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

U.S. Department of Defense awards ��Vlog��ý Little Rock $5.6 million grant to develop bone regeneration technology

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 14:52:39 +0000

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded the University of Arkansas at Little Rock a $5.6 million grant to advance the NuCress scaffold, a groundbreaking bone regeneration technology.

The grant brings together an interdisciplinary team from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, led by principal investigator Dr. Alex Biris; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, led by Dr. David Anderson; and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (��Vlog��ýMS), led by Dr. Mark Smeltzer.

Biris and Anderson have worked together since 2006 to develop this pioneering medical device. The NuCress scaffold is in the final stages of moving from the laboratory to the surgical theater, with potential future uses in both military and civilian hospitals. The new award from the DOD’s Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program will help facilitate this transition by funding critical go-to-market research.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who supported the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock proposal to the DOD and was instrumental in securing federal funding for the project’s earlier research, congratulated the team on the award.

“Bone regeneration technology is so important to the recovery of our warfighters from severe injuries,” Boozman said. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock and its partners have made tremendous progress taking this novel nanotechnology solution from the laboratory to the point of clinical trials.”

The NuCress scaffold is an implantable device that promotes controlled, robust bone regeneration in fractures, gaps where bone is missing, and major injury defects, including previously untreatable catastrophic injuries. The device degrades as the bone regenerates, potentially eliminating the need for multiple surgeries-a major source of complications in current bone gap treatments.

“I’m thrilled to see over a decade of collaborative work result in this continued DOD support, and I look forward to seeing it develop into a clinically beneficial product,” said Biris, director of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences.

Such a device is in high demand by a wide variety of people, including wounded soldiers, victims of major accidents and trauma, and patients with bone disease.

“The NuCress scaffold is a game-changing technology that will revolutionize treatment of bone diseases because it is capable of simultaneously promoting bone regeneration and delivering antibiotics, growth factors, and cell-based therapies,” Anderson said.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale said the grant will help the Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences fulfill its mission to accelerate world-class innovations in nanotechnology into practical applications that will benefit society.

“This new funding from the Department of Defense will help our research team fulfill that mission in this particularly exciting area of nanotechnology for medical applications,” Drale said.

Studies funded by past DOD awards proved the scaffold’s versatility and ability to regenerate large, missing segments of bone. The new, four-year DOD award will support pre-market work, including manufacturing and U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance. If successful, the project will allow the scaffold to move toward clinical trials, validate its utility for clinicians, and develop a new market application for treating infection.

Smeltzer, the research team’s infection expert, looks forward to this new market potential.

“Infection is a dreaded complication of traumatic bone injury, and the ability to incorporate antibiotics into the NuCress scaffold offers the tremendous added benefit of preventing infection in a contaminated bone defect without compromising its bone regenerative properties,” Smeltzer said.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 839 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work is supported by the Department of Defense, through the Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program under Award No. W81XWH1920014. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to research smart health in Arkansas, West Virginia with NSF grant

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 14:38:35 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is one of five institutions sharing a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a multi-scale integrative approach to digital health. This collaborative, multi-institution grant will be used to promote smart health in Arkansas and West Virginia. Dr. Nitin Agarwal, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair and professor of information science, will receive $600,000 for the study, entitled “Multi-scale Integrative Approach to Digital Health: Collaborative Research and Education in Smart Health in West Virginia and Arkansas,” which runs from August 2019 to July 2023. The other university partners include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, West Virginia University, and West Virginia State University. “Healthcare costs are on the rise nationally and significantly more so in Arkansas and West Virginia. This is due to high poverty rates in these states and a significantly large population that is affected by cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and a general lack of physical activity,” Agarwal said. “To address these issues, we will conduct a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and a multi-scale integrative approach to trigger smart health initiatives with the goal to lower healthcare costs using artificial intelligence and big data analysis approaches. In addition to developing a big data and smart health research infrastructure, we will create education and outreach components to enhance the workforce in both states.” To accomplish these goals, Agarwal will develop novel social media mining algorithms to study health behaviors in Arkansas and West Virginia, including health attitudes, intentions, health conditions, lifestyle choices, overall sentiment, and mood. “Tapping into such an invaluable data trove is often challenging but rewarding,” Agarwal said. “We will study the effectiveness of health communities around predominant health issues in Arkansas and West Virginia and study the validity of social media data for examining patient-reported outcomes, assessing trust, influence, and misinformation in social media pertaining to health discourse.” Agarwal heads the at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, which aims to be at the forefront of the ever-evolving field of social computing. COSMOS is leading several collaborative projects with total funding of more than $10 million from various U.S. federal funding agencies to address some of the most challenging problems of knowledge extraction from big social data and develop methodologies to diagnose novel pathologies of online social media.

