UAMS Graduates 969 Health Care Professionals
| May 19, 2018 | Degrees and certificates were awarded to 969 graduates of the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) five colleges and graduate school May 19 during a commencement ceremony at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
Degrees were presented to 157 in the College of Medicine; 282 in the College of Nursing; 111 in the College of Pharmacy; 54 in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health; 57 in the Graduate School; and 308 in the College of Health Professions.
Interim UAMS Chancellor Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., presented the Chancellor’s Award to Joseph H. Bates, M.D., professor and associate dean for Public Health Practice in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.
Joseph Bates, M.D., received the Chancellor’s Award. Bates is a professor and associate dean for Public Health Practice in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.
The award is presented to a person whose service to UAMS is deserving of special recognition. Previous recipients include Sam M. Dixon, former U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers, Jack Stephens, Lawrence Schmieding and Willard and Pat Walker.
Bates is recognized internationally for his research that greatly improved the understanding and treatment of tuberculosis. He spent 35 years at UAMS, including 21 years as vice chair for the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine.
Upon his retirement from UAMS in 1998, Bates became deputy health officer and chief science officer for the Arkansas Department of Health. He was instrumental in establishing the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement and the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.
Jerad Gardner, M.D., and Lanita White, Pharm.D., were the Chancellor’s Teaching Awards recipients. The awards program was established in 2004 to recognize excellence in teaching among faculty at UAMS.
White was the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Society and Health Education Excellence. The award recognizes the design and implementation of courses or activities that advance the topics of society and health. It can be through areas of cultural awareness, health care economics, health equity, health literacy, health systems, interprofessional education, collaborative practice, public and population health, patient- and family-centered care or educational scholarship.
Lanita White, Pharm.D., received the Chancellor’s Award for Society and Health Education Excellence.
White is an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy. She directs the UAMS 12th Street Health & Wellness Center, a student-led, interprofessional clinic that offers free health screenings and wellness services to Little Rock’s underserved neighborhoods and populations.
The center provides an opportunity for students from all UAMS colleges to volunteer, work with students from various health care professions and provide care to those most in need, all under the supervision of faculty and licensed volunteers. Last year, more than 1,000 UAMS students volunteered at the center.
White was a finalist for the Arkansas Business Health Care Heroes Award in Innovation in 2016. She also won the Arkansas Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Association’s Dr. Jocelyn Elders Living Legend Award that year.
Gardner was the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence. It recognizes direct teaching, mentoring or educational scholarship between a faculty member and any learner. It can be in all settings, including the classroom, online, clinic or laboratory.
Gardner, an associate professor in the College of Medicine’s departments of Pathology and Dermatology, is known nationwide for his presence, teaching and patient advocacy on various social media outlets.
Jerad Gardner, M.D., received the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
His efforts have garnered him numerous awards and praises, including the College of American Pathologists Resident Advocate Award in 2015. He is the youngest recipient of the award. In 2017, he was named a Top Five Honoree on the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s “40 Under 40” list.
During commencement, degrees and certificates conferred include the doctor of philosophy, doctor of medicine, doctor of pharmacy, doctor of nursing practice, master of science, master of nursing science, bachelor of science in nursing, master of public health, doctor of public health, certificate in clinical and translational science, master of health administration, postbaccalaureate certificate in public health and a variety of degrees in allied health disciplines including certificates, associate and bachelor of science degrees, postbaccalaureate certificates, master of imaging sciences, master of physician assistant studies and doctor of audiology.
The following are graduates of the five UAMS colleges and graduate school who authorized the release of their name and hometown. Graduates are divided by college and hometown unless otherwise noted.
The following graduates received their Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree.
