Psychiatric Research Institute


November 7, 2022

UAMS Assisting Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office in Care of Detainees with Substance Use Disorder

Tim Taylor

Nickolas Zaller, Ph.D., speaks at a press conference Nov. 1 announcing a $1.3 million grant awarded the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Several University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researchers are working with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office to reduce the use of opioids among its incarcerated population.


May 13, 2022

Gift Bags Offer Encouragement and a Chance to Give Back

Tim Taylor

A former patient herself, Anna Ruth Merritt and members of the Mosaic church in Conway made gift bags for the patients in the Women’s Inpatient Unit at the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute.

With her ever-present smile and energetic personality, one might not comprehend the struggles that Anna Ruth Merritt has dealt with since she was a young girl.


March 15, 2022

Brian Kirkpatrick, M.D., Joins UAMS’ Walker Family Clinic

Tim Taylor

Brian Kirkpatrick, M.D., MSPH, has joined the Walker Family Clinic at UAMS.

LITTLE ROCK — Brian Kirkpatrick, M.D., MSPH, has joined the Walker Family Clinic at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as an outpatient psychiatrist.


March 14, 2022

Aaron Carson, M.D., Brian Mooney, M.D., Join UAMS’ Northwest Arkansas Behavioral Health Clinic

Tim Taylor

Aaron Carson, M.D., (left) and Brian Mooney, M.D., have joined UAMS' Northwest Arkansas behavioral clinic in Fayetteville as psychiatrists.

FAYETTEVILLE — Aaron Carson, M.D., and Brian Mooney, M.D., have joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) newly relocated Northwest Arkansas behavioral health clinic  as outpatient psychiatrists.


December 8, 2021

UAMS Receives $3 Million to Reimburse Facilities Providing Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use

Yavonda Chase

Michael Mancino, M.D.

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recently received $3 million from the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) to compensate facilities across the state providing opioid use disorder patients with medication-assisted treatment.


November 2, 2021

UAMS Selects Laura Dunn, M.D., to Lead Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Research Institute

Yavonda Chase

Laura B. Dunn, M.D., will be joining UAMS on Feb. 1, 2022, as the as the next chair of the Department of Psychiatry in the UAMS College of Medicine and director of the Psychiatric Research Institute.

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has selected Laura B. Dunn, M.D., as the next chair of the Department of Psychiatry in the UAMS College of Medicine and director of the Psychiatric Research Institute.


November 1, 2021

Padala to Head Baptist Health-UAMS Psychiatry Residency Program

Tim Taylor

Dr. Prasad Padala

LITTLE ROCK — Prasad Padala, M.D., M.S., FACHE, a professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Psychiatry, has accepted the position of program director of UAMS’ new collaborative psychiatry residency program with Baptist Health.


October 12, 2021

Documentary Details Struggle with Opioids in Arkansas

Tim Taylor

Johnathan Goree, M.D., is one of two UAMS physicians included in the documentary “7 Days: The Opioids Crisis in Arkansas.”

A documentary dealing with the deadly problem of opioid addiction will premiere Oct. 13 at the 30th annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. The film, which will be available online the following day, features a pair of UAMS physicians who are all too familiar with the hazards opioids pose to the state.


September 1, 2021

UAMS’ AR-Connect to Provide Mental Health Care to Those Displaced by Hurricane Ida

Yavonda Chase

Administrative Coordinator Suzi Rook updates a schedule for AR-Connect’s therapists.

LITTLE ROCK — AR-Connect, a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) program that provides mental health care via live video, is offering its services to Gulf Coast natives forced to relocate to Arkansas due to the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ida.


August 23, 2021

UAMS Researchers Awarded $2.5 Million Grant to Create Phone App to Prevent Opioid Use Relapse

Tim Taylor

Andrew James, Ph.D., a neuroimaging scientist in UAMS’ Brain Imaging Research Center, seeks to understand how the reward systems of the brain change during recovery from opioid use disorder.

LITTLE ROCK — A team of UAMS research scientists has been awarded a five-year grant worth $2.5 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to determine if a cell phone application can reduce the relapse rate in people with opioid use disorder.



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