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Laura Dunn, M.D., chair of the Department of Psychiatry and director of the Psychiatric Research Institute, shares information about PRI’s research projects with Interim Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D.
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Research and Innovation recently presented the fall edition of its Showcase of Medical Discoveries.
The UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute highlighted the Sept. 24 event in which attendees enjoyed food and drinks while viewing research posters, learning about the various projects and networking.
“These showcases are special to me because I get to learn about topics that are far from my area of expertise while networking with my colleagues,” said Daniel Voth, vice chancellor of Research and Innovation. “This showcase is aimed at displaying the whole gamut of what we do at UAMS in the realms of psychiatry and mental health research.”
Laura Dunn, M.D., chair of the UAMS Department of Psychiatry and director of the institute, said she enjoyed how the showcase gave her team an outlet to express their passion for research.
“When interacting directly with the investigators, you can hear and see their enthusiasm for conducting research,” she said. “You can learn directly from the investigators why their work matters — how the work translates into benefits for the community. So that is a very important aspect of this kind of event.”
Ashley Acheson, Ph.D., professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Psychiatry, agreed. “Events like this are a great opportunity to discuss data and to help people become aware of the work that’s going on in our department,” he said. “It’s a great way to develop collaborations by giving people an opportunity to see what we’re doing and how they can potentially work with us.”
Acheson also presented a poster on the nationwide HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, the largest study of early child brain development ever in the United States. As a principal investigator on a team of leading researchers in the fields of child development and neuroscience conducting this project, he was eager to tell people about the HBCD Study and how they can use the data collected for their own analyses, papers and grant applications.
“The data collected in this study is being made freely available to the scientific community,” he said. “We had our first data release this summer and are already gearing up for next this winter. This is really an unprecedented resource that will likely radically advance our understanding of child neurodevelopment and other developmental outcomes.”
Chelsey Bull, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, presented a poster covering active projects within the HEALS lab titled, “Health and the Legal Systems (HEALS) Lab Projects: Paving Across the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM).”
Chelsey Bull, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry, listens to a colleague during a UAMS Showcase of Medical Discoveries.
The projects exist at different intersections of the criminal legal system and aim to improve access to evidence-based mental health treatment for individuals who are involved in the justice system.
Bull said she welcomed the opportunity to partake in the showcase to tell people from throughout UAMS, and the community, about the HEALS projects and why the work is important.
“The HEALS Lab research can help us see if some of the treatments that work in the community, also work for incarcerated individuals,” she said. “I enjoyed seeing other research projects and having the chance to mingle and share information about what we’re doing in the HEALS Lab.
“The showcase made it possible to make connections with people to potentially do future research with.”
Mollee Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, spotlighted her project, “Rapid Translation of Research to Impact: Adapting a Parenting Education Program for Postpartum Parenting Women with Opioid Use Disorder.”
The research is also a career development award that sheds light on the harms of opioid use disorder during and after pregnancy. Smith appreciated how the event gave her the opportunity to disclose information about the project while also learning different, practical methods of presenting research to the community.
“The showcase helped individuals in a big department, like the Psychiatric Research Institute, come together and share our research with each other, people from the community and also across the university,” Smith said. “I enjoyed seeing what my colleagues are working on as I saw potential opportunities to collaborate across faculty and community organizations.”
Dunn admires the range of types of mental health research conducted by her team.
“I love seeing the researchers present their work to people who are likely unfamiliar with the projects,” she said at the event. “I love seeing their eyes light up when they speak about their area of research. That spark of curiosity that drives them is a critical aspect of why we’re here for this event — we love to bring new methods and new findings to the study of important issues in mental health, and we want to bring those findings to those who will benefit.”
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