Adona
Samantha Jolly
Alma
Kristen Crumley
Arkadelphia
Cody McLeod
Olivia Ragni
Batesville
Emily Barrett
Meredith McKinney
Benton
Ryan James
Christopher Martindale
Bentonville
Fabiola Obregon
Ankur Pradhan
Michael Severson
Cabot
Marissa De La Paz
Calico Rock
Chad Cragle
Camden
Barrett Burger
Clarksville
Joseph Plugge
Conway
Caroline Arnold
Steven James
Jacob Leffert
Crawfordsville
Jesse Wray
Dumas
Erin Creighton
Julie Sherrill
Fayetteville
Dennis Berry
Mikaila Calcagni
Nikhil Kamath
Rebecca Moore
Fort Smith
Thanh Dai
Breandan Kelly
Madison Lampkin
Cassandra Lautredou
Steven Mehl
Erik Meyers
Sean Parham
Jimmy Vo
Guy
Jason Stevenson
Hazen
Shannon Petrus
Hot Springs
Karen Hall
Jessica Hook
Allison Hudgens
Adam Price
Zachary Tilley
Jonesboro
Michael May
Lincoln
Taylor Salyer
Little Rock
Jonathan Aronson
Ryan Banning
Andrew Bradsher
Tess Coker
Andrew DeClerk
Matthew Dinehart
Davis Fleming
Savannah Fletcher
Claire Foster
AjaNia Hearne
Charles Lavender
Curtis Lowery
Christopher Moutos
Upton Siddons
Kirby Von Edwins
Brooke Wilson
Melissa Winter
Monticello
Steven Sadler Morrison Jr.
Morrilton
Emily Holthoff
Mountain Home
Gladys Zimmerman
Nashville
John Johnson
Kiley Jones
Paragould
Amy Fletcher
Pine Bluff
Lauren Taylor
Rogers
Jasmine Haller
Christopher Sonntag
Royal
Drake Hardy
Russellville
Blake Hollowoa
Hans Wang
Sheridan
Tracy Kaufman
Springdale
Sarah Carlock
Wilson Huett
Chelsea Wolfe
Van Buren
Aaron Owen
Martin Tremwel
White Hall
LeQuan Dang
Wynne
Morgan Benefield
OUT OF STATE
San Diego, California
Rebecca Elinger
Denver, Colorado
Alex Lencioni
Urbana, Illinois
Hannah Radecki
Shawnee, Kansas
Christopher Wallace
Bernie, Missouri
Grant Cagle
Lamar, Missouri
Jackson Boice
Las Vegas, Nevada
Paul Parcon
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Jonathan Hester
Brentwood, Tennessee
Alexander Croft
Jackson, Tennessee
Kaleb Wolfe
Houston, Texas
Aneel Henry
Texarkana, Texas
Nupur Lala
The following graduates received either a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.), a Master of Science in Nursing (M.N.Sc.) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree.
Ashdown
Lauren Zeigler
Batesville
Gerrica Lynch
Lisa Mitchell
Bearden
Sandra Mosley
Bella Vista
Candra Ransweiler
Benton
Christi Burke
Devin Devlin
Lindsey Knight
Lauren Lamb
Hannah Rider
Booneville
Sarah Cook
Brinkley
Courtney Cassinelli
Bryant
Brandon St. Pierre
Cabot
Alexa Cash
Kayleigh Ward
Conway
Dabney Herrold
Amanda Scott
Kara Sullivan
MacKenzie Yates
Crossett
Shela Upshaw
Des Arc
Meredith Stogner
Dewitt
Kenzie Bullock
Hannah Cummings
Reva Martin
El Dorado
Karrah Clark
Ashley Head
Sarah Sixbey
Fayetteville
Ashlea Brewer
Fordyce
Tina Pennington
Fort Smith
Dusty Colburn
Kally Sivage