Triple graduate on road to fulfill dream of becoming a doctor

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 14 May 2019 14:52:42 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock senior who graduated with three bachelor’s degrees has been accepted to medical school and is on her way to fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor. Erica Olson, of Gassville, Arkansas, graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock on May 11 with bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, and Spanish. The budding doctor, who received a $7,500 Class of 1954 Scholarship from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will begin taking classes at ��Vlog��ýMS in the fall with plans to become a family physician. “It has been my dream for almost a decade that I would like to become a family physician,” Olson said. “Everyone is excited about specializing in surgical processes, but for me, I like the appeal of growing with the patients. I like the consistency of establishing bonds and being able to work with people throughout their life and their children’s lives. I’m open to looking at other specialties in medical school, but I think that is where my heart lies.” After graduating high school with just 40 people in her senior class, Olson was excited to see what the world had to offer. “I was naturally excited to get out of the rural area and explore what else the world had to offer,” she said. “I knew ��Vlog��ý Little Rock had a lot of scholarships available, and I remembered visiting this campus during seventh grade, walking down the brick pathways, and finding it beautiful. After I was accepted into the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, I was very glad I decided to attend ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. My mom is a single mom who works as a waitress, and she did a great job of providing for me. We’ve experienced financial hardships, and getting to graduate debt free is a privilege.” While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Olson joined the University Science Scholars Program, Biology Club, American Chemical Society, Wesley Foundation, Wind Ensemble, and became a student ambassador for the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. She worked as a resident assistant for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, a research assistant for the ��Vlog��ýMS Emergency Department, and volunteered in the Intensive Care Unit at ��Vlog��ýMS. Olson is also dedicated to helping other students get a head start in their careers. In 2017, she founded the university’s Pre-Health Club for students planning to work in the health industry as doctors, nurses, dentists, physical therapists, pharmacists, and physician’s assistants. During summer 2017, Olson had an experience that altered her plans. She studied abroad in Spain, taking a one-week trip to Madrid with Dr. Edna Delgado, professor of Spanish, followed by a month living with a host family while taking classes at the University of Granada. Originally set to graduate in 2018 with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology, Olson delayed graduation for a year so she could spend the fall 2018 studying in Spain. It also gave Olson the time to earn a third bachelor’s degree in Spanish. “At first, I just wanted to learn Spanish to have a baseline because it’s the second most spoken language in the U.S.,” she said. “As a future physician, I want to be able to communicate with my Spanish-speaking patients. If you don’t speak the language, you feel isolated and alone. I knew this is what my patients who couldn’t speak English would feel. I planned to apply to medical school a year ago, but I didn’t want to go with any regrets.” Olson owes much of her success to the biology and chemistry faculty members at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, especially those who helped her prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). “I adore both the chemistry and biology department faculty. I’ve had incredible experiences with the faculty,” she said. “They challenge you, and that in turn makes you a better student. With regards to chemistry, to me that was the most challenging discipline I chose. While I did not make an A in every single chemistry course, it helped me to succeed in the real world because I scored in the 92 percentile on my MCAT. Both departments really care about your success.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Riley, Snead honored in ‘40 Nurse Leaders Under 40’

Janea Snyder — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 18:00:23 +0000

