Excellence in Service and Professionalism
Carly Eastin, MD
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics
“Where Dr. Eastin truly shines … is in her ability and willingness to identify issues, develop solutions, and cultivate consensus in ways that improve and advance our department. She has had an integral role in multiple initiatives to improve the care of patients with psychiatric emergencies, and spearheaded a successful multidisciplinary effort to improve our readiness to care for critically ill children in our ED.”
“Dr. Eastin has been a steadfast advocate for physician wellness, serving as a mentor to our resident wellness committee for several years.”
Excellence in Quality Safety
Jennifer Laudadio, MD
Professor and Department Chair of Pathology
“Dr. Laudadio embodies the criteria for this award: championing best practices and standards for the clinical laboratory, demonstrating exemplary performance on recognized clinical outcome measures and exceptional results on accreditation surveys, and educating and implementing tools and processes to improve patient experience.”
“Dr. Laudadio’s commitment to quality and safety is second to none. Not only does she dig deeply into issues and concerns, but she does not rest until she arrives at a true root cause and a robust action plan.”
Best Consulting Physician
Nithin Karakala, MD
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology
“Dr. Karakala is the go-to-person for multiple ‘curbside’ renal consults – each of which is addressed in detail, without making the [requesting clinician] feel small in any way. He is the go-to also for urgent service cover needed, faculty support for last minute classes, resident teaching efforts, mentoring and supporting fellows despite significant research and clinical responsibilities.”
“Dr. Karakala has amply demonstrated his abilities as an expert clinician, compassionate human being and most importantly, worthy of being Best Consulting Clinician at UAMS with his dedication, sincerity, empathy and ability to go above and beyond the routine norms of patient care, always keeping the best outcomes of his patients as his core philosophy.”
Clinical Collaborations and Teamwork
Michael Wilson, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry
“Dr. Wilson has been a leader in the care of patients with psychiatric emergencies since arriving at UAMS. His work is, by its nature, collaborative and teamwork-oriented, and in these areas he excels.”
“Dr. Wilson spearheaded the creation of the multidisciplinary ED-Psych Working Group … [which] has been responsible for several initiatives that have improved the efficacy, efficiency and safety of the care provided to patients with mental health needs. … Dr. Wilson has also been a local champion for bringing the most up-to-date Emergency Department care to patients with opiate use disorder.”
Rising Star Clinical Faculty
Mary Katherine “Katie” Kimbrough, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Critical Care
“Dr. Kimbrough has accomplished an astonishing amount in her time at UAMS, much to the benefit of her patients, medical students, residents, and fellow attending surgeons. She is an incredible asset to UAMS.”
“Dr. Kimbrough created an ACGME-Accredited Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at UAMS. This is the first of its kind in the State of Arkansas and brings an important service to this state given the dearth of Critical Care-boarded surgeons in Arkansas.”
Andre’ Wineland, MD
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology
“Dr. Kimbrough has accomplished an astonishing amount in her time at UAMS, much to the benefit of her patients, medical students, residents, and fellow attending surgeons. She is an incredible asset to UAMS.”
“Dr. Kimbrough created an ACGME-Accredited Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at UAMS. This is the first of its kind in the State of Arkansas and brings an important service to this state given the dearth of Critical Care-boarded surgeons in Arkansas.”
2019 Physician of the Year
Ashley Ross, MD,
Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology
“Dr. Ross is an excellent physician with outstanding contributions to the care of children, specifically neonatal patients, in the state of Arkansas.”
“One of his biggest contributions is the past year has been his [ongoing] participation in the development of the ACH Nursery Alliance. This is a statewide effort to reduce infant mortality in the state of Arkansas by improving quality of care in NICUs and nurseries … Dr. Ross was crucial in the design of this Alliance and development of the benchmarks to follow and how to share the best practices.”
Dr. Ashley Ross has served as Section Chief of Neonatology, the largest division in the Department of Pediatrics, since 2017. A faculty member since 2006, he served as Co-Medical Director of the UAMS NICU from 2009 to 2015. He was appointed Medical Director of the NICU at ACH in 2013. Dr. Ross directed the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship from 2008 to 2015 and continues to serve as Associate Fellowship Director. In these and numerous other roles he has strived to ensure world-class care of the most complex infants; outstanding education for COM medical students, residents and fellows; and an excellent professional environment for his colleagues.