LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been named a Center of Excellence for the treatment of Huntington’s disease by the Huntington Disease Society of America (HDSA). “Our multidisciplinary team comprised of neurologists, physical therapists, speech pathologists, social workers, nutritionists and geneticists has worked hard to bring the best care…

Jarna Shah, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as a fellowship-trained pain management specialist with expertise in neuromodulation and obstetric-related chronic pain. She sees patients at the UAMS Health Pain Clinic in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, first floor, 501 Jack Stephens Drive, Little Rock. To make…

Erika Petersen, M.D., didn’t set out to become the first female neurosurgeon to be promoted to the rank of full professor in Arkansas. “If you had asked me to predict a few things in my life, that wouldn’t have been one of them. I would not have predicted being in Arkansas for 10 years. I…

Erika Horta, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as a fellowship-trained neuro-immunologist and neuro-oncologist specializing in multiple sclerosis and brain and spine tumors. She sees multiple sclerosis patients at the UAMS Health Epilepsy and Neurology Clinic in Freeway Medical Tower, Suite 605, 5800 W. 10th St., just off Interstate 630…

It doesn’t take long for many young girls to be exposed to messages about what girls “can” and “cannot” do. Thankfully, Heather Pinckard-Dover never got the memo. She is the first female neurosurgeon to complete a residency at UAMS, Arkansas’ only academic health sciences center. “From the time I was little, my parents were always…

Claudia Bressie’s tumor was non-cancerous, but it was aggressive and dangerous. Months of consultations at top universities and treatments proved ineffective for the San Francisco woman, until her journey brought her to UAMS. It began in 2017 when Bressie started having swelling, popping and clicking around her jaw. The discomfort grew from there to what…

UAMS Medical Center is the first hospital in Arkansas to operate with the ExcelsiusGPS robotic spine navigation system that helps improve accuracy and reduce the invasiveness of spinal surgery. Both the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Department of Neurosurgery use the new spine robot for patients needing spine surgery. Noojan Kazemi, M.D., an associate professor…

Matthew Koshinski believes the car crash he was in two years ago saved his life. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2018, he wasn’t feeling his best. But the 22-year-old supervisor at UPS went in to work anyway. “I didn’t think much of it. I just thought I’d push through it.” He ended up leaving…

About 45 health care professionals and patients met Nov. 16 to discuss the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and seizure disorders at Arkansas’ first Epilepsy Symposium at UAMS. Epilepsy is a common and serious neurological condition that affects over 50 million people worldwide. Epilepsy specialist and UAMS neurosurgeon Viktoras Palys, M.D….

Two years ago, James Calhoun was out of work, his neck twisting painfully to one side because of a neurological condition called dystonia. Today, he’s working in health care, finishing up an associate’s degree and applying to nursing school — his life back on track. Calhoun, 35, of Sherwood has been living with uncontrollable muscle…