Psychiatric Research Institute


April 29, 2025

UAMS Names Andrew James, Ph.D., as Director of Helen L. Porter, James T. Dyke Brain Imaging Research Center

Tim Taylor

Andrew James, Ph.D., has been named director of the Helen L. Porter and 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.


April 17, 2025

Suicide Prevention Update Addresses Growing Concern

Tim Taylor

Christine Yu Moutier, M.D., (left) relates her experiences with suicide intervention in a candid conversation with Laura Dunn, M.D., director of the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute.

As chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Christine Yu Moutier, M.D., hears countless stories of desperation and pain every day from those who have lost loved ones as a result of a self-inflicted death.


March 26, 2025

UAMS Brings Together Patients, Caregivers and Providers for First MS Symposium

Yavonda Chase

Lizzy East Couch and her husband, Patrick (left), share a laugh with UAMS neurologist R. Lee Archer, M.D., before the start of the symposium.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) hosted its first Multiple Sclerosis Symposium on March 15, bringing together patients, caregivers and health care professionals to discuss the oft-debilitating neurological disease.


March 11, 2025

UAMS to Hold Suicide Prevention Public Forum on April 10

Yavonda Chase

Christine Yu Moutier, M.D.

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is taking action against one of the state’s most urgent public health challenges by hosting a forum dedicated to suicide prevention and awareness. The initiative aims to equip attendees with potentially life-saving knowledge and strategies.


February 6, 2025

Northwest Arkansas Schizophrenia Conference Examines Complex Issues Surrounding Mental Illness

David Wise

A panel of experts discuss psychosis symptoms and treatments during the UAMS Schizophrenia Conference in Northwest Arkansas

Hundreds of health care professionals, caregivers and family members of people with schizophrenia gathered at the Fayetteville Town Center on Jan. 30 to learn about the symptoms, misconceptions and treatment of the illness, as well as the experiences of the nearly 3 million American adults with schizophrenia. The conference, hosted by the University of Arkansas…


December 9, 2024

UAMS Researcher Receives $3.3 Million Grant to Study PTSD Therapies in Prisons

Tim Taylor

Melissa Zielinski, Ph.D.

LITTLE ROCK — A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researcher has been awarded a grant worth $3.3 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the effectiveness of two therapeutic options in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in prison populations.


December 2, 2024

UAMS to Host Northwest Arkansas Schizophrenia Conference to Examine Complex Issues Surrounding Mental Illness

Tim Taylor

UAMS is hosting the Northwest Arkansas Schizophrenia Conference on Jan. 30, 2025, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is hosting a conference, the first of its kind in Northwest Arkansas, dedicated to raising awareness about schizophrenia and the issues that accompany the mental illness.


November 20, 2024

Arkansas Attorney General Provides $600,000 Grant to Support Women’s Mental Health Fellowship

Tim Taylor

Jessica Coker, M.D., serves as the medical director of the Psychiatric Research Unit’s inpatient units.

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has received a $600,000 grant from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin to support a women’s mental health fellowship in an effort to address the impact of the opioid epidemic on women and to help reduce the state’s maternal mortality rate.


November 19, 2024

UAMS Invests Ashley Acheson, Ph.D., in Wilbur D. Mills Distinguished Chair in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention

Andrew Vogler

Ashley Acheson

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine invested Ashley Acheson, Ph.D., professor and vice chair for research for the UAMS Department of Psychiatry, in the Wilbur D. Mills Distinguished Chair in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention during a Nov. 12 ceremony. “This chair is especially meaningful to me…


November 13, 2024

UAMS Center for Addiction Services Employs New Technology to Treat Opioid Addiction

Tim Taylor

Sonara Health Business Operations Manager Kshitij Verma (right) demonstrates how to use the online repository to Jere Brewer of UAMS’ Center for Addiction Services and Treatment.

LITTLE ROCK — The drug methadone, commonly used to treat opioid addiction by detoxification and maintenance, requires daily visits to an outpatient clinic as well as countless counseling sessions and drug screenings. Recognizing the barrier that daily visits can pose, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Addiction Services and Treatment is rolling out a hybrid care program designed to better meet the needs of its patients and improve their chances of overcoming their dependence on opioids.



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