wilsonavisf@uams.edu. The event will take place in the Patient Support Pavilion on the first floor of the UAMS Cancer Institute. Free parking is available in parking deck 3 at the corner of Cedar Street and Capitol Avenue.

Shoppers and Diners Enjoy a 20 Percent Discount With UAMS Cancer Institute’s Partners Card

LITTLE ROCK –More than 250 shops and restaurants in central and northwest Arkansas and Conway will offer discounts Oct. 28 – Nov. 6 with Partners Card, a fundraising project of the volunteer auxiliary of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

To purchase a Partners Card or view a complete list of participating shops and restaurants visit www.uamspartnerscard.com. Cards also may be purchased by calling (501) 686-8286 or at participating locations indicated on the website.

For 10 days, shoppers and diners who purchase the $50 cards will receive a 20 percent discount at more than 250 area stores and restaurants. All proceeds from the sale of Partners Cards benefit the Cancer Institute Auxiliary and are used to fund projects that support cancer patients in Arkansas. Past projects have included such things as free wigs for patients who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment; housing and transportation assistance; oncology massage; and cancer screening events.

The mobile-friendly Partners Card website, www.uamspartnerscard.com, features an interactive map highlighting the location of each participating merchant, in addition to an option to search by type of merchant.

This is the 13th year for the Cancer Institute to offer Partners Card in central Arkansas, the 11th year in northwest Arkansas and the first year in Conway. During that time, the fundraiser has raised more than $1 million for cancer patient programs and services.

UAMS and Little Rock Trojans Need Votes to Win up to $15,000 to Benefit Breast Cancer Organization

LITTLE ROCK – The public is invited to help fight breast cancer by voting online for a video featuring the dancing talents of doctors, nurses and others at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and members of the Little Rock Trojans.

The video to “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon was produced by UAMS and entered in the Medline Pink Glove Dance contest to raise breast cancer awareness.

Videos are posted on the Pink Glove Dance website and are judged on the basis of votes they receive. Voters are eligible to vote once a day Sept. 12-23 from each email address they have.

UAMS and the Little Rock Trojans teamed up to participate in the national contest sponsored by Medline, a manufacturer of medical supplies including pink gloves. The contest, which attracts entries from hospitals and organizations across the country, taps into the creativity, joy and hard work of caregivers from coast to coast.

Prizes are awarded as donations to cancer charities in the name of the winner. Any prize money received by UAMS and the Little Rock Trojans will be donated to the Arkansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The video features more than 100 UAMS doctors, nurses and staff, along with Little Rock Trojans men’s and women’s basketball players, coaches and staff wearing pink surgical gloves. Dancers featured on the video include UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D.; UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D.; and media personalities from television stations KARK/KLRT, KATV and KTHV.

This is UAMS’ third year to participate in the Pink Glove Dance Video contest. In 2014, UAMS won the national contest in their category and donated $10,000 to the 20^th Century Club’s Lodge.

Prizes include $15,000 for overall first place and $10,000 for first place in each of three categories.

The competition dates to 2009 when Illinois-based Medline Industries Inc., which manufactures and distributes health care supplies, turned everyday exam gloves from green to pink and launched an aggressive breast cancer education campaign to help make detection exams less intimidating and remind nurses about the importance of creating a comfortable, friendly and open dialogue with their patients.

A few years later, Medline created the Pink Glove Dance video competition to celebrate hope for a cure and honor all who have been affected by the disease. The competition has inspired more than 1,000 dance videos and raised nearly $2.5 million for breast cancer prevention and free mammograms for women in need through the National Breast Cancer Foundation and other charitable organizations across the country. More than 200,000 people participated in Pink Glove videos nationwide in 2015.

UAMS to Offer Freedom From Smoking Program Starting Sept. 28

LITTLE ROCK — If you’re ready to quit smoking, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is ready to help.

