UAMS Hosting Neurodiversity Conference in Northwest Arkansas on Sept. 18
| FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Northwest Regional Campus is hosting its second annual Neurodiversity Conference on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education in Springdale.
This year’s event, themed “Equipped to Care: A Toolkit for Neuro-Inclusive Practice,” is presented in partnership with SLS Community, a Fayetteville-based service provider for neurodivergent adults that is building a “live, work, play” community in south Fayetteville that has a holistic approach to supporting neurodivergent adults with essential resources to flourish.
The intended audience for the interactive, daylong conference includes health care professionals, students, neurodivergent individuals, families, advocates and other stakeholders such as support staff.
“This year’s conference is focused on developing a ‘toolkit’ of best practices for providing a high standard of person-centered care for neurodivergent patients,” said Tina Maddox, Ph.D., associate provost for the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. “The goal is to deepen understanding and build skills for supporting neurodivergent individuals across health care settings.”
Keynote speaker James E. Hunt, M.D., a board-certified anesthesiologist and pediatric anesthesiologist who practices at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock and Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale, will open the conference with a presentation on understanding neurodiversity in health care, addressing common misconceptions, communication and processing differences, and the importance of adopting a strength-based perspective.
Additional sessions will feature Aunna Herbst, D.O., a family medicine doctor and chief medical officer at SALT Health in Bentonville, on best practices for neuro-inclusive care; Michele Kilmer, DNP, APRN, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, on the role of animal-assisted therapy; and an interdisciplinary panel of providers exploring cultural competence, ethics and family-centered care. The program will conclude with a panel of neurodivergent individuals and family advocates, who will share their experiences and recommendations for improving health care interactions.
“The Neurodiversity Conference is a dynamic, interactive opportunity to learn from the experiences of neurodivergent patients, share success stories and build tangible skills,” said Ashton McCombs IV, executive director of SLS Community. “Our hope is to spark conversations between providers, patients and advocates that have a ripple effect in making Northwest Arkansas the gold standard for health care for neurodivergent individuals.”
The event is free, with continuing education credit available, as well as in-person and virtual attendance options. Food will be provided. Registration is required and can be completed at https://forms.office.com/r/Tze5YZLDFd.
For questions about the event, email lawood@uams.edu.
The UAMS Northwest Regional Campus includes 356 medical, pharmacy, nursing and health professions students, 76 medical and pharmacy residents, and two sports medicine fellows. The campus has 13 clinics including internal and family medicine, a student-led clinic, orthopaedics and sports medicine, behavioral health/psychiatry, geriatrics, genetics counseling, transplant follow-up, and physical, occupational and speech therapy. Faculty conduct research to reduce health disparities.
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 www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.