“Empire of Pain” Author Draws Large Crowd to UAMS for Lecture

By Linda Satter

The 335-seat Fred W. Smith Auditorium was bursting at the seams April 26 as physicians, pain management experts and members of the community gathered to hear author Patrick Radden Keefe recount his investigative reporting into the origins of the opioid crisis in America.

A livestream of the presentation attracted nearly 100 viewers from such states as New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Washington, California, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas as well as from Sweden, Mexico, France and Uruguay.

Author of the New York Times bestseller “Empire of Pain,” which examines the role that a prominent philanthropic family played in the crisis, Keefe said he stumbled onto the family’s hidden connections to the drug industry about a decade ago. At the time, he was writing articles for The New Yorker magazine about the business side of Mexican drug cartels and their various “product lines,” and noticed that the cartels had suddenly begun shipping more heroin to the United States.

“Empire of Pain” Author Draws Large Crowd to UAMS for Lecture

Johnathan Goree, M.D., left, who directs Interventional Pain Management Services at UAMS, and Rohit Dhall, M.D. , chair of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Neurology, talk with Keefe while he signs copies of his books after the lecture. Image by Evan Lewis

Experts Share New Treatments, Solutions for Parkinson’s Patients, Caregivers

By Linda Satter

New treatments for Parkinson’s disease, including drugs that researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have been working on for years, will finally become available in pharmacies this year, Rohit Dhall, M.D., predicted at the recent Ninth Annual Parkinson’s Symposium at UAMS.

Dhall, who is also the medical director of the UAMS Clinical Trials Innovation Unit, said most of the novel therapies are designed to help patients control motor symptoms although UAMS neurologists are continuing research trials to slow the progression of the disease.

Addressing live and virtual audiences from a stage at the UAMS Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, he provided an update on a randomized clinical trial for which UAMS was a site, designed to test the effectiveness of the diabetes drug exenatide as a potential disease-modifying drug in Parkinson’s patients. Despite some initially positive signs, the trial did not show improved course of Parkinson’s disease after 48 weeks of receiving drug compared to those who received a placebo.

Experts Share New Treatments, Solutions for Parkinson’s Patients, Caregivers

Rohit Dhall, M.D., chair of the UAMS Department of Neurology, discusses Parkinson's disease. Neurosurgeon Erika Petersen, M.D., who founded the annual Parkinson's Symposium, is in the background.

UAMS Names Rohit Dhall, M.D., as Neurology Department Chair

By Tamara Robinson

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) named Rohit Dhall, M.D., as chair of the Department of Neurology in the College of Medicine, effective July 1.

“Dr. Dhall brings extensive leadership experience to his new role as well as a deep commitment to ensuring exceptional neurological care for Arkansans today and in the years ahead through research, education and clinical innovation,” said G. Richard Smith, M.D., interim dean of the College of Medicine and UAMS executive vice chancellor.

A faculty member since 2016, Dhall has served as professor, vice chair for clinical research and director of neurodegenerative disorders in the Department of Neurology since 2021. He has directed the Cure PSP Center of Care at UAMS since 2017. Dhall has co-directed the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) Center of Excellence, with Dr. Tuhin Virmani, since 2021. He also directs the Parkinson’s Foundation Comprehensive Care Center, which obtained designation from the Parkinson’s Foundation Global Care Network under his leadership in 2022.

https://news.uams.edu/2023/05/15/uams-names-rohit-dhall-m-d-as-neurology-department-chair/

Rohit Dhall, M.D., is the new chair of the Department of Neurology, effective July 1.

UAMS Attains Comprehensive Care Center Designation for Outstanding Patient Care for Parkinson’s Disease

By Linda Satter

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS Health) has been designated a Comprehensive Care Center by the Parkinson’s Foundation Global Care Network for providing outstanding care to Parkinson’s disease patients.

The designation recognizes medical facilities with specialized teams that provide evidence-based Parkinson’s disease care. It signifies that the UAMS Movement Disorders Clinic has met rigorous standards of excellence in the areas of comprehensive clinical care, community education and resources, and community outreach.

The Parkinson’s Foundation created the Comprehensive Care Center designation in late November and plans to apply it to just 15 medical centers across the country over the next five years. UAMS is one of only six medical centers nationwide to attain the designation so far. The others are in Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan and Tennessee.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/07/25/uams-attains-comprehensive-care-center-designation-for-outstanding-patient-care-for-parkinsons-disease/

Rohit Dhall, M.D.