Dr. Garner is a native Arkansan. She is a graduate of Arkansas College (Lyon) and the UAMS College of Medicine. Dr. Garner completed her Family Medicine Residency at Harrisburg Hospital (Pennsylvania) and served as Chief Resident. Dr. Garner completed a Primary Care Health Policy Fellowship with the U.S. Public Health Services. Dr. Garner was the Assistant Director of Education for the American Academy of Family Physicians working with medical students and residents nationally for several years. She then transitioned home to rural Arkansas working in solo private practice for more than 18 years. In 2014, Dr.Garner joined the UAMS faculty and traveled from her rural community once per month to train the residents on aspects of rural medicine. Dr. Garner enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, cooking and eating.

Dr. Cleveland is a native Arkansan. He received a BS in animal nutrition from University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He has a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK. He completed his Doctorate of Medicine at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed his Family Medicine Residency at UAMS. Dr. Cleveland was a chief resident and then became faculty at UAMS teaching both at UAMS and Arkansas Children's Hospital. He has almost 30 years of academic experience and has received numerous teaching awards. Research interest have been in empathy and adolescent risk activities. Covering sports activities has been one of his most enjoyable pursuits.
Dr. Cleveland is married and enjoys family and their activities. His wife says he has an addiction to bass fishing.

Dr. Doppalapudi was born in Hyderabad, India. During his early school years he was able to travel with his father at which time he learned 5 languages. He graduated medical school from KIMS (Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences), one of the top medical colleges in India. Dr. Doppalapudi worked as a research associate for a year at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences primarily focusing on chronic kidney disease. He completed his residency at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences-West regional program in Fort Smith, AR. He later moved to Ohio and worked as a Hospitalist in Youngstown, Ohio where he was part of the CHF Committee along with the Next Site of Care Chief for the Hospitalist group. During his leisure time he likes traveling with his wife and golden retriever named Loki, and exploring new places. He also loves spending time with his nieces and reading and watching sci-fi genre books, movies and tv shows.

Dr. Daniel Knight is a long-time faculty member of the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. He is former Chair of the Department and former Family Medicine Residency Director, having served in each role for 12 years. He is a board member and former president of the Arkansas Academy of Family Physicians, currently serving as a delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians Congress of Delegates. He has received the honor of “Fellow" in the AAFP. He is a member and Co-Chair of the UAMS LGBTQ subcommittee of the UAMS Office of Diversity and Inclusion. He has completed the National Institute for Program Director Development Fellowship for residency directors and the Harvard College of Public Health Program for Clinical Chairs. He has received the UAMS College of Medicine Residency Educator Award and the UAMS Family Medicine Residency Educator of the year award. He has an interest in LGBTQ health and has written several articles on the topic. He enjoys teaching medical students and residents. In his personal time, he likes to travel and spend time at the lake.

Dr. Beck is a native of Little Rock and attended the University of Arkansas as an undergraduate majoring in Biology. She obtained a doctorate in Neurobiology and a medical degree from the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She completed her residency in Family Medicine at UAMS, where she served as Chief Resident. She continued her training at UAMS, completing a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine. After the fellowship, Dr. Beck joined the faculty at UAMS where she serves as medical director of the UAMS Housecalls Program and as teaching faculty for the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.

Dr. Burks graduated with distinction from Hendrix College with a B.A. in biology after achieving All-American status in swimming all four years and was installed into the Hendrix College Sports Hall of Honor. She obtained her medical degree from UAMS and stayed in Little Rock for her family medicine residency. She was in private practice after residency and was in solo private practice for 14 years before joining the faculty of the Baptist Health - UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program in 2019. She has special interests in mental health and substance use disorders. She has found her calling in post-graduate education.

She and her husband, Todd, have been married for 30 years and have two amazing sons.  She loves her family and enjoys Hendrix (and Razorbacks) athletics, cooking, knitting and loving on her dogs and cats. She has lived in the North Little Rock area for almost 45 years and has no plans to leave. Ever.

