In the News | UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging

Chancellor Patterson (left) and Dean Westfall (right) present Compton with a commemorative medallion and inscribed chair at the investiture ceremony Nov. 18. Compton, who joined UAMS in 2010, is actively involved in providing educational programs for the public regarding memory and cognitive disorders.

M. Denise Compton, Ph.D., Invested in Magalene McKinnon Ingram Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Education November 20, 2020 | Benjamin Waldrum

Denise Compton, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and geriatric neuropsychologist specializing in seniors and cognitive disorders at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested Nov. 18 in the Magalene McKinnon Ingram Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Education. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Compton was invested in a brief ceremony broadcast online via Zoom….

Chancellor Patterson (left) and Dean Westfall (right) present Barger with a commemorative medallion and inscribed chair at the investiture ceremony Nov. 18. Barger, an accomplished neuroscience and neurological disease researcher, joined UAMS in 1996.

Steven Barger, Ph.D., Invested in Louise G. Hearn Chair in Dementia and Long-Term Care November 20, 2020 | Benjamin Waldrum

Steven Barger, Ph.D., a neuroscience and neurological disease researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested Nov. 18 in the Louise G. Hearn Chair in Dementia and Long-Term Care. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barger was invested in a brief ceremony broadcast online via Zoom. Attendees wore masks and were socially…

"Scientists have long understood there is a connection between bone size and strength related to physical activity," said Jinhu Xiong, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine.

UAMS Researcher Receives $1.7 Million Grant to Study Bone Health, Exercise Connection October 20, 2020 | Amy Widner

LITTLE ROCK — A researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how physical activity improves bone health, with possible implications for bone loss from osteoporosis and aging. Jinhu Xiong, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of…

Priya Mendiratta, M.D., left, moderates a question-and-answer session with keynote speaker Joel Kahn, M.D., during the Geriatric Update and Long-term Care Conference. The conference was virtual this year.

21st Geriatrics Update Focuses on ‘Living Long, Living Strong’ October 9, 2020 | Ben Boulden

The foods older adults eat can be just as, or even more, vital to their heart health as the cardiovascular medications they take and the surgeries and procedures they may undergo. That’s the message keynote speaker, Joel Kahn, M.D., gave at the 21st annual Geriatrics Update and Long-term Care Conference held Oct. 1-3 at the…

Exercise Program Helps Slow Parkinson’s Symptoms October 7, 2020 | Katrina Dupins

In a spacious room on the bottom floor of the Donald W. Reynold’s Institute on Aging, fitness instructor Kellie Coleman stands in front of a camera. She begins leading about a dozen people through an hour-long exercise class for patients living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). “Next, get on the edge of your chair, rotate your…

Priya Mendiratta, M.D., second from left, talks to UAMS students, residents and fellows about the new Geriatric Buddy program.

‘Geriatric Buddy’ Program Hopes to End Isolation of Older Adults October 2, 2020 | Ben Boulden

UAMS geriatrician Priya Mendiratta, M.D., wants to brighten the lives of older adults who are isolated at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. She and some students have an idea for how to do that. “In the nursing home, for the first one or two months of the pandemic when we didn’t go in, I noticed…

Azhar, a nationally recognized expert on cardiovascular aging research, is director of clinical research and co-director of cardiovascular aging research at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. She leads the Walker Memory Center and provides geriatrics primary care at the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic.

Gohar Azhar, M.D., Invested in Jackson T. Stephens Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics Clinical Affairs August 12, 2020 | Benjamin Waldrum

Gohar Azhar, M.D., a nationally recognized expert on cardiovascular aging research with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was recently invested in the Jackson T. Stephens Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics Clinical Affairs. “It is with deep humility that I accept the great honor of the Jackson T. Stephens Distinguished Chair,” Azhar said. “I…

Ferrando, who joined UAMS in 2006, co-directs the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, where he is also a professor in the Department of Geriatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine. His career has highlighted nutritional, exercise and pharmacological interventions directed toward the prevention and recovery of muscle loss and function.

Arny Ferrando, Ph.D., Invested in Wes Smith Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics for Longevity, Health Promotion and Frailty Prevention July 30, 2020 | Benjamin Waldrum

LITTLE ROCK — Arny A. Ferrando, Ph.D., a leading authority on skeletal muscle protein metabolism and its relation to muscle function and performance with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested in July in the Wes Smith Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics for Longevity, Health Promotion and Frailty Prevention. There was no formal…