Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging


October 20, 2020

UAMS Researcher Receives $1.7 Million Grant to Study Bone Health, Exercise Connection

News Staff

"Scientists have long understood there is a connection between bone size and strength related to physical activity," said Jinhu Xiong, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine.

LITTLE ROCK — A researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how physical activity improves bone health, with possible implications for bone loss from osteoporosis and aging. Jinhu Xiong, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of…


October 9, 2020

21st Geriatrics Update Focuses on ‘Living Long, Living Strong’

Ben Boulden

Priya Mendiratta, M.D., left, moderates a question-and-answer session with keynote speaker Joel Kahn, M.D., during the Geriatric Update and Long-term Care Conference. The conference was virtual this year.

The foods older adults eat can be just as, or even more, vital to their heart health as the cardiovascular medications they take and the surgeries and procedures they may undergo. That’s the message keynote speaker, Joel Kahn, M.D., gave at the 21st  annual Geriatrics Update and Long-term Care Conference held Oct. 1-3 at the…


October 7, 2020

Exercise Program Helps Slow Parkinson’s Symptoms

Katrina Dupins

Coleman

In a spacious room on the bottom floor of the Donald W. Reynold’s Institute on Aging, fitness instructor Kellie Coleman stands in front of a camera. She begins leading about a dozen people through an hour-long exercise class for patients living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). “Next, get on the edge of your chair, rotate your…


October 2, 2020

‘Geriatric Buddy’ Program Hopes to End Isolation of Older Adults

Ben Boulden

Priya Mendiratta, M.D., second from left, talks to UAMS students, residents and fellows about the new Geriatric Buddy program.

UAMS geriatrician Priya Mendiratta, M.D., wants to brighten the lives of older adults who are isolated at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. She and some students have an idea for how to do that. “In the nursing home, for the first one or two months of the pandemic when we didn’t go in, I noticed…


August 12, 2020

Gohar Azhar, M.D., Invested in Jackson T. Stephens Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics Clinical Affairs

Benjamin Waldrum

Azhar, a nationally recognized expert on cardiovascular aging research, is director of clinical research and co-director of cardiovascular aging research at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. She leads the Walker Memory Center and provides geriatrics primary care at the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic.

Gohar Azhar, M.D., a nationally recognized expert on cardiovascular aging research with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was recently invested  in the Jackson T. Stephens Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics Clinical Affairs. “It is with deep humility that I accept the great honor of the Jackson T. Stephens Distinguished Chair,” Azhar said. “I…


July 30, 2020

Arny Ferrando, Ph.D., Invested in Wes Smith Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics for Longevity, Health Promotion and Frailty Prevention

Benjamin Waldrum

Ferrando, who joined UAMS in 2006, co-directs the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, where he is also a professor in the Department of Geriatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine. His career has highlighted nutritional, exercise and pharmacological interventions directed toward the prevention and recovery of muscle loss and function.

LITTLE ROCK — Arny A. Ferrando, Ph.D., a leading authority on skeletal muscle protein metabolism and its relation to muscle function and performance with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested in July in the Wes Smith Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics for Longevity, Health Promotion and Frailty Prevention. There was no formal…


May 4, 2020

Caregiving Couple Makes Time for Exercise Together

Katrina Dupins

Tom and Mary Banks

Tom and Mary Banks are professionals when it comes to family caregiving. The Little Rock couple has been caring for Mary Banks’ 101-year-old mother, Virginia Lee Pairett, for the past three years. Before that, they cared for Tom Banks’ mom until she passed away at 102 years old. The Banks lived in North Carolina for…


February 19, 2020

Free Dementia Training Now Offered Online

Katrina Dupins

First responders

UAMS police and others are taking advantage of a free newly available online course to improve interactions when they come in contact with older Arkansans who have dementia. The course is provided by the Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC) at UAMS. Laura Spradley, an outreach coordinator for AGEC, says the training allows officers to not…


January 22, 2020

AmyLeigh Overton-McCoy, Ph.D., APRN, Invested in Murphy Endowed Chair for Rural Aging Leadership and Policy

Benjamin Waldrum

Overton-McCoy was presented with a commemorative medallion by UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA and Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., executive vice chancellor and College of Medicine dean.

AmyLeigh Overton-McCoy, Ph.D., APRN, a leading geriatric nursing specialist with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested Jan. 16 in the Murphy Endowed Chair for Rural Aging Leadership and Policy. “This is an extreme honor and privilege, and I will really treasure this opportunity to make a difference in so many lives,”…


Priya Mendiratta, M.D., M.P.H., Invested in Alexa L. & William T. Dillard Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics

Benjamin Waldrum

Mendiratta was presented with a commemorative medallion by UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, and Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., executive vice chancellor and College of Medicine dean.

Priya Mendiratta, M.D., M.P.H., geriatrician and director for the geriatric clerkship and course for medical students at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested Jan. 16 in the Alexa L. & William T. Dillard Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics. “Thank you so much for bestowing this great honor upon me and the Department…



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