The Myeloma Center began at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in 1989. The Cytogenetics Laboratory has been supporting them since the beginning. The Cytogenetics Laboratory, located at the Freeway Medical Tower in Little Rock off UAMS’ main campus, is part of the Clinical Laboratory under the UAMS College of Medicine Department of…
Kayla Hefner, RN, has been in health care nearly her entire life. “My mother worked in the human resources department at the old Doctors Hospital in Little Rock,” said Hefner, a nurse with the Myeloma Center in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). “As a teenager,…
Carolina Schinke, M.D., one of the exceptional clinicians and researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Myeloma Center, has been recognized for her outstanding work. The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute hosted its annual research retreat on May 7, 2025, at the Robinson Center in downtown Little Rock, at which Schinke was…
Myeloma patients are not alone as they go through their first day of appointments at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). A group of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers known as Most Vital Pals (MVPs) help guide new patients around UAMS’ campus. The MVP program is part of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute…
Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, M.D., Ph.D., research director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Myeloma Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), is the initial holder of the Dr. Bart Barlogie Chair for Myeloma Research. Zhan, a tenured professor of medicine whose research focuses on identifying treatment approaches to overcome drug resistance…
After more than 25 years, Sandy Mattox, MNSc, RN, personifies the term “institutional knowledge” when it comes to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Myeloma Center, part of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Mattox’s extensive career at UAMS covers two periods, first from 1991-2000 and then from 2008 to July 2025, when…
Angelia Hood didn’t let her initial multiple myeloma diagnosis and treatment keep her from looking for other ways to battle this disease. “Get a second opinion and continue to do your research,” she said. That determination to remain in control of her care led Hood to the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Myeloma Center at…
Myeloma Center clinical director Frits van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D., answers questions about multiple myeloma and its treatment at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Van Rhee also is a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine, the associate director of Clinical Science at the Cancer Institute and holds…
By Shannon Perna “Thank you.” These heartfelt words are often all that’s needed to express sincere gratitude, but after 20 years of life-saving treatment at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Myeloma Center, Don Wilson, DVM, and his wife, Melissa Wilson, wanted to do more. So more than a decade ago, they began to…
It is my pleasure to present the Winter 2025-2026 issue of Myeloma magazine. Myeloma care continues to advance with the advent of novel immunotherapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and bispecific antibodies. The new treatment methods are transformative for the outcome of patients with myeloma who have experienced a relapse. The Winthrop P….