The small-group Freedom from Smoking program will meet from 4-5:30 p.m. for seven Wednesdays beginning Sept. 28 in room 10104 on the 10^th floor of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. There is no cost to participate.

To register, contact certified tobacco treatment specialist Pat Franklin, APRN, at (501) 944-5934 or plfranklin@uams.edu.

Participants receive one-on-one support, hear first-hand stories from former smokers, and get information on nicotine replacement therapies, healthy eating habits and stress management.

Since it was introduced by the American Lung Association (ALA) almost 30 years ago, the Freedom From Smoking program has helped more than a million Americans end their addiction to nicotine. The program is offered by the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and uses materials provided by the ALA.

Radiation Effects Expert Martin Hauer-Jensen Invested in J. Thomas May Distinguished Endowed Chair in Oncology

Sept. 1, 2016 | The family of the late William E. “Bill” Clark has given $300,000 to establish a distinguished endowed chair in honor of J. Thomas May in which world-renowned radiation effects expert Martin Hauer-Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., was invested Aug. 29 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

Hauer-Jensen, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences, surgery and pathology, is director of the Division of Radiation Health in the UAMS College of Pharmacy.

A distinguished endowed chair is the highest academic honor a university can bestow on its faculty and is established with gifts of $1.5 million or more to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chairholder. Those named to a chair are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields of expertise.

The J. Thomas May Distinguished Endowed Chair in Oncology was funded by the family of Clark, who was chairman and CEO of CDI Contractors in Little Rock, to honor his friend May, former CEO of Simmons First National Corp.

“The Clarks’ generous gift ensures that UAMS can continue providing the highest quality oncology physicians and researchers in Arkansas. Bill Clark and Tommy May share a legacy of dedicated service,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. “Their friendship is a wonderful testimony to the importance of relationships and the power of two friends sharing a common goal to improve the future of health care for others.”

An endowed chair was established in 2006 with $1 million from Bill and Margaret Clark. Bill Clark died of cancer one year later. The initial investment grew by $200,000 over the last decade. In June, Margaret Clark, and her son, William E. Clark II, chairman of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board, gave another $300,000 to elevate the chair to a distinguished endowed chair. It is the first distinguished endowed chair for a faculty member of the UAMS College of Pharmacy.

“We thank the Clark family from the bottom of our hearts for this additional gift. This will benefit our oncology program from now on into the future,” said Peter Emanuel, M.D., executive director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

Bill Clark, a former member of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board, became friends with May when the two served together for nine years on the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees. “It was a friendship like I’d never seen before,” Margaret Clark has said.

A resident of Pine Bluff, May has an extensive background in civic and community service, for which he has received numerous awards, and served on the UAMS Department of Psychiatry capital campaign steering committee. He holds an honorary doctorate of law from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

In addition to Rahn, Emanuel and William E. Clark II, speakers at the ceremony included Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief academic officer; Keith M. Olsen, Pharm.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy; and James W. Hardin, Ph.D., chief scientific and administrative officer for SunEcoEnergy Inc., who formerly worked with Hauer-Jensen at the UAMS Cancer Institute. University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt, Ph.D., was also in attendance.

Hauer-Jensen was presented with a commemorative medallion by Rahn and Olsen.

“I thank the Clark family and Tommy May for making this distinguished endowed chair possible, and Peter Emanuel for organizing it. I am looking forward to working with Dean Olsen to enhance the competitiveness of the Division of Radiation Health,” Hauer-Jensen said.

“None of this would be possible without my family,” he continued. “I’ve had many long nights, many business trips, and many weekends that I could not be with them, and I give them my sincere, heartfelt thanks.”

Gardner, who was dean of the College of Pharmacy when Hauer-Jensen was recruited, praised his leadership and his work mentoring a new generation of researchers. “I have been looking forward to this day for almost a decade,” Gardner said. “Martin’s strong leadership and vision are what draw people to this division. He’s not just an internationally recognized scientist; he’s a visionary, a mentor, a leader, and a coach.”