Hamburg
Heather Teague
Hazen
Victoria Loudermilk
Heber Springs
Stephanie Thompson
Helena
Dzifa Agbodjah
Dahranesha Moss
Hope
Kandace Davison
Marilyn Faye Hughes
Keri Perez
Hot Springs
Virginia Laliberte
Tiffany Miller
Ashley Pendergraft-Dippel
Jonesboro
Melinda Baum
Katie Hutton
Morgan Winningham
Junction City
Heather Graves
Lincoln
Bessie Smith
Little Rock
Tanya Adams
China Allen
Cynara Bennett
Lori Berry
Mary Bornhoft
Caitlin Bowe
Emily Davis
Ariella Frazier
Lindsey Gates
Brooke Knapp
Sarah Latham
Sara Ledford
Cassandra Love
Tammy Lukacs
Joanne Mazander
Rochelle McFerguson
Ona Onyia
Elizabeth Patrick
Doug Reeves
Christopher Stone
Rebekah Thacker
Katherine Thompson
Pamela Wade
Lonoke
Jenifer Rooney
Mabelvale
Alana Kaucher
Manila
Lauren Allensworth
Lexie Allensworth
Maumelle
Michelle Head
Kaitlin Leonard
Marshall
Alexis Welch
Maynard
Micah Grant
Monticello
Rebekah Ayecock
Jerica Cheatham
Morrilton
Heather Arnold
Mountain Home
Caleb Kaspar
Newport
Vanessa Falwell
North Little Rock
Aimee Jorgenson-Stough
Chelsea Presson
Chester Roberson
Jacob Sandefur
Jacqueline Smiley
David Steinfeld
Megan Thompson
Jennifer White
Hannah Williams
Sidney Wood
Okolona
Kelly Cox
Paragould
Pamela Reed
Mauri Rogers
Susan Schorer
Katie Stickler
Paris
Megan Goad
Perryville
Stephanie Brandon
Helen Dorris
Lauren Blair Langston
Pine Bluff
Tiffani Hubbart
Shaudrey Ramey
Pocahontas
Alexa Shipp
Poplar Grove
Vallerie Bloesch
Redfield
Brittany McFatridge
Rison
Lauren Cummings
Russellville
Lindsey Glover
Saint Paul
Mina Bradford
Searcy
Michelle Joyner
Tory Mote
Sheridan
Amber Covert
Amanda Gonzales
Maegan Mooney
Melissa Rowe
April Schrader
Sherwood
Rebekah Ferrell
Brenda Goss
Hayley Montoya
John Payne
Springdale
Imani Smith
Stuttgart
Kimberly Sims
Taylor
Abriam Key
Texarkana
Kathleen Burns
Mandy Carter
Kelsey Hicks
Hilary Musgrove
Holly Snipe
Trumann
Erika Jones
Van Buren
Shannon Holdren
West Fork
Margaret Oliver
White Hall
Jessica Harper
Wynne
Jill Davis
Yellville
Emily McGee
OUT OF STATE
Montgomery, Alabama
Jessica Harris
Cypress, California
Tara Burns
Murrieta, California
Nathan Ernst
Oceanside, California
Candelaria Perez
Palmdale, California
Rawshedah Hollins
Belleville, Illinois
Raven Gray
Sterling, Kansas
Amanda Stark
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Kellie Bishop
Steele, Missouri
Carrie Tate
Beatrice, Nebraska
Lauren Harrison
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Laura Varnier
Liberty Center, Ohio
Donielle Swanson
Sallisaw, Oklahoma
Jessica Musgrove
Memphis, Tennessee
Marissa Boggs
Hughes Springs, Texas
Kaitlen Stewart
Texarkana, Texas
Kaitlyn Kinder
Brittny Mills
UAMS College of Health Professions
The following graduates are listed by degree program.
