UAMS Names Andrew James, Ph.D., as Director of Helen L. Porter, James T. Dyke Brain Imaging Research Center
| LITTLE ROCK — Andrew James, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, has been named the director of the Helen L. Porter and James T. Dyke Brain Imaging Research Center, effective May 1.
“In his role as interim director of the Brain Imaging Center, Dr. James has successfully launched several innovative initiatives in advanced clinical and research imaging,” said Laura B. Dunn, M.D., director of the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute. “I look forward to seeing all of the exciting activities that he will lead in this role.”
A founding faculty member of the Brain Imaging Research Center, James joined UAMS in 2010 as an assistant professor after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, where he applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to model changes in functional brain organization for a broad range of psychiatric and neurologic illnesses, including depression, epilepsy, stroke, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia.
James received Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry and applied psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1999 and was awarded a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Florida for his work using fMRI to model age-related changes in human neural activity during implicit and explicit motor learning.
The Brain Imaging Research Center, Arkansas’ first research-dedicated human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) center, uses state-of-the-art technology to explore the brain mechanisms behind mental illness and to search for novel insights into the causes of brain-related illnesses such as depression and drug addiction.
A cornerstone of James’ strategic vision for the Brain Imaging Research Center is its Advanced Clinical Neuroimaging Initiative, which integrates research into clinical services to offer advanced MRI diagnosis and treatment planning that is not available elsewhere in Arkansas, Dunn said.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight 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, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.
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