Hauer-Jensen is an internationally recognized authority on normal tissue radiation responses. His research focuses on determining mechanisms of injury and developing strategies to prevent adverse effects after radiation therapy in cancer patients, to make radiation therapy for cancer safer and more effective.

He joined the UAMS faculty in 1990 to launch a career in academic surgery. In 2008, Hauer-Jensen moved from the College of Medicine to the College of Pharmacy and was appointed associate dean for research and director of the newly formed Division of Radiation Health in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Hauer-Jensen is president of the Radiation Research Society and serves on numerous national and international advisory boards, review panels and editorial boards.

At UAMS, he co-leads the Host Response and Radiation Sciences program at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. He has been chair of the Radiation Study Section of the National Institutes of Health, a consultant on radiological emergencies to the World Health Organization, and a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.

He has published more than 250 scientific papers and has received peer reviewed research funding for more than 20 years. He is the recipient of the coveted MERIT Award from the National Cancer Institute.

ROC Star Event Hits Homerun for Pediatric Cancer Survivors

Aug. 30, 2016 | For many people, a night at the ballpark is an ordinary summer outing. But for young people with cancer, a simple ballgame can become a lifelong memory.

Creating those memories is the idea behind the ROC Star program, an annual event honoring the children and teens treated at the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center (ROC), the only facility in Arkansas offering radiation therapy for children.

The fifth annual event, hosted by the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Auxiliary, was held Aug. 27 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. Guests enjoyed an Arkansas Travelers baseball game and buffet dinner. Prior to the game, the young survivors were introduced to the players and escorted onto the field for the national anthem.

“When a child has cancer, the whole family feels the effects of stress and uncertainty. This event is a chance for them to relax and enjoy a fun evening together,” said Peter Emanuel, M.D., director of the UAMS Cancer Institute.

Twelve-year-old Ewing sarcoma survivor Scout Rodgers and her family were back for their second ROC Star event. “We had a great time last year,” said Scout’s mom, April Rodgers. “Being part of this event really made her feel special.” Ewing sarcoma is a tumor that forms in the bone or soft

tissue and most often occurs in children and young adults.

The youngest of five siblings, 3-year-old Lily Johnson also is undergoing radiation therapy for Ewing sarcoma. “It took a while to figure out what was wrong with Lily, but she just adapts and always has the best attitude,” said mom Jennifer Johnson.

Fellow parent Gina Dickey was happy for her family to make the three-hour drive from Huntsville so daughter Claire could participate. After experiencing a series of headaches in 2014, Claire was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 3. She underwent more than 30 radiation therapy treatments at ROC.

“When Claire was diagnosed, we were told she might have serious, long-term complications. Thankfully, that never happened. She’s doing well now and just started kindergarten. We’re so happy to be where we are today,” Dickey said.

Prior ROC Star events have been held at the UAMS Cancer Institute, an Arkansas Razorbacks football game and Little Rock’s Museum of Discovery. This was the second year to host the event at Dickey-Stephens Park.

The program began with the encouragement and support of Arkansas’ former First Lady Ginger Beebe. Beebe’s granddaughter, Alexandria, was diagnosed at 11 weeks old with a tumor encircling her spinal column and was treated successfully at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Benefits from QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale”

Aug. 25, 2016 — The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) got a boost in the fight against breast cancer with funds generated by QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale,” held in October 2015.

Supporting breast cancer research and education institutions nationwide, the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) and QVC selected the UAMS Cancer Institute as one of the nine beneficiaries of the 2015 event. FFANY and QVC representatives presented a check in the amount of $320,000 to Kent Westbrook, M.D., Cancer Institute co-founder and distinguished professor in the UAMS College of Medicine, along with other UAMS representatives.