The Arkansas Center for Nursing has included two of University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s nursing instructors in its 40 Nurse Leaders Under 40. Elizabeth Riley and Leigh Ann Snead will be honored at a ceremony on Tuesday, April 30, at 1:30 p.m. at the Benton Event Center. Riley, 31, teaches Healthcare Economics, Nursing Informatics, and Research and Evidence-based Practice in Nursing. Before joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2016, she worked as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (��Vlog��ýMS). She’s been a registered nurse since 2010. “I feel that my real-world practice helps make me more relatable to our nursing students in understanding the daily goings-on in the patient care setting,” she said. “I also feel better connected to practice and policies as healthcare is continuously evolving.” Riley earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing and a Master of Science in nursing, both from ��Vlog��ýMS, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from American Sentinel University. She continues practicing on a PRN basis. “Leigh is an outstanding nurse educator, both in the classroom and simulation settings,” said Sloan Davidson, chair of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s nursing department. “She specializes in pediatrics and is excellent at designing creative ways to help the students see how pathophysiology drives what the nurse will see and then do for patients.” Snead has taught at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock since fall 2015 and currently teaches Pediatrics and Adult Medical Surgical II (classroom and simulation) and is the interim simulation director. She graduated from Baptist Health Schools with a RN diploma in 1999. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Arkansas Tech University in 2012, a Master of Science in nursing from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in 2015, and she is currently completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice at UCA. Snead has worked in the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and ; ��Vlog��ýMS Labor and Delivery; and the Arkansas Women’s Center OB/GYN clinic. “My experience has further stimulated my curiosity and creativity in the ways I teach complex concepts to students, especially in regards to pathophysiology,” Snead said. “Simulation allows me the avenue to provide hands-on teaching strategies and practice to help students develop clinical reasoning skills.” Snead has also taught at Southeast Arkansas College and Baptist Health Schools. “Riley, as we call her, is an excellent online educator in our RN-BSN program,” Davidson said. “She is diligent as a researcher, putting data to work for evidence-based practice in the clinical setting, but also in the education setting. We are blessed to have both of these young educators as faculty members.” The Arkansas Center for Nursing works to promote a culture of health for Arkansans by advancing nursing education, practice, leadership, and workforce development. This year’s 40 honorees were selected based on their commitment to excellence, service, outreach, leadership qualities, and their contributions to the advancement of the nursing profession. The complete list of 40 honorees is available on the . Riley and Snead also will be featured in the Arkansas Times’ May issue. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock nursing professors Leigh Snead, center, and Elizabeth Riley, right, have been recognized by the Arkansas Center for Nursing for excellence in nursung education. Snead also directs the nursing department’s simulation lab. Photo by Benjamin Krain

New lecture series offers unique dual view on medical research, issues

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 17:18:33 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is offering a new seminar series giving people a unique experience to hear from those working to improve human health from both the clinical and research perspective. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock STEM Education Center, in partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, has started the Friends of Medicine 2019 seminar series. One research guest and one clinical guest are invited to share their story for 20 minutes followed by a question-and-answer session. The next session, “Studying the Brain,” will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at Fribourgh Hall room 102. Dr. Antiño Recio Allen, assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy at ��Vlog��ýMS, will talk about research on the effects of space radiation on cognition and brain physiology. Next, Dr. Analiz Rodriguez, director of neurosurgical oncology at ��Vlog��ýMS, will inform the crowded on cutting-edge treatments for brain cancer. The April 17 seminar will feature Dr. Jason Stumhofer, associate professor at ��Vlog��ýMS, who will give a presentation on Malaria-related immune cell response and memory. His lecture partner, Dr. Brandy Utter, a family physician at Conway Regional Medical Center, will discuss how hospitals guide patient care. The final seminar on April 24 will feature Dr. Roger Pechous, assistant professor at ��Vlog��ýMS, who will reveal what scientists can learn from studying the Plague. Additionally, Dr. Steven Cherney, orthopedic surgeon at ��Vlog��ýMS, will discuss how research in clinical orthopedic trauma surgery can lead to improved patient outcomes. The seminar series began on March 27 with a lecture on ovarian cancer. Dr. Jia Liu, assistant professor at ��Vlog��ýMS, detailed how viruses are used to treat ovarian cancer, while Stephanie Carper, a former ��Vlog��ý Little Rock employee, spoke about her journey from diagnosis to surviving ovarian cancer. During an April 1 session on public health, Dr. Chris Hopkinson, a primary care physician with an interest in community healthcare, talked about an international perspective on healthcare from an English physician. Meanwhile, Dr. Tiffany Weinkopff, assistant professor at ��Vlog��ýMS, spoke about research on infectious diseases, parasites, and the immune system. All seminars are held from 4-5:30 p.m. in Fribourgh Hall Room 102. Fill out the to RSVP for an upcoming seminar.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock graduate dean accepts new post

