- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Graduate Student Spotlight on Malik Williams

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 14:53:41 +0000

Meet Malik Williams, a native of Waldo, Arkansas (pop. 1,283), who will graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree in business information systems. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will celebrate the graduation of Williams along with hundreds of other students during a commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Jack Stephens Center. Tell us about a little bit about yourself. I’m an only child who is still a little country. I love hanging out with close family and friends, learning new things, and traveling to different places. I work part-time at the Genius Bar at the Apple store in Little Rock while going to school full-time. My mom taught me how to cook, clean, do laundry, and mind my Ps and Qs. My dad taught me the importance of hard work and said that I could do anything I set my mind to. Why did you choose ��Vlog��ý Little Rock? When I was in 10th grade, the TRIO Talent Search college prep program helped me learn about colleges and universities in the state. My career coach helped me fill out college and scholarship applications. It was a choice between Southern Arkansas University and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. I chose ��Vlog��ý Little Rock because it is in the capital city and had the top business school in Arkansas. My mom wanted me to stay at home, but I felt like I needed a challenge and wanted to get out of my comfort zone. TRIO and all of the wonderful mentors helped me do just that. I can definitely say that I would not have been so exposed to so many opportunities if I had stayed in my hometown. Another thing that helped my decision was the Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Summer Bridge Academy (SBA) for high school students. I came up here for three weeks before the beginning of my freshman year to attend this program. This program pairs students with mentors that help them with their weaknesses in different areas to get them ahead of the curve in the first year of college. Why did you major in business information systems? During my freshman year, I was undecided, but I knew I wanted to do something in the business field that would help me make a good living. I chose business information systems because it is a versatile degree that contains all aspects of business mixed with information technology. I’ve always been interested in technology. (I’m the IT person in our family.) What kind of careers can you do with a business information systems major? There are so many choices such as marketing, management, project management, database administration, business analysis, coding, and software development and others. What companies are you interested in? Apple, Blue Cross Blue Shield or Southwest Power Pool would be great companies to work for. I’d like to stay in Little Rock to build a foundation, but would consider relocating. How would your professors describe you? I think they would say I am laid back and easygoing. I’m versatile and soak in new information like a sponge. My job at Apple has helped me develop people skills. Who were your mentors? My mom and dad are my life coaches. My cousin Montrell Turner is a business information systems graduate from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and has always had good advice for me. My hometown friend Corrigan Revels helped me early in my college career. The Summer Bridge Academy program helped me stay on track and connected me to the right people. What was your biggest challenge in college? Procrastination, and the balance of social life, school, and family. You have to figure out what is important. Learning about “delayed gratification” helped me put things into perspective. I listen to podcasts that motivate me and help me self-reflect. What was the toughest decision you had to make? Working part-time while going to school full-time. My parents wanted me to focus solely on school. What advice would you give to incoming students? Stay focused and keep a good balance. Don’t overwhelm yourself, because stress is real. Take care of everything on the front end and network. You can’t get by without help. Most of all, never lose sight of the goal and reason why you made the decision to come to college. This story was compiled by Toni Boyer-Stewart.

Professor, grad use health entertainment to battle childhood obesity in Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 14:52:22 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor and alumnus are using health entertainment and education to fight childhood obesity in Little Rock. This fall, Dr. Avinash Thombre, professor of applied communication, and Philip Bryant Sr., a 2016 graduate of the applied communication program, received a $1,000 grant through The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas. They used the money to put on a pilot childhood obesity pilot program that utilizes entertainment education to emphasize the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. During the month of October, Thombre and Bryant hosted one-hour workshops in the aftercare program of three schools in the Little Rock School District, where the students have a combined student BMI (Body Mass Index) of 40 or more. Thombre and Bryant gave presentations to about 100 students at David O. Dodd Elementary School, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, and Brady Elementary School. Thombre played “Dr. Hombre,” while Bryant, 72, of Little Rock, played “Dr. Feelgood.” “My research is about diffusing new ideas, especially in the health arena,” Thombre said. “How can we take new ideas and diffuse them in society to bring about change? We have this issue of childhood obesity in Arkansas. One of my former students, Philip Bryant, wrote a jingle about promoting fruits and vegetables. He is very animated around kids. The kids all started singing along. The kids asked a lot of questions, and they just loved it. This is the way we think we can bring about a community change.” Bryant said he was inspired to write a song to encourage healthy eating in children after seeing many instances where parents are feeding their children junk food. “I’m a writer of poetry, poems, song, prose, and short stories,” Bryant said. “When I see a need, it seems like after I dwell on it for a time, then I write about. I see so many people raising their young children and not feeding them enough fruits and vegetables. I feel that these children are going to end up with diabetes and poor health in the future. That gave me the energy to write a song.”

Dr. Avinash Thombre (left), professor of applied communication, and Philip Bryant Sr. (right), a 2016 graduate of the applied communication program, received a $1,000 grant through The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas.

