UAMS Names 12 New Internal Medicine Resident Physicians in Northwest Arkansas
| FAYETTEVILLE – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) announced the 12 new internal medicine resident physicians who will begin practicing medicine in Northwest Arkansas on June 17.
The new residents are:
- Raad Abbas, MBChB – Hometown: Warr Acres, Okla.
- Mamua Andela, M.D. – Hometown: Olathe, Kan.
- Ethan Anderson, DO – Hometown: Columbia, Mo.
- Sahiba Bajwa, M.D. – Hometown: Modesto, Calif.
- Alex Belote, DO – Hometown: Springfield, Mo.
- Alshaimaa Hazaa, MBBCH – Springdale, Ark.
- Dalton Hoose, M.D. – Hometown: Rogers, Ark.
- Erika Jasso, M.D. – Hometown: Rogers, Ark.
- Vivek Malhotra, M.D. – Hometown: Columbia, S.C.
- Yash Shah, M.D. – Hometown: Colonia, N.J.
- Punith Thogaripally, M.D. – Hometown: Vestavia Hills, Ala.
- Eric Peeler, M.D. – Hometown: Little Rock, Ark.
The new residents are part of the community internal medicine residency program in Northwest Arkansas, which is a partnership between the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers and the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville. The program is based at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, and the residents also do clinical rotations at Mercy and the VA Hospital.
“Our partnerships with Mercy and the VA Hospital are helping us train the next generation of health care leaders for the people of Arkansas,” said Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., vice chancellor of the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. “Especially now, as we are dealing with a global pandemic, these new physicians are needed more than ever. They will be on the front lines and will be able to make an impact in health care that is unprecedented in our lifetime. We are proud that they are joining our team.”
Match Day is an annual event in which fourth-year medical students across the nation simultaneously open envelopes revealing their “match” — or where they have been accepted to continue their training in a specialty residency.
“We only seek out the best and brightest candidates annually to join our residency program in Northwest Arkansas,” said Thomas Schulz, M.D., director of the residency program and associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. “We are thrilled that these excellent physicians will be joining our ranks to provide quality health care for the people of Northwest Arkansas.”
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise including its hospital, regional clinics and clinics it operates or staffs in cooperation with other providers. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report named UAMS Medical Center the state’s Best Hospital; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide; and named six areas as high performing — cancer, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery. UAMS has 2,727 students, 870 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health.
The UAMS Northwest Regional Campus includes 250 medical, pharmacy, nursing and health professions students, 50 medical and pharmacy residents, and 1,000 community-based faculty. The campus has nine clinics including a student-led clinic and physical, occupational and speech therapy. Faculty conduct research to reduce health disparities. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.