GrandRounds

Dr. Michelle Krause to Lead UAMS Health System & Hospital; Dr. Ahmed Abuabdou Named Chief Clinical Officer

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has named Michelle W. Krause, MD, MPH, senior vice chancellor for UAMS Health and chief executive officer for UAMS Medical Center, and Ahmed Abuabdou, MD, MBA, chief clinical officer for UAMS Medical Center. Both have been serving in these roles on an interim basis since September 2022.

“Dr. Krause has been at UAMS for more than 20 years and led both our COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts and helped lead the implementation of our operational surge plans for caring for additional hospitalized COVID patients,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA. “Her clinical expertise, administrative experience and institutional knowledge make her the ideal leader for our statewide health system. She is well versed on the health care needs across Arkansas.

“We are fortunate to have two established leaders from within UAMS to step into these roles,” he said. “Their leadership and perspectives will be particularly valuable in our efforts to achieve our strategic goals to make Arkansas a healthier state and grow our national reputation for excellence.”

Krause is responsible for UAMS Health’s 535-bed hospital, outpatient clinics in central Arkansas, digital health services and clinics at eight regional campuses across the state. She serves as chair of the board of directors of the Baptist Health-UAMS Accountable Care Alliance and is also a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine.

Krause joined UAMS in 2002 and served in several administrative roles including ambulatory medical director and vice chair for Clinical Programs of the Department of Internal Medicine before being named director of the Integrated Medicine Service Line in 2015. In April 2022, she was named chief clinical officer and served in this capacity before taking on her current role.

She received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at the

University of North Carolina. She completed fellowships in nephrology and research nephrology at the University of North Carolina and earned her master’s in public health in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health.

As chief clinical officer, Abuabdou will facilitate medical staff interactions with UAMS Health leadership and among service lines to ensure effective and efficient care delivery. He also has executive operational oversight of the clinical service lines and chairs the Clinical Leadership Council.

“Dr. Abuabdou has served in this new role on an interim basis for the past four months and has strong relationships with staff at all levels that help ensure we provide excellent patient care to all patients at all times,” said Krause. “As a trusted member of the UAMS Health leadership team, he will play an essential role in navigating our clinical operations through the opportunities ahead.”

Abuabdou joined UAMS in 2012. He is an associate professor of medicine at UAMS and previously served as associate chief medical officer. He also leads the UAMS Physician Advisor Group. He completed medical school at Gulf Medical College, United Arab Emirates, earning Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. He completed an internal medicine residency at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio, and then completed a fellowship in blood banking and transfusion medicine at UAMS. He has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Nationally, Abuabdou serves as the vice president of operations for the American College of Physician Advisors.

Jefferson Regional Executives, Marketing Department Take Home AHA Awards

PINE BLUFF - Jefferson Regional in Pine Bluff was recently recognized with multiple awards at the 2022 meeting of the Arkansas Hospital Association (AHA).

Jefferson Regional President & CEO Brian Thomas received the Alan A. Weintraub Memorial Award, the AHA’s highest award bestowed on an individual. Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Peter Austin received the ACHE Regent’s Award for Senior Level Healthcare Executive, and Quality Director Erin Bolton received the Distinguished Service Award for her leadership during the COVID pandemic.

Jefferson Regional also received two Diamond Awards, a competition sponsored by the AHA and the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (ASHMPR). Jefferson Regional won a Total Campaign award for development of a Radiology advertising campaign, and a Writing award for an article on COVID response for the AHA magazine.

Children’s Tumor Foundation, UAMS Open Country’s First Adult Neurofibromatosis Clinic

LITTLE ROCK — The Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) announced the opening of the first CTF-sponsored, fully multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to the care of adults with neurofibromatosis (NF) at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

“We are honored to be designated by the Children’s Tumor Foundation as the site of the first CTF-designated adult neurofibromatosis clinic in the country. We look forward to welcoming patients and their families to our Cancer Institute, where patients already come from around the world to be treated for rare blood cancers and other diseases,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, MD, MBA.

NF is a group of rare genetic disorders that cause tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body and affects 2.5 million people worldwide. Although there is no cure for NF, there are treatments that help manage the disease.

With a two-year commitment of $500,000 from the Children’s Tumor Foundation, the Adult NF Clinic at the UAMS Cancer Institute will be staffed with specialists who can address the complex medical needs of patients with neurofibromatosis as they navigate adulthood.

“Children with NF grow up to become adults with NF, and they experience different and complex issues that demand multidisciplinary practitioners knowledgeable to their particular needs,” said Annette Bakker, PhD, Children’s Tumor Foundation president.

“The Children’s Tumor Foundation is committed to establishing a high standard of care for NF patients across the country, and we’re excited and grateful to partner with the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and Arkansas Children’s Hospital to ensure that at any given point in a NF patient’s care journey, there are resources and care options available that will improve lives,” she said.

“Until now, there was no dedicated clinic in Arkansas or surroundings states where an adult with NF could go to be treated by doctors who understood the unique challenges of their condition,” said Erika Santos Horta, MD, UAMS neuro-oncologist who specializes in brain and spine cancers and leads the UAMS Adult NF Clinic.

Piloted in October 2021, the clinic is now in full operation and treats patients 18 and older from Arkansas and neighboring states.

Among the challenges that adult NF patients face are increased risk of cancer or major tumor burden, visual and hearing deficits, bone abnormalities, pain and learning challenges. Patients may also need support with insuranceissues, job challenges, disability and many other health and quality-of-life issues.

“This new NF clinic provides a critical continuity in care for these patients, which has been desperately needed,” said Michael Birrer, MD, PhD, UAMS vice chancellor and director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

Adult NF care throughout the country is a significant unmet health