Associate of Science in Health Information Technology
David Couch — Jonesboro
Sherrita Dismuke — Little Rock
Jennifer Johnson — Cabot
Deborah Logue — Cabot
Jill Tate — Hoxie
Samantha Turner — Groton, Connecticut
Associate of Science in Medical Radiography
Melissa Bouffard — Elroy, Wisconsin
Kayla Brink — Springdale
Holly Derrick — Prescott
Alexa Dillon — Searcy
Maria Luna — Springdale
Haley Siegrist — Crosses
Hailey Wallace — Pangburn
Associate of Science in Surgical Technology
Shelby Harden — Maumelle
Maranda Shaw — Little Rock
Bachelor of Science in Cardio Respiratory Care
Courtney Hovorka — Bryant
Layné King — Cabot
Ashley McBryde — Little Rock
Kendra McCraney — Helena
Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene
Sylvia Alobuia — Conway
Audra Birtcher — Ashdown
Rockeisha Bonds — Little Rock
Hannah Brown — Benton
Sara Bryant — Hot Springs
Consuelo Cisneros — De Queen
Jessica Coffman — Springdale
Mikayla Feemster — Dierks
Rachel Freyaldenhoven — Vilonia
Evelyn Kight — Nashville
Anna Long — Portageville, Missouri
Jessica Mann — Bryant
Florencia Olguin — Bauxite
Sharese Polite — Ashdown
Kayla Pruitt — Conway
Erica Shirley — New Boston, Texas
Bachelor of Science Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Shelby Herring — Siloam Springs
Alycia Parker — Marion
Nichole Stultz — Magnolia
Emma Thompson — Fairbanks, Alaska
Allison Wilkins — Sheridan
Nickelette Williams — Lonsdale
Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medical Sciences
Billy Jones — North Little Rock
Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences
Davina Addie — Little Rock
Randa Couch — Hot Springs
Scott Russell Keen — Fayetteville
Mindy Widener — Hot Springs
Laura Williamson — McCaskill
Krystal Yu — Mountain Home
Bachelor of Science in Ophthalmic Medical Technology
Sara Peppard — Hot Springs
Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Imaging Sciences
LaTisha Addison — Texarkana, Texas
Brianna Allen — New Boston, Texas
Tomi Brown — Batesville
Dionna Gaines — Ashdown
Courtney Luneau — Harrison
Abigail Parkerson — Bentonville
Kelsey Watts — Monticello
Certificate in Emergency Medical Sciences
Guthrie Boyd — Russellville
Nathan Clark — Pottsville
Doctor of Audiology
Charlotte Coats — North Little Rock
Hillary Jones — Paragould
Lindsey Sloan — Springfield, Missouri
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Kristi Abbott — Fort Smith
Kaitlin Bowin — Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Madeline Leigh Cagle — Conway
Megan Elizabeth Campbell —Russellville
Sarah Chancellor — Springdale
Gracie Frizzell — Maumelle
Kristen Holmes — Turrell
Alex Nevitt — Muskogee, Oklahoma
Michael Garrett Osterbur — Edwardsville, Illinois
Kaitlyn Peterson — Forrest City
Paris Richardson — Lowell
Alexis Marie Robinson — Huntsville
Kyle Roliard — Houston, Texas
Sabra Snyder — Pine Bluff
Sean Stone — Pocahontas
Tristen Swengle — Owasso, Oklahoma
Scott Van Camp — Fayetteville
Master of Imaging Sciences Radiologist Assistant
Kristina Lowrey — Glenwood
Master of Physician Assistant Studies
Katlyn Anderson — Hot Springs
Hannah Banning — Clarksville
Brooke Carr — New Boston, Texas
Tyler L. Childs — Hot Springs
Seth Eiland — Camden
Christina Haigwood — Batesville
Jeff Hillhouse — Coweta, Oklahoma
Abby Rainwater — Little Rock
Aubrey M. Roth — Tulsa, Oklahoma
Rebecca Ellen Schultz — Hot Springs
Ada Natalia Sochanska — Northfield, Illinois
Erica Williams — El Dorado
Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorder
Sydney Carter — Bryant
Kristin Castilla — Ridgeland, Mississippi
Zaneta Frederick — Texarkana
Jenifer Hawley — Little Rock
Kelsey Hays — North Little Rock
Morgan Miller — De Queen
Kinnari Satra — Mumbai, Maharashtra
Jesse Wilson — Cabot
Master of Science in Genetic Counseling
Emily Gimpel — Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Nancy Meier — La Mirada, California
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Auditory Based Intervention
Jenifer Hawley — Little Rock
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Dietetics and Nutrition
Lauren Allbritton — Lonoke
Alex Bradley — Texarkana, Texas
Margaret Wright — Dallas, Texas
Jacqueline Wyman — Painesville, Ohio
Emily Youngblood — Little Rock
The following graduates received their Doctorate of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.
