News Release

UAMS to Offer 7-Week Freedom From Smoking Program Starting Jan. 23

LITTLE ROCK — Anyone ready to quit smoking is invited to participate in a free seven-week program sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The small-group Freedom from Smoking program will meet from 5-6:30 p.m. for seven Tuesdays starting Jan. 23 at 900 John Barrow Road. There is no cost to participate.

To register, contact certified tobacco treatment specialist Pat Franklin, A.P.R.N., 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.

UAMS to Offer Free Estate Planning Assistance for Cancer Patients Jan. 24

LITTLE ROCK – Cancer patients and survivors are invited to receive free legal assistance on important personal documents Jan. 24 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The estate planning clinic will be held at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute as a free service by local attorneys. It is open to anyone in cancer treatment or who has completed treatment, based on financial need. One-hour appointments are available at either 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. Jan. 24. Attendees will meet individually with licensed attorneys to prepare wills, living wills and powers of attorney and will leave with notarized copies of their documents.

Advance reservations 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.

Study Shows Key Molecular Differences in Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia Could Lead to Better Treatment

LITTLE ROCK – A scientist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is among the lead authors of a study that could lead to more effective therapies for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

UAMS’ Jason Farrar, M.D., and collaborators at eleven other institutions published their study in the journal Nature Medicine and presented findings at the 2017 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting (ASH) held Dec. 9-12 in Atlanta. Many of the published results were first released at the 2016 ASH Annual Meeting, held in San Diego.

“Although research has made great strides in improving survival rates for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia, progress in AML, a less common less form of childhood leukemia, has lagged behind. Our research is a step forward in understanding how to better treat children with this challenging disease,” said Farrar, assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.

The study’s findings identified key differences between the molecular structure of AML in young patients as opposed to those who are older. Due to these differences, the researchers concluded that traditional therapies used to treat adults with AML are not effective for children and young adults with the same disease.

“One of our key findings is that there is a clear age continuum in the biology of AML. Because the disease develops differently in the young, middle aged and old, we know that we can’t use the previously accepted therapies that were designed for older adults and expect them to have the same outcomes for children and young adults,” Farrar said.

The study involved an analysis of the genomes of more than 1,000 AML patients treated nationwide through the Children’s Oncology Group, with ages ranging from 8 days to 29 years. Of that number, 200 had their entire genome sequenced for the study, however the group’s continuing research includes whole-genome sequencing for hundreds more participants.

Data also was gathered from about 400 of these patients to determine how their cancer cells read and interpreted the DNA changes.

“We need high-depth data on every AML patient we treat to get the best possible understanding of how this disease works at a molecular level,” Farrar said.

Most commonly diagnosed in older adults, AML starts in the bone marrow and can move quickly to the blood. According to the American Cancer Society, about 21,000 Americans are diagnosed with AML each year and about 10,600 die of it. As stated in the researchers’ paper, four out of 10 young AML patients do not survive long term.

Based on their findings, Farrar and his collaborators have already developed an improved system for determining the severity of AML in young people at the time of their diagnosis. The individual patient’s treatment is then tailored to the severity of their disease, with those who have less severe disease receiving treatment with fewer possible side effects.

This system is implemented at Seattle Children’s Hospital, where collaborator Soheil Meshinchi, M.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, sees patients and will soon be integrated into national cooperative clinical trials for children and young adults with AML.

“Being able to identify whether a child has high-risk or low-risk disease is very important to their long-term outlook. For example, many of the drugs used to treat AML can cause young patients to have cardiac conditions as they age. If we can effectively treat their cancer with drugs that do not damage their heart, we definitely want to do that,” Farrar said.

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, this research effort is part of a program called the TARGET Initiative, which is focused on determining the genetic changes that drive the formation and progression of hard-to-treat childhood cancers. TARGET stands for Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments.

In addition to AML, the TARGET Initiative researchers also study acute lymphoblastic leukemia, kidney tumors, neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma.

