Pearl McElfish

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UAMS Researchers Produce Journal’s Top Cited, Most Downloaded Article on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

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Don Willis, Ph.D.

LITTLE ROCK — A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) research team’s article on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has been recognized by the publisher of Clinical and Translational Science for having its top-cited article in 2022 and the most downloaded paper since its publication in 2021.

The article, “COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Race/Ethnicity, Trust and Fear,” resulted from a study conducted by researchers at the UAMS Office of Community Health & Research, directed by Pearl A. McElfish, Ph.D., MBA. Don Willis, Ph.D., is the paper’s lead author.

McElfish, a professor based at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, was notified of the recognition by the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT), which publishes the Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) journal.

https://news.uams.edu/2023/02/27/uams-researchers-produce-journals-top-cited-most-downloaded-article-on-covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy/

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Amy Wenger Named Vice Chancellor of UAMS Northwest Regional Campus

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By Yavonda Chase

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has named Amy Wenger, MHSA, vice chancellor of its Northwest Regional Campus, effective Dec. 1.

She succeeds Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., who announced last year she was stepping down from the vice chancellor position to focus on her role as the director of community health and research and serve as the associate director of community outreach and engagement at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

Wenger has held multiple leadership roles at UAMS since 2005. She is currently vice chancellor for regional campuses and will continue to oversee that area while UAMS formulates a plan for new leadership. Prior to that, she served as the chancellor’s chief of staff, as administrator for several areas including women’s health, surgical specialties and the department of nursing and as business officer for both nursing and the Psychiatric Research Institute.

https://news.uams.edu/2021/10/20/amy-wenger-named-vice-chancellor-of-uams-northwest-regional-campus/

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UAMS Project Part of National Effort to Reduce COVID-19 in Hardest Hit Populations

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By David Robinson

June 14, 2021 | LITTLE ROCK — UAMS researchers and their community partners across Arkansas are studying the causes behind COVID-19’s devastating impact on minorities and developing plans to help increase vaccination rates.

Supporting the one-year project is a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. UAMS was one of 11 teams selected as part of the national alliance.

Last year, Arkansas was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a national hot spot for COVID-19 disparities among Marshallese and Hispanic populations. The disparities in percentage of cases, hospitalizations and deaths among these populations were so severe that CDC and NIH officials visited Northwest Arkansas to investigate.

Black/African American and rural communities across the state have been struck hard, too, said Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., MPH, one of three principal investigators on the study.

https://news.uams.edu/2021/06/14/uams-project-part-of-national-effort-to-reduce-covid-19-in-hardest-hit-populations/

UAMS Principal Investigators Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., MPH, and Laura James, M.D.