Conversations

Erin Gray is the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Clinical Liaison for Environmental Services (EVS), Nutritional Services, and Institutional Support Services which falls under Campus Operations. She has been with UAMS for close to 15 years and has been in her current role for over two years.

Dr. Coker is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and OB/GYN at UAMS.

Dr. Joel Dickens is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. After working as a pediatrician for four years, Dr. Dickens decided to pursue a new specialty and completed a residency in OBGYN. One of his most unique experiences has been his work as a missionary physician in Nalerigu, Ghana.

Dr. Breckling is an Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy. She was recently awarded a $1M grant by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create a five-year program aimed at battling opioid overdoses with an Arkansas Naloxone Education Training (ANET) program.

“If there is a doctor on the plane, please make your way towards the bathrooms in the back of the aircraft.” I kicked off my tangled blankets, wiped the drool off my cheek, and climbed over my fiancé to the aisle, gaining more purpose with each step as I strode towards the back of the plane.

Dr. Jones is an Associate Professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine.

I never thought I would go into medicine. Both of my parents are physicians, so medicine was a part of my life as a kid. I never thought I would be a doctor. I went to a liberal arts college. I majored in International Relations as an undergraduate. I spoke Chinese and thought one day I would work for the State Department. 

UAMS welcomed Susan Smyth, M.D., Ph.D., as executive vice chancellor and dean of the College of Medicine on June 1. We sat down with Dr. Smyth for a Q&A to help team members and friends of the College of Medicine get to know this new leader of medicine in Arkansas.

Dr. Gina Drobena is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology. An Arkansas native, she is board certified in clinical pathology, transfusion medicine, and lifestyle medicine.

Everyone has a story! That’s the most important part of getting to understand an individual. Let me tell you my story.

In college, I got really interested in how we get sick. I thought microbiology was awesome. I thought it was so fascinating that a single-celled organism can take down a human.