Additional support for this study comes from the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, the Center for Translational Pediatric Research at Arkansas Children’s, Scientific Computing at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the University of Southern California’s Center for High-Performance Computing, St. Baldrick’s Foundation and the Jane Anne Nohl Hematology Research Fund.

In addition to Farrar and Meshinchi, the paper’s lead authors include Hamid Bolouri, Ph.D., and Rhonda E. Ries of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Timothy Triche Jr., M.D., Ph.D., of the Van Andel Research Institute and University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

UAMS Breast Surgeon Ronda Henry-Tillman, M.D., Named to Kohn Chair in Breast Surgical Oncology

Nov. 30, 2017 – Ronda Henry-Tillman, M.D., F.A.C.S., was invested Nov. 29 as recipient of the Muriel Balsam Kohn Chair in Breast Surgical Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She is chief of Breast Oncology in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Surgery.

The endowed chair is the result of a gift from the Tenenbaum Foundation. The foundation’s primary objectives include providing humanitarian assistance to residents of central Arkansas, promoting awareness of breast cancer, and funding research to reduce or eliminate deaths from the disease.

The chair is named in honor of Muriel Balsam Kohn, mother of Judy Tenenbaum, who died of breast cancer in 1993.

“I am thankful for the generosity and foresight of the Tenenbaum Foundation in establishing this endowed chair, which has enabled valuable breast cancer research to be conducted in Arkansas for the past 10 years. This legacy will continue for many years to come through the work and dedication of Dr. Henry-Tillman,” said UAMS Interim Chancellor Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., who also serves as senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost.

An endowed chair is among the highest academic honors a university can bestow on a faculty member and is established with gifts of $1 million, which are invested and the proceeds used to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chair holder. Those named to a chair are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields of expertise.

“Dr. Henry-Tillman has been a valuable member of the UAMS faculty since 1998, not only serving as a knowledgeable and caring physician for countless women, but also as a tireless advocate for underserved Arkansans who lack basic health care services. There is no doubt that her work to improve access to mammography services has extended the lives of women across our state,” said UAMS Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D., who also serves as professor of medicine in the UAMS College of Medicine.

NBA Hall of Famer and philanthropist Dikembe Mutombo addressed the attendees gathered to honor Henry-Tillman at a Nov. 29 ceremony, praising her work at educating health providers in Africa, including at the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital he founded 10 years ago in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Henry-Tillman’s mentor, Groesbeck P. Parham, M.D., recruited her to travel to Africa where she has taught breast surgical techniques and medical procedures to health care providers who have limited access to equipment and advanced educational opportunities. Parham is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

After earning her medical degree at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Henry-Tillman completed her surgical residency in the UAMS Department of Surgery and fellowship training in the UAMS Fellowship in Diseases of the Breast program.

She holds the positions of professor in the Department of Surgery, co-director of Health Initiatives and Disparities Research in the UAMS College of Medicine, and co-leader of the Breast Tumor Disease Oriented Committee in the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

She previously served as director of the UAMS Cancer Control program and was instrumental in the development of the university’s mobile mammography program.

Her research efforts have focused primarily on health initiatives that address access, community-based participatory research, health disparities and health policy in the areas of breast, prostate, colorectal, and cervical cancer prevention.

In 2016, Henry-Tillman was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission and was voted chairman in 2017. She also is a member of the Breast Cancer Control Advisory Board and is a Pulaski County health officer for the Arkansas State Board of Health.

Her memberships and professional activities include the American Surgical Association, Society of Surgical Oncology, Southern Surgical Association, Society of Black Academic Surgeons, National Medical Association, American Society of Breast Surgeons and multiple committees of the National Institutes of Health. She has served as a board member for the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and the national Health Disparities Committee for the American Cancer Society, as well as the Arkansas Cancer Coalition and other local organizations.

