UAMS Myeloma Institute Director Gareth Morgan, M.D., Ph.D., Named ARA Scholar

By Ben Boulden

 

UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., second from right, stands with ARA Scholars Peter Crooks, Ph.D., left, Morgan and Daohong Zhou, M.D., all of UAMS.

Gareth Morgan, M.D., Ph.D., holds his ARA Scholar certificate.

Aug. 27, 2014 | Gareth Morgan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the University of Arkansas  for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, was named an Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) Scholar at a news conference today at the State Capitol.

 

The award includes a three-year grant worth $500,000 to help fund Morgan’s and his research team’s work discovering and developing new agents for the treatment of multiple myeloma and exploring new genomic approaches in treating multiple myeloma patients.

 

“The ARA Scholars program is an example of taking some resources and trying to attract or retain smart people who are on the cutting edge in their field of scientific research,” said Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe. “I think it’s important for me, legislators and those in political life to understand that research is an integral part of what we should be about. It’s paying dividends in the commercialization of research ideas. They’ve taken hold and created jobs in our state.”

 

The ARA Scholars Program recruits highly respected thought leaders with the goal of adding value to existing research programs through collaboration, innovation and eventually commercialization that brings jobs and businesses to Arkansas.

 

Carolina Cruz-Neira, Ph.D., also was named an ARA Scholar at the news conference. She is director of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock George W. Donaghey Emerging Analytics Center.

 

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Morgan here at UAMS and in Arkansas as an ARA Scholar,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. “He’s already shown himself to be an extraordinary asset to our state. We are extremely proud to have him joining our other two ARA Scholars at UAMS, Dr. Daohong Zhou and Dr. Peter Crooks.”

Morgan joined UAMS as director of the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy in Little Rock. He was recruited to UAMS from The Royal Marsden Institute NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Cancer Research in London where he was a professor of hematology and director of the Centre for Myeloma Research.

 

Morgan received his doctorate on the genetics of leukemia from the University of London and his bachelor of medicine from the Welsh National School of Medicine. He is a director of Myeloma UK, a respected UK patient organization, as well as a member of the Scientific Board of the International Myeloma Foundation.

 

He is an internationally recognized scientist and clinician in the field of molecular genetics in blood cell cancers — in particular, multiple myeloma, a rare form of bone marrow cancer.

 

“Founded in 2010, the ARA Scholars program is the cornerstone for our organization and focuses on areas of core competencies, particularly areas ripe with opportunities for innovation and commercialization,” Jerry Adams, ARA president and CEO, said. “We expect great things from Dr. Morgan and Dr. Cruz-Neira and look forward to sharing how their research builds upon the work and discoveries of current ARA Scholars while creating new pathways for progress.”

 

Established with funds appropriated by the state Legislature and authorized by the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority in 2007, the ARA is committed to strengthening the economic competitiveness of Arkansas by maximizing university-based research and innovation in designated strategic focus areas. The scholars were chosen through a rigorous vetting and review process conducted by an external advisory committee.

 

Morgan and Cruz-Neira join as scholars Peter Crooks, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the UAMS College of Pharmacy, and Daohong Zhou, M.D., a professor in the Division of Radiation Health of the UAMS College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. They were named ARA Scholars in 2011 and 2010 respectively. Ranil Wickramasinghe, Ph.D., professor and Ross E. Martin Chair in the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas,Fayetteville, also is an ARA Scholar.