UAMS to Sponsor Conference on Childhood Nutrition, Physical Activity
| LITTLE ROCK — Experts in children’s health and nutrition will lead the Fourth Annual Conference on Nutrition and Physical Activity Aug. 3-4 at the Hot Springs Civic and Convention Center. The conference is sponsored by the Cost to attend both days is $100 for professionals and $40 for students. One-day cost is $75 for professionals and $25 for students. Payment for registration after July 14 is $125 for professionals and $40 for students and must be paid on-site at the Hot Springs Civic and Convention Center. For information or to register, call (800) 374-3620 or visit www.healthierchildren.org. The conference is designed for health care providers, educators and others with an interest in promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity in children. Presenters will include Jean Blaydes Madigan, M.Ed., a neurokinesiologist, elementary educator and well-recognized speaker on the subject of movement and its connection to academic learning; Joe Thompson, M.D., UAMS associate professor of pediatrics and public health, Arkansas’ chief health officer and director of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, on the success of the state’s tobacco and obesity prevention programs; Chandler Converse, a 13-year-old student from Georgia who began a grassroots student fitness initiative; and Terry Eastin, a key figure in the development of the Headwaters Partnership for the Arkansas River Trail. Breakout session topics will include: The Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care has worked to improve the health of Arkansans for more than 30 years through utilization review, quality improvement projects and public education. For information, visit www.afmc.org. KIDS FIRST is a pediatric day health care program operated by the UAMS Department of Pediatrics for children ages birth to 5 years who have special health care needs and are medically and socially at risk for developmental delays. UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,320 students and 690 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 9,300 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the VA Medical Center. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in