She has received numerous awards and honors including being named to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society, Best Doctors in America and Castle Connolly’s Exceptional Women in Medicine. She is recipient of the Shipley Award by the Southern Surgical Association; the Rosetta Wilkins Award by BreastCare; the President’s Award by the Arkansas Medical and Dental Pharmaceutical Association; the President’s Award by the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus. She also has received the Phenomenal Woman in Science and Excellence in STEM Mentoring awards.

The Tenenbaum Foundation was created in 1964 by Joe M. Tenenbaum. The foundation created the chair’s endowment in 2007 to recognize Kohn and the chair’s first holder V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., Ph.D., former director of the UAMS Division of Breast and Surgical Oncology. Klimberg now serves as medical director of the University of Texas Medical Branch Cancer Center in Galveston, Texas.

Speakers at the Nov. 29 ceremony included Gardner, Emanuel, Klimberg, Parham, Mutombo and the following:

Pope L. Moseley, M.D., UAMS executive vice chancellor and dean of the UAMS College of Medicine
Kent C. Westbrook, M.D., distinguished professor of surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine
Frederick R. Bentley, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine

$7,000 Donation to UAMS Cancer Institute Honors Memory of Stuttgart Woman

LITTLE ROCK –A donation of $7,000 in memory of the late Stacey Gabriel Homra of Stuttgart will benefit cancer research conducted by the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The donation was presented Nov. 14 to Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D., by Homra’s husband, Allen Homra, and long-time friend, Melanie Baden. Baden raised the money through an online fundraising campaign following Homra’s death in September from glioblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer.

The campaign was conducted in conjunction with Baden’s hike through a section of the Appalachian Trail known as the 100-mile wilderness. Having already hiked 1,250 miles of the trail, which extends from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, Baden will complete the total 2,189-mile trek in May 2018.

“I started the 100-mile wilderness hike on Oct. 5. Because Stacey passed away a few days before that, I decided to use that hike as a way to honor both her memory and the dedication of her husband, Allen, and daughter, Madison,” Baden said.

Her campaign raised $7,000 in 13 days, with many donations coming from as far away as California and Hawaii, in addition to many from Stuttgart friends and relatives. It will be used to support cancer research at UAMS, where Homra underwent treatment following her diagnosis in 2014.

“We are grateful to Ms. Baden for her foresight in raising these funds and to Mr. Homra for choosing to designate them for cancer research. The generosity of each person who donated to this campaign will have an impact in our ongoing fight against cancer,” said Emanuel, who also serves as a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine.

Baden will accept additional donations in honor of the Homras when she resumes her hike in the coming months.

Cancer Imaging Archive Housed at UAMS Bolstered by $8.3 Million NCI Grant

LITTLE ROCK – The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded an $8.3 million grant to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) for expansion and enhancement of an archive containing freely accessible cancer medical images and data.

The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) is a free online service that hosts a large collection of cancer-related medical images available for public download. All patient identification has been removed from the images and supporting data, which include outcomes, treatment details, genetic information, pathology reports and expert analyses when available. Since its formation about seven years ago, TCIA data has been used to produce almost 500 academic papers.

In 2015, the archive moved from Washington University in St. Louis to UAMS when its lead principal investigator, Fred Prior, Ph.D., took the position as the first-ever chair of the UAMS Department of Biomedical Informatics. Prior assumed leadership of the TCIA project during his tenure at Washington University. Additional principal investigators on the project are Ashish Sharma, Ph.D., of Emory University in Atlanta and Joel Saltz, M.D., Ph.D., of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York.

The grant, titled “TCIA Sustainment and Scalability: Platforms for Quantitative Imaging Informatics in Precision Medicine,” supports the TCIA by expanding its capacity to provide data-driven information and images for use in research studies; adding new high-quality data collections; and encouraging the engagement, collaboration and dissemination of information among the research community.

“Since 2011, the Cancer Imaging Archive has encouraged and supported cancer-related research by acquiring, curating, hosting and managing collections of images and other data essential to the discovery process. This grant will allow us to undergo the continuous improvements and expansion necessary to provide the large collections of data required to test and validate cancer research studies for years to come,” said Prior, professor in the Department of Bioinformatics in the UAMS College of Medicine.