Janea Snyder — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 17:10:21 +0000

Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya will be leaving his position as interim vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to become the inaugural dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Arkansas State University. His new position becomes effective July 1, 2019. “Dr. Bhattacharyya has served our campus community with distinction and grace,” said Christina S. Drale, interim executive vice chancellor and provost. “He has been a highly valued leader, always ready to collaborate and problem-solve, and always ready to help others in need. I will miss his good counsel as a member of the provost’s leadership team, but I know that this new deanship is an exceptional opportunity for him. I am confident that he will embrace the challenge and thrive.” Bhattacharyya has worked at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for the past 17 years. He joined the university in 2002 as an associate professor in the Department of Applied Science. He has since served in several administrative roles including graduate coordinator of the Applied Science Graduate Program (2006-2010), associate dean of the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (2011-2014 and 2015-2016), interim dean of the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (2015), and interim vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School (2016-2019). He has also managed the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the Office of Research Compliance, the TechLaunch Office, and the Machine and Electronics Shop of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences and the Emerging Analytics Center are under his purview as well. During his time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Bhattacharyya played an important role in the administration of a joint graduate program between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in bioinformatics and served as ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s representative to the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority’s Science Advisory Committee. Currently, he serves as ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s representative on the Science Advisory Committee of the Science and Technology Division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “I consider it a very humbling moment and an incredible privilege to begin my service at A-State as the inaugural dean of the newly minted College of Engineering and Computer Science,” Bhattacharyya said. “We will take full advantage of the birth of the new college at a time when manufacturing and industrial activity in the upper Delta region are on a growth streak … Above all, I am truly indebted to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where I spent a wonderful 18 years and my new institution, Arkansas State University, for allowing me to be part of the beautiful Natural State’s journey into the future.” Bhattacharyya’s research specialties include the emerging fields of smart materials and thin films, with numerous journal articles and peer-reviewed conference papers in the field. His research also includes work in composite materials, shape memory alloys, piezoelectric materials, thin films, microfluidics and hydrogen storage. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers named him an ASME Fellow in November 2014. Prior to Little Rock, Bhattacharyya served as a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He earned a master’s degree in mechanics and materials science and a doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering, both from Rutgers University. He earned his bachelor’s degree came from Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur in his native India.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock, ��Vlog��ýMS announce new 2+2 degree plans

Janea Snyder — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 19:35:37 +0000

Students at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will have an easy transition should they decide to transfer to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to pursue study in an allied health specialty. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and ��Vlog��ýMS recently signed a series of 2+2 agreements that clearly outline pathways for students who earn the Associate of Arts in General Studies at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to then transfer to ��Vlog��ýMS to complete a Bachelor of Science degree. Transfer options are available in seven degree program areas:

B.S. in Ophthalmic Medical Technology
B.S. in Radiologic Imaging Sciences
B.S. in Cytotechnology (1 year)
B.S. in Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences (1 year) – and online
B.S. in Respiratory Care
B.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences
B.S. in Dental Hygiene

While ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has articulation agreements with other ��Vlog��ýMS colleges, the 2+2 agreements with the College of Health Professions are new. The agreements have the potential for saving students time and money because students will know exactly which courses are needed. “The goal of 2+2 is to provide clarity about degree requirements in an easy-to-understand format, so students know exactly what courses they need to complete at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, how they will transfer to ��Vlog��ýMS, and the professional coursework required for completion of their program of choice,” said Phyllis Fields, associate dean for student affairs in the . “This provides a clear pathway that will aid the student in planning while hopefully reducing time and cost associated with earning the degree.” All of the ��Vlog��ýMS degree options are full-time programs in high-demand fields. Dental hygienists, for example, easily find work. In Arkansas, 85 percent of state’s dental hygienists are ��Vlog��ýMS graduates, Fields said. The cytotechnology program can be completed in one year at ��Vlog��ýMS, and graduates are in demand nationwide. They work in non-direct patient care in hospitals and private labs and play a vital role in the discovery and detection of cancer, pre-cancerous cell changes and diseases using a microscope. The Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences program also can be completed in one year and is an online only program. Employment in allied health overall is projected to grow, with 2.4 million additional jobs expected between 2016 and 2026, Field said. “We are glad to partner with ��Vlog��ýMS in preparing practitioners for these high demand fields,” said Sarah Beth Estes, interim dean of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. “These agreements allow students to obtain a good foundation in the liberal arts while also efficiently achieving the prerequisites required to enter allied health programs.” Students in the 2+2 program must maintain a 2.5 GPA in the Associate of Arts in General Studies program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and gain admission to ��Vlog��ýMS. Advisors between the two institutions will work together with students. To learn more, visit the Trojan Academic Advising and Support Center.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock grad students work weekends helping with community outreach

Janea Snyder — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 22:30:52 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology spent some weekends in October raising awareness of autism and LGBTQ issues. On Saturday, Oct. 6, students assisted in the held at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. Students included Kim Norton, Raweya Filat, Alexa Milan, Talyn Floerchinger, Megan Alkire, Li Xin-Smith, Elizabeth Kratz, Shayne Brown, Alexis Webernd Jared Holt, all graduate students in the Speech Pathology Program, and undergraduate students Erica Pruitt and Saniya Hamirani. The event raised $44,277 to help improve the lives of people with autism. On Saturday, Oct. 20, graduate students Jared Holt and Raweya Filat offered voice screenings at the Little Rock Pride Fest, in cooperation with the . The event, which is the state’s largest LGBTQ event, celebrates the history and culture of the LGBTQ community through events and programs to inspire and strengthen its members. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association is advised by Dr. Dana Moser, who assists the organization in scheduling and organizing a number of programs in the community. The Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology is in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in consortium with the at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The consortium gives students access to the academic and clinical resources of a major medical sciences campus with those of a large, comprehensive, metropolitan university. Photo, top right: ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Students staff a resource booth at the Autism Speaks Walk. Back row: (from left) Speech pathology students Kim Norton, Raweya Filat, Alexa Milan, Talyn Floerchinger, Megan Alkire, Li Xin-Smith, Erica Pruitt, and Jared Holt. Front row: Elizabeth Kratz, Saniya Hamirani, Shayne Brown, and Alexis Weber. Photo, above left: Graduate students Jared Holt and Raweya Filat offer voice screenings at the Little Rock Pride Fest.

International delegation to discuss public health in Ukraine

Janea Snyder — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:01:13 +0000

A group of Ukrainian health professionals who are working to reform their country’s healthcare system will be at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Friday, Sept. 14, to speak on “Public Health in Ukraine.” The talk will take place from 9-10 a.m. in Dickinson Hall’s sixth-floor conference room and is free and open to the public. Members of the international delegation, which includes four physicians and one lawyer, accompanied by a bicultural facilitator and a bilingual interpreter, are guests of the U.S. Legislature’s and are hosted by , a nonprofit which contracts with the federal government to bring international delegates to Little Rock for professional training. Dr. Janea Snyder, assistant professor in the College of Education and Health Professions, and Heidi Whitman, program officer for Global Ties Arkansas, arranged Friday’s event as a way for local health care students and professionals to connect with the Ukrainian group. The discussion will center on challenges and solutions for public health problems common to all industrialized nations, such as HIV, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Prior to their arrival in Little Rock, the delegates completed an orientation in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill and had policy meetings with staff from the offices of Rep. French Hill and Sen. John Boozman. In Little Rock, delegates will collaborate on best practices for drafting effective healthcare policy, providing sufficient services for veterans, reforming primary and emergency care, and introducing medical insurance to citizens. The group also will have professional meetings at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the Eugene J. Tobin Healthcare Center, AFMC, Pulaski County Crisis Stabilization Unit, and Conway Regional Hospital. The delegation is staying in the homes of area residents serving as hospitality hosts, including the home of Jim Carr, associate professor of construction management at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and his wife, Toni Carr, the executive director of Global Ties Arkansas. Others are staying with Terry Richard, professor emeritus of sociology at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.

