Winter 2023
December 15, 2023
Behind the Scenes
Yan Cheng, Ph.D. Yan Cheng, Ph.D., is an instructor for the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Myeloma Center. Cheng, who joined the Myeloma Center team in 2021, conducts translational research, including identifying the biology of multiple myeloma risk genes. Her research focuses on unravelling the mechanisms of resistance to therapy to help develop new…
Partners in Care: Providing the Comforts of Home
The challenges that come with receiving extended medical care can be overwhelming. There are many factors that must be addressed before patients are prepared to receive care. This requires creating a healthy environment where a patient need not worry about how they will get to the hospital, where their meals will come from and, maybe…
Retired Attorney Writes Book about Myeloma Journey, Exceptional Care
![Retired attorney James Jaquess](https://news.uams.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Jaquess-2048x1276-1-150x150.jpg)
Retired attorney James Jaquess can’t say enough about the care he received at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Myeloma Center. In fact, UAMS features prominently in his book “Multiple Myeloma: A Journey to Remission.” Jaquess is being treated at UAMS as well as at the Emerald Coast Cancer Center in Fort Walton…
Publications
Characterizing the role of the immune microenvironment in multiple myeloma progression at a single-cell level Blood Advances November 2022 Primary author: Carolina Schinke, M.D. Multiple myeloma (MM) is preceded by precursor stages including MGUS and smoldering myeloma. It is thought that the acquisition of mutations in the myeloma cells is responsible for disease progression through these…
Nurse Passionate About Success, Impact of UAMS Myeloma Center
![Heather Brown, APRN](https://news.uams.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Heather-Brown-2048x1406-1-150x150.jpg)
Heather Brown, APRN, a nurse practitioner for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Myeloma Center, appreciates the opportunity to serve the patients. A 2001 graduate of the UAMS College of Nursing, Brown quickly learned about myeloma as the center opened shortly after she was hired by the institute….
Former Pediatrician Feels ‘Wonderful’ a Year and a Half after CAR T-cell Therapy at UAMS
Wendy Bowen was just 38 years old and in her fourth year of working as a pediatrician in Jackson, Tennessee, when severe chronic fatigue forced her to retire in March 2003. She had been diagnosed six months earlier with multiple sclerosis (MS), and it seemed to be rapidly taking its toll. Then one morning about…
Intake Team Serves as Source of Comfort for Myeloma Center Patients
![(Left to right) Christy Bunting, Amy Ford, Melissa Thomas, April Thomas.](https://news.uams.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Myeloma-Staff-2048x1363-1-150x150.jpg)
For new patients of the UAMS Myeloma Center, the intake process provides their first impression of the support they’ll receive during a difficult period of their lives. “It’s important that we help them get established and make sure they’re comfortable coming here,” said Christy Bunting, an intake coordinator in the Myeloma Center. “We want them…
Road to National Cancer Institute Designation
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute continues to make progress on achieving National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, a recognition given to cancer centers that meet rigorous standards for state of the art research, cancer prevention and treatment. More than two-thirds of funds awarded by NCI for research and…
Clinical Trials Key to National Cancer Institute Designation
The Cancer Clinical Trials program at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is undergoing a massive expansion in preparation for National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, an elite status given only to cancer centers on the forefront of cancer research. Though they often operate quietly behind the scenes, clinical trial programs are essential in moving…
UAMS Myeloma Researcher Sees‘ Impressive’ Results in Clinical Trials of Bispecific Antibody Treatments
![Carolina Schinke, M.D.](https://news.uams.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Schinke_Carolina-2048x1367-1-150x150.jpg)
Many patients at the UAMS Myeloma Center have relapsed refractory myeloma, meaning they have nearly run out of effective treatment options. Fortunately, the center has talented clinical researchers like Carolina Schinke, M.D., with access to the latest medications, including promising study drugs. Schinke is leading a clinical trial at UAMS of a promising new bispecific…
Next page