Biomedical informatics uses computers, rather than traditional laboratories, to extract knowledge from large sets of data. Under Prior’s leadership, the UAMS department has grown to include about 50 faculty and staff members responsible for developing computational tools to assess and manage medical and public health information for research programs.

The ultimate goal of the archive is the advancement of precision medicine, which allows for therapies to be tailored to the individual needs of each patient based on the specific makeup of his or her cancer. Prior and his team are accomplishing this goal by using computers to read and understand medical images in new ways and by applying these tools across multiple formats, from microscope images of tumor biopsy samples to CT images of the lung.

Prior’s research team for this grant includes Lawrence Tarbox, Ph.D.; Mathias Brochhausen, Ph.D.; Tracy Nolan; Kirk E. Smith; William C. Bennett; Roosevelt D. Dobbins; Diana Stockton; and Sean M. Berryman.

Free Skin Cancer Screening Offered at UAMS Cancer Institute on Oct. 14

LITTLE ROCK — People concerned about spots on their skin are invited to participate in a free skin cancer screening from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Oct. 14 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 1 p.m. Free parking is available in UAMS Parking 3 at Cedar Street and Capitol Avenue. For information, call (501) 686-5960.

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.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Center, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,870 students, 799 medical residents and six dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

UAMS Cancer Institute Partners Card Offers Shoppers and Diners 20 Percent Discount

LITTLE ROCK –More than 250 shops and restaurants in central and northwest Arkansas and Conway will offer discounts Oct. 27 – Nov. 5 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; patient and caregiver yoga classes; 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 14th year for the Cancer Institute to offer Partners Card in central Arkansas, the 12th year in northwest Arkansas and the second year in Conway. During that time, the fundraiser has raised more than $1 million for programs and services benefiting cancer patients in Arkansas.

Thoracic Surgeon Jason Muesse, M.D., Joins UAMS

LITTLE ROCK — Fellowship-trained thoracic surgeon Jason Muesse, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He sees patients in the Surgical Oncology Clinic at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine.

Muesse specializes in the surgical treatment of diseases involving the chest, including the lungs, esophagus and chest wall. Muesse’s clinical interests include lung cancer, esophageal cancer, benign esophageal diseases including achalasia and paraesophageal hernias, chest wall resection and reconstruction, hyperhidrosis, and mediastinal tumors. He has strong interest in minimally invasive surgery, including robotic surgery.

Muesse, a native of College Station, Texas, obtained his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Texas A&M University. He earned his medical degree at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in College Station and Temple, Texas. After serving his internship and residency in general surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital, he completed fellowship training in thoracic surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. He also completed the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Graham Foundation Surgical Robotics Fellowship in 2017.

He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a candidate member of both the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Southern Thoracic Society. He enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with his family.

Neurosurgeon Analiz Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D., Joins UAMS

LITTLE ROCK — Neurosurgeon Analiz Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She sees patients in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and serves as an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery.

Her medical specialties include primary and secondary brain tumors, endoscopy, radiosurgery, laser thermal ablation and spinal tumors.

She has been selected to participate in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Clinician Scientist Program, whose goal is to increase the number of clinician scientists by providing support as they transition from mentored to independent scientists.

Her primary research interests are in developing techniques to overcome immune-suppression in the glioblastoma microenvironment and developing new uses for laser thermal ablation.

Rodriguez received her medical degree and doctorate in the National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

She completed her general surgery internship at the University of Pittsburgh and neurosurgery residency at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC.

Prior to joining UAMS, Rodriguez served as an instructor in neurosurgical oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, Calif.

Throughout her training and career, Rodriguez has been actively involved in mentorship of students interested in neurosurgery or other medical careers.

She has served as a Congress of Neurological Surgeons Fellow; Southeast Quadrant Socioeconomic Fellow for the Council of State Neurological Societies; and an American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Neurosurgery Research Education Fund Research Fellow.

Her professional memberships include Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Women in Neurosurgery and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, among others.