Future doctor plans to use language skills to help people get better access to healthcare

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 10 May 2018 13:29:13 +0000

As a Spanish interpreter at the 12th Street Health and Wellness Center in Little Rock, Rebecca Parker Moreira sees the challenges medical professionals and patients face when they cannot communicate with each other. “In the medical field, there are very few bilingual doctors,” Moreira said. “I think it is very important to build a rapport with patients by speaking their native language. It’s a big barrier for healthcare providers to not be able to communicate with their patients. It’s also a hindrance for the patients to have access to healthcare.” Moreira will graduate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock May 12 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a second in Spanish. To improve her language skills in the medical field, Moreira took Advanced Spanish for the Health Professions during the spring 2016 semester. Students in the class get the opportunity to volunteer as Spanish interpreters at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (��Vlog��ýMS) 12th Street Health and Wellness Center, a free clinic. Moreira had such a positive experience at the 12th Street Clinic that she completed a two-semester internship, which gave her enough credits to earn a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. She was also elected to the Spanish interpreter coordinator position and is the only undergraduate student to serve on the clinic’s Student Board of Directors. “My experiences at the clinic motivated me to apply to medical school because I saw the need for Spanish-speaking physicians, and I realized how passionate I was about medicine,” she said. “I want other students to be able to receive the same benefits I have from volunteering, which is why I have worked diligently to facilitate a partnership between the interpreter program at the 12th Street Clinic and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of World Languages.” Moreira has always loved learning new languages. In high school, she studied Spanish and ancient Greek. Learning Spanish also helped her communicate with her high school sweetheart and future husband. “When we started dating in high school, my husband had just come to the U.S. a year before and didn’t speak a lot of English,” she said. “I felt like I would like to learn more Spanish so I could communicate with him better. It’s been really fun to be able to do that.” In addition to being a Spanish interpreter, Moreira is a Donaghey Scholar who works as a referee at Maumelle Soccer Club and a scribe at Anchorpoint Psychological Services. She recently received the American Institute of Chemistry Outstanding Graduating Senior in Chemistry award, the Undergraduate Research Award from the Department of Chemistry, and the Cervantes Outstanding Graduating Senior in Spanish Award from the Department of World Languages.

James Sellers and Rebecca Moreira admire chemistry beaker flasks they were awarded as recipients of the Department of Chemistry’s Outstanding Graduating Senior award. Photo by Ben Krain.

“��Vlog��ý Little Rock has been just the best experience that I could have hoped for at an undergraduate institution,” Moreira said. “Having the financial freedom through the Donaghey Scholars has been amazing. I have been able to help save up for medical school, and I have had a very broad education that I feel that I would not have been able to get at other institutions. Through the chemistry department, I have had opportunities to be involved in research that has shown me a whole other side to academia.” Moreira has conducted research with Dr. Tito Viswanathan, professor of chemistry, for two years. They are studying how a renewable resource-based waste product (woodchips) can be chemically modified to purify water from heavy metal contaminants. She was the recipient of an Undergraduate Research Signature Experience Award, which she used to present their research at the American Chemical Society national meeting in March. Moreira also presented her research at the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Research and Creative Works Expo, where she received first place in the Physical Science division and first place in the Life and Physical Science division. Moreira also received first place in the Service Work and Professional Application division for a presentation on her work with the 12th Street Clinic. Moreira has been admitted to the ��Vlog��ýMS College of Medicine Class of 2022, where she will also earn a Master of Public Health degree so she can learn more about the socioeconomic barriers patients face when trying to access healthcare. She plans to become a doctor and use her public health education and language skills to advocate for better healthcare for non-native English speakers. “I am thankful to the Spanish department for the opportunity to use the language skills I learned in my courses to benefit the community because it also gave me the experience and passion to attend medical school,” she said.

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

U.S. Department of Defense awards ����Vlog��ý Little Rock $5.6 million grant to develop bone regeneration technology

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to research smart health in Arkansas, West Virginia with NSF grant