The song, called “Veggies and Fruits,” begins with a call to eat healthier. It can also be. “My name is Dr. Feelgood and listen to what I have to say,” the song begins. “I am going to tell you what you must do every day. Each your veggies and eat your fruits, because these are the foods that are healthy for you. Now diabetes used to be just for old folks, but teenagers and young children are getting it, and that’s no joke.” In the second half of the workshop, Thombre talked about the problems associated with being obese, including diabetes, hypertension, and kidney failure. He also spoke about his personal cultural background of growing up eating healthy and staying healthy. Thombre and Bryant used the grant money to buy fresh fruits and vegetables for the children to eat. After another round of songs with Bryant, the students tried fresh produce like apples, carrots, grapes, oranges, broccoli, celery, and asparagus. “This project is a message to educate people all over America,” Bryant said. “Each individual person can do a better job of taking care of their own health. Stop eating things that taste good and start eating things that do good for the human body.” After the success of the pilot workshops, Thombre and Bryant are looking to expand the program to spread the message to a larger audience. They have already received workshop requests from other schools, churches, and community organizations. “From every angle, it feels like a good way to keep our students involved in the program, to do something for the community at large, and to help the children,” Thombre said. “In the future, I think the students from my health communication classes can get involved. I’ve done other promotions, but I think this has been the most fun because it has a jingle. It’s heartening to know that the kids are loving this. There are other groups who are needing this message disseminated on a larger scale. We need to do more of these things so that we can curb childhood obesity before it becomes even more of a major issue like the opioid crisis.” In the upper right photo, Philip Bryant Sr. (Dr. Feelgood) had diagnosed this tomato as a healthy food choice! Photo by Ben Krain.

Health Care and the Law symposium will discuss cost of health care in Arkansas

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 20:22:29 +0000

The second symposium of a three-year series on health care policy and law in Arkansas will be held at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law Friday, Oct. 20. This year’s Health Care Policy and the Law Symposium will focus on the cost of health care in Arkansas. Speakers will include local and national health care professionals and policy makers who will discuss factors that drive the cost of health care in the state. These topics include health care payment reform and how socioeconomic factors like income and county of residence affect a person’s health care and health behaviors. The symposium will also cover the, where health care and legal professionals work together to promote a healthy population. “Bowen is excited to host this second symposium focusing on addressing Arkansas’ significant health care challenges, many of which do not lend themselves to easy answers,” said John DiPippa, dean of Bowen School of Law. “We believe that our second topic, the cost of health care in Arkansas, will demonstrate the opportunities possible when we collaboratively look for solutions.” The keynote speaker is Michael Chernew, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Professor of Health Care Policy and the director of the Healthcare Markets and Regulation Lab in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School. His speech is entitled, “Payment Reform: Evidence and Future Directions.” Featured speakers include Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Vic Snyder, former Arkansas state senator and U.S. congressman. “By bringing together some of the most sophisticated health care and legal thinkers in the state as well as experts from elsewhere in the country, we hope to promote an informed discussion and to serve as a source of information and ideas for Arkansas’ policymakers,” DiPippa said. Additional speakers include:

��Joseph Bates, senior public health advisor for the Arkansas Department of Health
��Lori Chumbler, senior associate counsel for Walmart on the employment legal team
��Marcy Doderer, president and chief executive officer of Arkansas Children’s Hospital
��Mary Claire Hyatt, staff attorney with Legal Aid of Arkansas working with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Medical-Legal Partnership
��Judge Mary Spencer McGowan
��Josh Rosenthal, co-founder and chief scientific officer of RowdMap, Inc.
��Anna Strong, executive director of child advocacy and public health at Arkansas Children’s Hospital
��John Tilford, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

The symposium series, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield, is designed to foster thoughtful, intellectual debate about health care issues in Arkansas. The goal is to promote informed policy making and to establish a platform for generating research projects. The event is also sponsored by University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Clinton School of Public Service. Attorneys, physicians, pharmacists, and nurses have the opportunity to earn professional development credits through the conference. Registration is $20 . Students may attend the event for free. Lunch and snacks will be provided. For more information, call 501.324.9973 or email tmmedlock@ualr.edu.

First Health Care Policy and Law Symposium to be held Sept. 30

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:09:34 +0000

The first of a three-year symposium series on health care policy and law in Arkansas will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. The symposium series, made possible by a donation from Blue Cross Blue Shield, is designed to foster thoughtful, intellectual debate about health care issues in Arkansas. The goal is to promote informed policy making and to establish a platform for generating research projects. This year’s Health Care Policy and the Law Symposium will focus on access to health care in Arkansas. Lectures and panel discussions will cover rural health care, the scope of practicing medicine, and how technology, communication, and culture affect access to health care. Some of the presentations will be published in the Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service. Special speakers include Dr. Gregory Bledsoe, surgeon general for the state of Arkansas, former Congressman Dr. Vic Snyder, John Selig, former director of Arkansas Department of Human Services, and Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. In addition, Scott Pace, executive vice president and CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, Rick George, senior director of benefits at J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., and Kathleen Holk, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, will also speak at the symposium. Registration is $20 in advance online or $30 on the day of the symposium. Lunch and snacks will be provided. For more information, call 501.324.9973 or email law@ualr.edu.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Graduate Student Spotlight on Malik Williams

Professor, grad use health entertainment to battle childhood obesity in Little Rock

Health Care and the Law symposium will discuss cost of health care in Arkansas

First Health Care Policy and Law Symposium to be held Sept. 30

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock