| The 2023 Health and Wellness Expo, held Sept. 30 at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock, drew nearly 500 Arkansans for the half-day event.
Olgaaurora Rodriguez, right, a third-year pharmacy student in the UAMS College of Pharmacy, provided health screenings at the expo.
The free annual event, sponsored by UAMS Health and presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, was a big draw with free health screenings, presentations from UAMS physicians, and other health-related activities and booths.
UAMS staff and students provided blood pressure and heart rate screenings for 123 people, and 91 people were screened for blood sugar levels.
Three UAMS specialists kicked off the first panel discussion on the topic, “Navigating the Journey of Aging: Insights from Ortho, Spine and Pain Care Experts.” The panel’s doctors were Hector Soriano-Baron, M.D., an assistant professor and co-director of the Joint Spine Service at UAMS; Benjamin Stronach, M.D., an orthopaedic total joint replacement surgeon; and Jarna Shah M.D., a pain management specialist and assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology.
The second panel included Patrick Jennings, M.D., and Ciani Ellison, M.D., who discussed advancements in radiation therapy for cancer treatment. Jennings is a diagnostic radiologist at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Breast Center and assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Radiology. Ellison treats patients at the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center and is an assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology.
Mohammed Moursi, M.D., and Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., provided tips for aging well.
The last UAMS panel of the day was led by Mohammed Moursi, M.D., and Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., as they discussed “Thriving through the Years: Expert Tips from Physicians for Aging
Well.” Moursi is chief of the UAMS Division of Vascular Surgery and professor in the Department of Surgery, who sees patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital. Wei is a professor and chair of the Reynolds Department of Geriatrics in the College of Medicine and is executive director of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.
The UAMS medical specialties and services represented at the Expo included the Medical Weight Management Clinic, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, the Vascular Center, the Reynolds Institute on Aging, Centers on Aging, ARresearch Registry with the UAMS Translational Research Institute, Heart Center, AR ConnectNow mental health treatment program, Injury Prevention, the Department of Dental Hygiene, and the UAMS Mini Brain display.
Attendees also enjoyed playing Arkansas Travelers bingo, a classic car show and visiting with more than 20 other exhibiters.