“It’s an honor to be one of only nine cancer centers across the country chosen to participate in this annual event. Support such as this helps us educate women in Arkansas about the importance of breast cancer screening while also continuing our search for better treatment options,” said Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D. During the course of 17 years, the UAMS Cancer Institute has received more than $5.6 million in donations resulting from this sale.

Since its inception, QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale” has sold more than 1.8 million pairs of shoes and generated more than $50 million to benefit leading breast cancer research and education institutions. Designated as the event’s “Special Pink Benefactors,” Nine West Group, Caleres, Camuto Group and Marc Fisher Footwear each donated shoes worth more than $500,000. Their contributions included brands such as Nine West, Anne Klein, Easy Spirit, Via Spiga, Franco Sarto, Naturalizer, Vince Camuto, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Jessica Simpson, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger and Ivanka Trump.

QVC, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ: QVCA, QVCB), is the world’s leading video and ecommerce retailer. QVC is committed to providing its customers with thousands of the most innovative and contemporary beauty, fashion, jewelry and home products. Its programming is distributed to approximately 358 million homes worldwide through operations in the U.S., Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, France and a joint venture in China. Based in West Chester, Pa. and founded in 1986, QVC has evolved from a TV shopping company to a leading ecommerce and mobile commerce retailer. The company’s website, QVC.com, is ranked among the top general merchant Internet sites. QVC, Q, and the Q Ribbon Logo are registered service marks of ER Marks, Inc.

The Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation was created to support ongoing research and education programs in the fight against breast cancer and is supported by members of the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY). Donated footwear is sold on live television through QVC during the Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation’s annual charity benefit, QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale.” Funds are distributed to leading breast cancer research and education institutions across the United States, including beneficiaries for the 2015 event: The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, The Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Breast Oncology Program, The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, The Margie and Robert E. Petersen Breast Cancer Research Program at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. The Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation makes its home at 274 Madison Avenue, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10016, www.FFANY.org.

UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Foundation Elects New Board Members

LITTLE ROCK — The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Foundation at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) announces the election of its new board members:

Remmel T. Dickinson, of Little Rock, producer with Big Rock Productions, LLC

Lloyd Garrison, of Little Rock, president and CEO of CDI Contractors

Barbara Hoover, of Little Rock

Lenka Horakova, of Little Rock, director of business development – Europe at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission

Mandy Macke, of Fayetteville, associate director of the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation

Carol Rodgers, of Little Rock

Trip Strauss, of Little Rock, senior vice president – investments at Merrill Lynch

Horakova and Strauss, a married couple, hold one board seat. Win Rockefeller Jr. is the 2016-2017 board chair. Members are elected for three-year terms and may serve up to three terms total.

Free Skin Cancer Screening Offered at UAMS Cancer Institute on Sept. 10

LITTLE ROCK — People concerned about spots on their skin are invited to participate in a free skin cancer screening from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sept. 10 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The screenings will take place on the second floor of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

Patients will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis and are encouraged to arrive no later than 3 p.m. Free parking is available in UAMS Parking 3 at Cedar Street and Capitol Avenue. For information, call (501) 686-7546.

Signs and symptoms of skin cancer include new spots on the skin or spots that change in size, shape or color. Potential signs also include bumps, patches or sores that don’t heal after two to three months.

Fellowship-Trained Palliative Care Physician Clark L. Smith, M.D., Joins UAMS

LITTLE ROCK — Fellowship-trained palliative care physician Clark L. Smith, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He sees patients at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and is an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine.

Smith earned his medical degree from the UAMS College of Medicine and completed his residency in family and preventive medicine at UAMS. He was fellowship trained in the UAMS Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Care. Smith previously served as medical director at Arkansas Hospice.

He is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine with a certificate of added qualification in hospice and palliative care

Palliative medicine focuses on improving quality of life and relieving pain and other symptoms in seriously ill patients. It can be provided to patients who continue to receive treatments to cure or control their disease, regardless of the stage of their illness.