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

From left, Jean Maier Dean and John Blakney with the late Eleanor Karam. Karam's estate gift will help advance clinical care, research and education for older Arkansans.

Estate of Eleanor Karam Gives $2.7 Million to Support UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging April 15, 2021 | Benjamin Waldrum

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $2.7 million gift from the estate of Eleanor Karam to support the highest priorities of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. “Ms. Eleanor was a true visionary with a huge heart,” said Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., director of the institute….

The symposium on April 22 will help seniors navigate in-person and virtual social interactions to stay connected.

UAMS and Hendrix College to Hold Social Support Symposium for Older Arkansans April 22 April 14, 2021 | Karmen Robinson

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, in conjunction with Hendrix College, will host the “Social Support and Connections for Older Arkansans Symposium” on Thursday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom. The event, organized by UAMS’ Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC),…

Flanked by his mother and father, Grady O. Brown, center, takes a family photo in early 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. He supports his mother, Virginia, in caring for his father, who also is named Grady Brown.

Little Rock Coach Turns Caregiver November 30, 2020 | Ben Boulden

When caring for a person with dementia, sometimes a family caregiver needs support, and sometimes a coach needs a coach. Grady O. Brown, a Little Rock gymnastics coach, found himself in that position as he tried to help his mother, Virginia, 81, as she cared for his father, 84, also named Grady. Brown turned to…

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…