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Stefanie Kennon-McGill, Ph.D., speaks with a visitor on her digital health presentation at the showcase.
Image by Bryan Clifton
UAMS Showcase for Medical Discoveries Focuses on Digital Health, Collaboration
| Amidst the digital health initiatives on display during the latest research showcase at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) was the opportunity for good, old-fashioned collaboration.
Approximately 40 people attended the UAMS Showcase of Medical Discoveries, held April 9 on the 10th floor of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute in Little Rock. The showcase featured a diverse range of abstracts highlighting impactful work at the institute, including research and initiatives exploring the impact of digital health on patient care, remote patient monitoring, digital health commercialization, stroke care and more.
Researchers, faculty and visitors alike gathered in the open space to view presentations and discuss future collaboration.Benjamin Waldrum
It was the first research showcase at UAMS focused on digital health, said Joseph Sanford, M.D., director of the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. Sanford co-hosted the event with Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., the institute’s director of research.
“One of the things that I hope people take away from this is, digital health is very much out in the community and amongst our patient population,” Sanford said. “We really want to be able to make scientifically backed changes to how we conduct health care, and the work that Dr. Eswaran, his teams and others are doing has a long history of leading the charge in that.”
Delivering real-time interactive video patient consultations, continuing medical education and patient education across Arkansas, the institute has been instrumental in developing digital health initiatives that address the state’s health disparities. It has brought more than 20 long-sustaining digital health and 10 distance education programs to rural providers and patients in Arkansas.
Sanford thanked Daniel Voth, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research, and Mohammed “Moe” Elasri, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for research, for their support of the event, as well as Eric Peterson, Ph.D., president of BioVentures LLC, which is UAMS’ technology licensing office and business incubator, for encouraging collaborative pipelines at UAMS.
Ten large research posters were arrayed in rows across the space, as attendees mingled and spoke with presenters. It was an opportunity not only for learning but also a chance for researchers across different disciplines to network and find ways to work together.
Medical student Rebecca Jones, MPH, has made multiple research presentations like these and said she appreciates being able to swap ideas with fellow scientists.
Joseph Sanford, Ph.D., (left) and Hari Eswaran (right) co-hosted the event, which was UAMS’ first Showcase of Medical Discoveries focused on digital health.Benjamin Waldrum
“I just love being able to share our research,” Jones said. “We were just interacting with someone who does similar research at a different institute, and because we were able to converse, we might be able to collaborate in the future. It’s always a good experience to be able to share work and network with other people in this space.”
AmyLeigh Overton-McCoy, Ph.D., APRN, assistant professor of geriatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine, presented a poster on dementia training for search and rescue teams and said she welcomed the chance to collaborate.
“It creates these opportunities to not only highlight our work, but provide an innovative hub to facilitate collaboration,” she said. “That’s what I really like, because sharing creates new ideas. Just something as simple as two posters being next to each other can create an automatic conversation about partnerships that could blossom.”
Overton-McCoy said it was a privilege for geriatrics “to be brought to the table.” She spoke with other presenters and found possibilities for collaboration that she hadn’t considered before.
“I think cross-collaboration is what makes UAMS so miraculous and beautiful all at once,” she added. “The opportunities are endless.”
Those presenting posters on their research and their project titles are:
Cari A. Bogulski, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine — “Telehealth and patient portal use disparities before and during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.”
Rebecca Jones, MPH, medical student, UAMS College of Medicine — “Assessing the Impact of Telehealth Lactation Support on Initiating and Sustaining Breastfeeding Among Medicaid Patients.”
Katy Allison, Ph.D., assistant professor, UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health — “Implementing the Project ECHO Model: Lessons Learned from 8 ECHO Implementation Teams.”
Mahip Acharya, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, College of Medicine — “Model-based budget impact analysis of expanding remote patient monitoring for hypertension management in older adults.”
Hannah McCoy, MPH, research associate, UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation — “Remote Patient Monitoring for Pregnancy Care: Determinants of Implementation.”
Aliza Brown, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Neurology, College of Medicine — “Leveraging Digital Technology in Arkansas’ Stroke Landscape.”
Daniel Bercher, Ph.D., director of operations, UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation — “UAMS Brain Injury Program: Enhancing Rehabilitation and Lifelong Care for Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors in Arkansas.”
Stefanie Kennon-McGill, Ph.D., research program manager, BioVentures LLC — “Translating Digital Health Innovations: From Concept to Commercialization at UAMS and BioVentures.”
Alexander Escobar, M.S., MBA, executive director of business operations, UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation — “Transforming Healthcare: An Overview of UAMS Institute for Digital Health and Innovation.”
AmyLeigh Overton-McCoy, Ph.D. APRN, assistant professor, Department of Geriatrics, College of Medicine — “Dementia training and Search & Rescue Initiatives in Arkansas: A Statewide Approach.”