We welcomed Dr.Cheerla to the Baptist Health-UAMS Family Medicine Residency program in 2021. She brings in her wealth of knowledge and experience in the areas of academic family medicine and clinical practice with great enthusiasm. Dr. Cheerla is a graduate of UAMS College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency program where she was recognized for her clinical excellence and commitment to teaching with numerous awards, including The Outstanding Resident award, STFM Resident Teacher Award, the Outstanding Professional award and multiple medical knowledge awards. After graduation, she continued to serve as faculty at UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program in the roles of Associate Program Director and Associate Director of Medical Student Education. She then served as Core Faculty and Clerkship Director for University of Alabama School of Medicine [UAB ] at the Huntsville Family Medicine Residency Program. She has served extensively in outpatient, hospital and nursing home settings during her clinical practice and is a recipient of the American Academy of Family Physicians Degree of Fellow distinction, an honor recognizing service to Family Medicine in the areas of medical care, education and research. She was in private practice in WA state prior to moving back to Little Rock. Her clinical interests include hypertension, lipid disorders, diabetes, preventive cardiology, lifestyle medicine and geriatrics. She has a special interest in chronic disease management and comprehensive preventive care with emphasis on health literacy and patient engagement. Her research topics have included childhood obesity, interprofessional education to enhance quality of patient care and lower health care costs, social and behavioral health determinants affecting chronic disease management and outcomes. She has authored medical media teaching modules for students and residents and presented at several national conferences including Society of Teachers for Family Medicine [STFM], AAFP Program Directors Workshop and North American Primary Care Research Group [NAPCRG]. Outside of work, Dr.Cheerla enjoys music ,dance (Bollywood ,Bharatanatyam), yoga, and spending time outdoors with her husband, their two wonderful daughters and their dog -"Buddy ".

Dr. Cooper grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and received his undergraduate education at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where he graduated cum laude with honors with degrees in physics, mathematics, and a minor in statistics. He earned a Walton and Gk12 fellowship to attend graduate school at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he received his Masters and PhD in Microelectronics – Photonics under the direction of Dr. William Oliver. While there, Dr. Cooper and his team researched and developed novel methods to load, transport, and deliver new therapeutics to cancer cells. He also taught multiple physics classes and won teaching assistant of the year in 2009. During his last year at the University, he served as a visiting Assistant Professor of Physics. He received his medical degree from University of Arkansas for Medical Science and completed his family medicine residency at University of Arkansas for Medical Science–South Central. After residency, he moved to Iowa to become an emergency medical director. He also saw patients in the hospital, clinic, and nursing home settings. He is board certified in family medicine and focuses his practice on inpatient and emergency medicine with a strong emphasis on resident education. During his free time, he likes to spend time with his wife and two dogs exploring Arkansas, learning new recipes, and camping when weather permits.

Dr. Gunnels grew up in Fairfield, Texas, and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science Studies at Baylor University while playing running back for the football team. He then received his Master's of Science degree from the University of Memphis in Sports Science and Clinical Nutrition. While in Memphis, Dr. Gunnels worked as a graduate assistant in molecular biology, cardiorespiratory-metabolic, and joint kinetics labs where he authored or co-authored more than two-dozen published research articles. He also taught cellular metabolism to the undergraduate students. He received his medical degree from Medical University of the Americas and completed rotations in Oklahoma City, OK and Brooklyn, NY before coming to North Little Rock to complete residency as a part of the first class of our program. He was a chief resident during his third year of residency and now works as faculty in the clinic and hospital. His interests are in preventative care, management of chronic conditions, procedures, teaching the resident physicians, and teaching his patients about their conditions and importance of taking the medications they are prescribed. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife Lexie, their two dogs Pickles and Lily, gardening, fishing, hunting, and cooking.

