Billy R. Thomas Data-verified
Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.
Professor
faculty
Peds Pediatrics, College of Medicine
Research Areas
Biography and Research Information
OverviewAI-generated summary
Billy R. Thomas investigates strategies to enhance diversity within biomedical research and health professions. His work includes evaluating outcomes of undergraduate research programs designed to recruit underrepresented minority students, such as the UAMS summer undergraduate research program and the UAMS IMSD Program. Thomas has published research on performance measures for racially underrepresented Ph.D. students in biomedical sciences and the impact of affirmative action on higher education access. He also explores methods for exposing middle and high school students to scientific fields, including the use of virtual outreach to bridge technology divides, particularly during the COVID-19 era. His research interests also extend to adolescent health, examining factors such as anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders in relation to prematurity and race/ethnicity.
Research Overview
Dr. Billy Thomas is a Professor in the Pediatric Neonatology Department. He is also the Vice-Chancellor for the Diversity and Inclusion, University of Arkansas System.Some of the UAMS College of Medicine faculty members provides pediatric patient care at Arkansas Children's Hospital. In addition, a wide range of pediatric services are provided in more than 35 subspecialties around Arkansas in locations such as the Schmieding Developmental Center in Springdale and the James L. Dennis Developmental Center in Little Rock. To make an appointment at Arkansas Children's hospital, please call 501-364-4000.
Metrics
- h-index: 14
- Publications: 39
- Citations: 662
Selected Publications
-
Neurodevelopmental outcomes after red cell transfusion exposure in male versus female extremely preterm infants (2025)
-
Affirmative Action—A Crack in the Door to Higher Education (2025)
-
Summer undergraduate biomedical research program for underrepresented minority students in a rural, low-income state (2024)
-
Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology (2022)
-
Outcomes of the UAMS summer undergraduate research program to increase diversity in research and health professions (2022)
-
Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology (2022)
-
Iron supplementation and the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely low gestational age newborns (2022)
-
Anxiety, Depression, and Behavioral and/or Conduct Disorder in Adolescence Among Former Preterm and Term Infants of Different Race and Ethnicities (2022)
-
What's in a Video: Believe it or Not (2022)
-
Performance measures of racially underrepresented Ph.D. students in biomedical sciences: The UAMS IMSD Program Outcomes (2021)
-
Transfusions and neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely low gestation neonates enrolled in the PENUT Trial: a randomized clinical trial (2021)
Federal Grants 3 $882,900 total
UAMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program to Increase Diversity in Research
Grants & Funding
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences - Center for Diversity Affairs - ACT Prep Program Central Arkansas Planning and Development District Principal Investigator
- Initiative for Maximizing Student Development(IMSD) NIH Principal Investigator
- HCOP: Health Sciences Comprehensive Program Health Resources & Services Administration Principal Investigator
- ArkanSONO: A Technology Based Outreach Exposure Program for High School Students NIH Co-Investigator
- UAMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program to Increase Diversity in Research NIH Principal Investigator
- Feeding Study in Premature Infants, Project No. 3379-1 to evaluate weight gain of premature infants fed breast milk fortified with either a powder or Mead Johnson Nutritionals Principal Investigator
- HEALTH CAREERS OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM NIH Principal Investigator
- HCOP: Health Sciences Comprehensive Program Health Resources & Services Administration Principal Investigator
Collaborators
Researchers in the database who share publications
Similar Researchers
Based on overlapping research topics