Highlighted Researchers at CAVHS
Dr. Morris Mehta Stebbins
Chair of Cardiovascular Research at UAMS
Research and Career Scientist at CAVHS
Presentation Title:
PFAS Exposure in Veterans Receiving Care at CAVHS
Dr. Morris is the Mehta Stebbins Chair of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and a Research Career Scientist at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS). His laboratory focuses on lipid metabolism and signaling in cardiovascular diseases.
At CAVHS, Dr. Morris directs an analytical laboratory that measures environmental chemicals as part of large population studies. These studies aim to understand how exposure to these chemicals, such as PFAS, affects the health of Service Members and Veterans.
Dr. KALPANA PADALA, geriatrician
Associate Director for Research at the GRECC of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
Presentation Title:
Updates on the Open Burn Pit Research Study—Progress Thus Far
Dr. Kalpana Padala is a geriatrician and the Associate Director for Research at the GRECC of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock, AR. She is also a Professor in the Department of Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Little Rock, AR. Dr. Padala is board-certified in Family Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. She is the lead for the Tele-Dementia Clinic, Geriatric E-consults, and the Gerofit Geriatric Walking Clinic at the LR GRECC.
Research Focus:
Dr. Padala’s research centers on improving gait and balance in older adults and enhancing exercise adherence. She is the Principal Investigator (PI) of a four-year VA Merit-funded study that focuses on the role of executive function in exercise adherence. Additionally, Dr. Padala is the Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) of the Open Burn Pit study, which investigates the health effects of veterans exposed to open burn pits, and has been involved in several studies focused on dementia.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institute of Health, and the Department of Defense have funded her research. Dr. Padala has published over 61 peer-reviewed articles and made 78 presentations at national and international conferences.
Elena Ambrogini, M.D., PhD
Staff Endocrinologist and Research Scientist
Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
Academic Positions:
- Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Little Rock, AR
- Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at UAMS
- Co-Director of the Histology, Biomechanics, and Human Tissue Core in the Center of Musculoskeletal Disease Research at UAMS
Education and Training:
- MD and PhD from the University of Pisa
- Residency in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Pisa
- Residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at UAMS
Research Focus:
Dr. Ambrogini is a clinician scientist specializing in endocrinology with a focus on bone diseases. Her research investigates the molecular mechanisms of age-related bone loss, as well as estrogen and androgen deficiency-induced bone loss.
Current Research:
Dr. Ambrogini is the Principal Investigator (PI) on a VA merit-funded grant that explores the role of lipid peroxidation products and natural antibodies in bone homeostasis. Her work is groundbreaking, as it demonstrated, for the first time in vivo, the role of lipid peroxidation products and natural antibodies that defend against them in bone metabolism, both under physiologic and pathologic conditions.
Dr. Prasad R. Padala, M.D., M.S.
Professor of Psychiatry and Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Program Director for the Baptist Health-UAMS Psychiatry Residency, and Associate Director for Clinical Innovations at the VA GRECC
Presentation Title:
Building a Research Career by Listening to Veterans and Caregivers.
Dr. Prasad R. Padala is a Professor of Psychiatry and Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the Program Director for the Baptist Health-UAMS Psychiatry Residency. He is also the Associate Director for Clinical Innovations at the VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC).
Dr. Padala is board-certified in Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, and Psychosomatic Medicine. He runs the Multidisciplinary Memory Clinic at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), participates in Geriatric E-Consults, and serves as a national expert for the "Ask the Expert: Geriatric Psychiatry" program.
Research Focus:
Dr. Padala’s research focuses on managing the behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s Dementia using both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. His work is funded by the Office of Research and Development (ORD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Alzheimer’s Association.
His most recent RRD merit review grant focuses on the treatment of apathy in Alzheimer’s patients using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and studying its impact on neurodegeneration. Additionally, he conducts research on the impact of loneliness on both physical and mental health.
Dr. Padala has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and 10 textbook chapters.