Dr. Obraztsova is originally from Ukraine where she obtained her medical degree. Soon after graduation, given political conflict in eastern Ukraine, she and her husband moved to the USA. She continued her postgraduate education at the UAMS Family Medicine Program where she also served as a chief resident. She received multiple medical knowledge awards and was recognized as an outstanding resident in 2020-2021. After graduation in 2021 she joined the Baptist Health-UAMS Family Medicine Residency program as a Faculty Hospitalist. Dr. Obraztsova is passionate about teaching and resident well being. She is also a member of the Obesity Medicine Association and is dedicated to healthy lifestyles. She is fluent in English, Russian, Ukrainian and currently learning Spanish. When not working she enjoys outdoor activities, tennis, inline skating and spending time with family/friends and her two cats.

Dr. Ottis grew up in Norman, Oklahoma and attended St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee, OK for undergraduate. He graduated from University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 2014. He attended Family Medicine Residency at the UAMS Little Rock campus. After graduating in 2018 he initially worked locums urgent care in Birmingham, AL while his girlfriend Jurhee was in Pediatric Endocrine Fellowship at University of Alabama Birmingham. He returned to Little Rock when the Baptist Health-UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program was starting in 2019 to be a Faculty Hospitalist and started the Family Medicine inpatient service. He and Jurhee are now settled in Little Rock with their two dogs Ruxin and Mowgli. When not working he enjoys spending time outside with his dogs, playing soccer, eating good food, and spending time with friends.

I am a proud Arkansas native from Russellville Arkansas. I attended University of Arkansas where I studied Dietetics and worked as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor. There I learned the importance of a healthy lifestyle and decided to further integrate my nutrition/fitness background into the medical field. I earned my medical degree from UAMS in Little Rock and I completed my residency training in Kansas City, at the University of Kansas. My medical interests include women's health, diabetes management, lifestyle medicine, and behavioral health. I enjoy gardening, crafting, traveling to other countries, walking my dog, and spending time with my niece.

J. Chris Rule, LCSW, is a native of Little Rock and has spent his career in this area serving, teaching and helping others in a variety of settings. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in psychology and obtained his Masters in Social Work from the University of Arkansas - Little Rock, where he completed Masters-level internships in community mental health in North Little Rock and in health policy/child advocacy. He is a Certified Balint Leader by the American Balint Society. He began his graduate teaching career at the UA-Little Rock School of Social Work, where he served as an Adjunct Instructor for ten years. He has worked at the UAMS Department of Psychiatry for 18 years starting as a Project Coordinator in the Health Services Research Division. He joined the faculty of the UAMS College of Medicine and has worked as a clinical social worker serving children, adolescents and adults in school-based and outpatient settings for more than twenty years. He loves teaching and treating others in primary care settings, with special interests in Balint group work, integrated behavioral health, interdisciplinary team-building, and wellness. He loves to golf, cook, spend time with his family (especially his four grandchildren) and friends, and explore Arkansas and other countries on road trips.

Dr. Storeygard has been a family physician in Central Arkansas for 39 years. He is a native Minnesotan. He majored in chemistry at the University of Minnesota before getting his medical degree from Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota. He completed his family practice residency at Duke University in North Carolina before moving to Arkansas. His wife is a native Arkansas and they have two children. In addition to full spectrum family practice he also practiced obstetrics for his first 15 years in Arkansas. He served on the UAMS College of Medicine selection committee for four years and is a diplomate and fellow of the American Board of Family Practice. His hobbies include woodworking and fishing, but his main outside interest is music- jazz piano. He has released six albums worldwide and is an international award winner. He has been a member of the Recording Academy since 2003 and a voting member for the last decade.

Dorothy Leonard grew up in central Arkansas and shortly after high school moved away for several years. When talking about her home state, Dorothy refers to a movie line: “there’s no place like home.” When she returned to Arkansas she joined the Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock Administration Department where she worked as the Medical Staff Coordinator for several years. Dorothy’s over 20 year career with Baptist Health also afforded her the opportunity to be Office Manager for Administration where she worked closely with Baptist Health’s leadership and managed the administration office and support staff. Dorothy enjoys spending time with her family. She has been recipient of many special nicknames by family and friends such as Dofy, Dodo, and Dada but most specially, she is called Grandmom by her two amazing granddaughters.