Alexander
Megan Chapman
Alma
Ashton Thomas
Arkadelphia
Michael Forthman
Beebe
Michael Weeks
Benton
Luther Gossage
Bentonville
Katrina Bradley
Cabot
Catherine Ford
Samuel Wolf
Calico Rock
Kelsey Gocke
Camden
Taylor Neeley
Clinton
Courtney Emberton
Conway
Kanesha Day
Mary Smith
Roland Gresham
Crosses
Brooke Gipson
Dumas
Taylor Lemonds
Emide
Jeston Whitsell
Fayetteville
Julie Isenhower
Tyler Stone
Fort Smith
Sarah Henry
Will Hough
Rachel Meier
Yusra Samman
Alison Thomas
Glenwood
Jessica Ramirez Carmen
Greenbrier
Christian Holbrook
Charlene Pike
Greenwood
Katelyn Barton
Erika Beshears Livingston
Harrison
Ashley McPhee
Kelsey Harner Spire
Jeffrey Wheeler
Hot Springs
Randi Jeffers
Dipali Patel
Jonesboro
Melissa Brown
Barry Garner
Audrey Williamson
Little Rock
Megan Adams
William Betzner
Ashley Bizzell
Meggan Edmondson
Mariam Khan
Nadiya Khan
Sathyanand Kumaran
Caleb McMinn
Nicholas Murray
Kelly Newton
Kyleigh Stout
Madalyn Van Valkenburg
Laramie Wall
Lonoke
Michaela Brown
Andrew Gibbs
Malvern
Andrew Brooks
Maumelle
Jessica Holley
Mena
Levi Ellison
Stephen Stricklin
North Little Rock
Bradley Briggs
Katie Midkiff
Paragould
Kodi Liddell
Paron
Sarah McMinn
Perryville
Aaron Baker
Rison
Jake Cash
Rogers
Jessicca Baker
Malorie Moreland
Sherwood
Joseph Ryall
Springdale
Kati Trejo
Stuttgart
Samantha Spicer
Texarkana
Victor Vargas
Van Buren
Kaleigh Angleton
Mercedez Flanagan
Vilonia
Ashley Leach
Wynne
Hilary Dowd
Kenneth Hathcock
OUT OF STATE
Cameron, Missouri
Kelly Newton
Joplin, Missouri
Adebayo James Orunpekun
Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Allyson Keen
Maud, Texas
Samantha Reeder
Queen City, Texas
Jessica Reid
UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
The following graduates are listed by degree program.
Certificate in Environmental and Occupational Health
James Booker — Texarkana, Texas
Charese Simpson — Pine Bluff
Doctor of Philosophy Health Promotion and Prevention Research
Stephanie Ryan McCoy — Little Rock
Doctor of Public Health
Emily English — Little Rock
Master of Health Administration
Mackenzie Clyburn — Little Rock
Daniel McFarland — Shreveport, Louisiana
Booth M. Owens — Little Rock
Nancy Gail Purnell — Nashville
Greg Pryor — Benton
Rebecca Stone — Paron
Master of Public Health
Jonathan Aram — Springfield, Missouri
Kailyn-Marie Bostic — Denver, Colorado
Grant Cagle — Bernie, Missouri
Megan Chapman — Alexander
Alisha Crump — District Heights, Maryland
Claire Chesshir Foster — Little Rock
Lauren Griever — Hamburg
Dominique Hamby — Van Buren
AjaNia Hearne — Little Rock
Jana S. Jacobs — Arkon, Iowa
LaTasha Moore — Falcon
Jennifer Morales — Benton
Halie Moreno — El Dorado
Isaiah Ozuna — Little Rock
Dipali Patel — Hot Springs
Sam Siegel — Conway
Lorraine Stigar — Little Rock
Lauren Taylor — Pine Bluff
Memory Waddle — Hot Springs
The following graduates are listed by degree program.
Doctor of Philosophy
Tyler Alexander — Pine Bluff
Kimberly Cooney — Little Rock
Wezley Griffin — Bryant
Rachel Hendrix — Kingman, Arizona
Xingui Liu — Hunan, China
Daniel Meeker — Olathe, Kansas
Elizabeth Naglak — Searcy
Johnasha Stuart — St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Ayasha Thomason — Little Rock
Kirk West — Lamar
Sarah Zimmerman — Harrison
Graduate Certificate — Clinical and Translational Studies
Margaret Woods — Little Rock
Master of Science
Jill Hinsley — Jacksonville
Morgan McKinney — Dallas, Texas
Tyler Ratliff — Conway