UAMS Myeloma Center


November 15, 2021

Pioneering Researcher Returns to UAMS Myeloma Center

Linda Haymes

“Dr. Shaughnessy’s return to UAMS expands and strengthens our research and subsequent treatment here at the Myeloma Center,” said Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, director of research at the Myeloma Center.

John D. Shaughnessy, Jr., Ph.D., has rejoined the Myeloma Center in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as a principal staff scientist and professor of medicine. “It feels great to be back,” said Shaughnessy, whose research is focused on developing new targeted therapies for multiple myeloma,…


March 22, 2021

Friends Travel Miles, Bring Smiles as Myeloma Patient Begins Treatment

Linda Haymes

Friends of myeloma patient Christie Mink, 51, of Jonesboro traveled to UAMS in Little Rock to welcome her and her husband Jeffery in an emotional display of support.

On her first day of treatment at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Myeloma Center, Christie Mink returned from a lunch break with husband Jeffery to find one sweet treat awaiting her just outside the doors of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Eight friends, all wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with “Her fight…


February 8, 2021

Husband and Wife Unite in Battling Myeloma

Linda Haymes

“We have been well taken care of at UAMS,” said Jerilee Gott of Sherwood, Arkansas who is a myeloma survivor along with her husband Ken. “The staff has been outstanding, and we feel we are in very good hands. Our future is very encouraging with the treatment options available for those who go into remission.”

When Jerilee and Ken Gott moved to Arkansas from New Mexico in late 2017 to be closer to their two daughters and grandchildren, she knew she would need regular checkups at the UAMS Myeloma Center. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in the blood, in 2009. But Jerilee Gott,…


December 9, 2020

Myeloma Survivor Grateful for Time with Grandchildren

Linda Haymes

“Growing old with my husband, watching my grandchildren grow up and spending time with my family and friends were some of the things I thought I might miss,” Linda Cancienne of Alabaster, Alabama, said, recalling being diagnosed with myeloma in 2001 when she was 59.

Linda Cancienne of Alabaster, Alabama, and her husband, Mike, recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary by gathering with family around a backyard fire pit, socially distancing and wearing masks. “We went to our daughter’s house and enjoyed being together and recalling good memories,” Cancienne said. “I sure do miss hugging, though.” There was a time…


December 7, 2020

UAMS Physician Establishes Second International Guidelines for Treating Castleman Disease

Linda Haymes

“Castleman disease is rare so people don’t know how to treat it and until recently there has not been any systematic approach to unicentric Castleman disease,” said Frits van Rhee M.D., Ph.D., an international expert on Castleman disease. “These guidelines are meant to give treating physicians a framework for the diagnosis and treatment of UCD.”

LITTLE ROCK — Frits van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D., a myeloma researcher and clinician at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was lead author on a recently published paper that establishes consensus diagnosis and treatment guidelines for a form of Castleman disease, a rare disorder of the lymph nodes and related tissues. The recommendations…


September 21, 2020

Retired UAMS HR Chief Shares Myeloma Journey through Blog

Linda Haymes

“The staff at the UAMS Myeloma Center has always made me feel like they are concerned about my well-being and that I get the best of medical and bedside care available,” said Hosea Long of Little Rock, former associate vice chancellor and chief human resources officer, and a 20-year survivor of myeloma.

Hosea Long of Little Rock recently turned 70, a milestone that for most may seem unremarkable. After all, it was not the former UAMS employee’s 100th, 90th or even his 80th birthday. But it was inspiring and incredible for him and his loved ones. Long explained why in a recent entry titled “Tomorrow starts a…


July 23, 2020

Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, M.D., Ph.D., Awarded Nearly $3.14 Million to Further Myeloma Research

Linda Haymes

Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, M.D., Ph.D., Myeloma Center research director at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), has received two grants totaling almost $3.14 million to study the molecular genetics and drug resistance of multiple myeloma, the second-most common blood-related cancer.

LITTLE ROCK — Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, M.D., Ph.D., Myeloma Center research director at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), has received two grants totaling almost $3.14 million to study the molecular genetics and drug resistance of multiple myeloma, the second-most common blood-related cancer. One grant from the U.S. Department of Defense provides $1.4…


April 7, 2020

Louisiana Matriarch Leans on Faith, Family, Friends in Fighting Myeloma

Linda Haymes

“I was just so thankful I had a place that I could come to for help,” says Lessie Credeur of Sunset,Louisiana. The mother of six and grandmother 14 diagnosed with myeloma five years ago and is now in remission. The 59-year-old recently celebrated that success with a Seed of Hope ceremony.

Lessie Credeur’s big, Cajun clan is the heart of the home she shares with husband, Clint, near Lafayette, Louisiana. The stay-at-home mother of six, now enjoying the next generation of her extended family, savors time with her 14 grandchildren, ranging from 16 years to 4 months. “We have 11 girls and three boys and we…


March 2, 2020

Arkansan’s Golf Swing Breaks Back, Leads to Myeloma Diagnosis

Linda Haymes

"When you get a diagnosis like that, your world crumbles and you don't know what to expect," said Buffy Bennett, the wife of myeloma patient Wade Bennett of Hackett, Arkansas.

In 2017, Wade Bennett of Hackett, Arkansas, was 50, and physically active, both in his work as the owner of his company, WB Drywall, and in his leisure time. He also thought he was in good health. “I had a golf tournament coming up and I was swinging an eight iron in my yard and…


February 3, 2020

Fenghuang (Frank) Zhan, M.D., Ph.D., Joins UAMS Myeloma Center

Linda Haymes

Zhan Fenghuang MD

LITTLE ROCK — Myeloma expert Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as research director of the Myeloma Center. Zhan was most recently a professor of medicine at the University of Iowa and an adjunct professor with the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics….



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