Faculty and Staff - Baptist Health UAMS GME

Lauren Gibson-Oliver, M.D., MBA, FAAFP

Interim Program Director

Dr. Gibson-Oliver (she/her) is the Program Director of the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine residency program, and the interim Program Director of the BH-UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program as of January 2026. She joined the UAMS faculty as Associate Director in 2020 and has a faculty appointment of Assistant Professor. She is a graduate of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors’ National Institute for Program Director Development and the winner of the 2024 New Faculty Scholar Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), along with the 2024 UAMS Excellence in Mentoring Award (Clinical Emerging Faculty category). In addition, the AAMC Southern Group on Educational Affairs presented her with the 2024 M. Brownell Anderson Award that is designed to identify and support emerging educators on their career trajectory. She won the 2025 Chair's Award for Recognition of Excellence in the category of GME-Program Director. On top of that, she has been named a recipient of the 2025-2026 STFM Emerging Leaders Fellowship and was chosen to serve on the STFM Task Force on Professionalism in Medical Education. Dr. Gibson-Oliver was one of the inaugural faculty co-chairs of the UAMS Graduate Medical Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which was tasked with recruiting and retaining a more diverse resident and fellow cohort and improving the clinical learning environment experience across campus for trainees that are underrepresented in medicine. In 2023, she was named a UAMS Phenomenal Woman, one of the Best Women in Health Care by AY Magazine, and a Top Doc by Little Rock Soirée for the second year in a row. While a resident in our program, she earned the distinctions of serving as chief resident, resident council secretary, resident council co-chair, and achieving the top in-training exam score among her classmates for all three years. She also won the Outstanding Resident Award and the TOP Award for professionalism. Originally from Colorado, Dr. Gibson-Oliver graduated from the Caribbean Medical University in Curaçao and earned an MBA from Davenport University. Her clinical interests include lifestyle and preventive medicine, women’s and adolescent health, health equity, and healthcare for underserved and historically marginalized communities. Outside of the office, she enjoys practicing yoga, baking, sewing, and exploring the world with her family.

Elton R. Cleveland, M.D., D.V.M., FAAFP, CAQ Sports Medicine, CAQ Adolescent Medicine

Associate Program Director

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.

Emily Reams, M.D.

Associate Program Director

Dr. Reams is a proud Arkansas native from Russellville, Arkansas. She attended college at the University of Arkansas where she studied Dietetics and worked as a certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor. There she learned the importance of a healthy lifestyle and decided to further integrate her nutrition/fitness background into the medical field. She earned her medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock and completed Family Medicine residency training at the University of Kansas in Kansas City. Her medical interests include women's health, diabetes management, lifestyle medicine, and behavioral health. She is a recipient of the 2026 New Faculty Scholars Award by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Foundation (STFM). In 2026, she was named Associate Program Director. She enjoys gardening, crafting, Lego building, traveling to other countries, going to the Olympics, walking her dog, and spoiling her niece.

J. Chris Rule, LCSW

Assistant Program Director

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.

Nathan Schandevel, MD, FAAFP

Core Faculty - NLR Clinic Medical Director

Dr. Schandevel grew up in Paragould, AR. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology at Harding University in Searcy, AR. He received his medical degree at UAMS. He completed Family Medicine residency in College Station at Texas A&M where he was awarded both the Academic Achievement award for highest overall ITE score and the Outstanding Resident Graduate award. He then moved to rural Southwest Kansas where he practiced a wide spectrum of medicine including caring for patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. He staffed his personal clinic, a wound clinic, the emergency department, rounded in the hospital, and was medical director of the nursing home. He served as Chief of Medical Staff for the hospital prior to returning to central Arkansas in 2024. He serves on multiple advisory boards for UpToDate focusing on content strategy and user experience. Since joining as faculty, he serves as medical director for the NLR residency clinic. His wife, Franchesca, is also a practicing family physician, and they spend the vast majority of their free time chasing their children and wondering where the time has gone. He also enjoys hockey, acoustic guitar, personal finance, and staying involved with his local church.

Les Anderson, M.D.

Lonoke Clinic Medical Director

Dr. Les Anderson, a native of Lonoke, has practiced medicine for more than 50 years in the area. He first joined Baptist Health with his own family practice in Lonoke in the 1980s before relocating to another clinic and rejoining the Baptist-UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Anderson earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He is currently the medical director of the rural clinic site in Lonoke, AR. Dr. Anderson also enjoys dog shows and photography.

Karen Burks, M.D.

Core Faculty

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.

James Cooper, M.D., Ph.D.

Core Faculty

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.

Natalia Obraztsova, M.D.

Core Faculty

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.

Paul Ottis, M.D.

Core Faculty

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.

Jake Erwin, MD

Core Faculty

Dr. Erwin is a native of Pocahontas, Arkansas. He earned a bachelors of science degree in biology at Lyon College in Batesville before attending medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. He completed residency training in Baptist Health-UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program in North Little Rock. During residency, he met his now wife, who is a graduate of the same program. They bonded through mission trips and playing soccer with the intramural team during residency. In his free time, Dr. Erwin enjoys cooking, DIY projects, exploring the outdoors with his wife, and spending time with their two cats.

Tatiana Torres Costa Lino, M.D.

Associate Program Director

Dr. Lino (she/her) is the Associate Program Director of the Baptist Health–North Little Rock Family Medicine Residency Program. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she earned her medical degree from Escola de Medicina Souza Marques and practiced family medicine in Brazil before relocating to the United States, where she completed a research fellowship in the Mayo Clinic Florida Department of Family Medicine. She then completed her Family Medicine residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, where she served as Chief Resident and held leadership roles as Resident Leader of the Didactics Committee, Social Media Manager, and Chair of the Residency Wellness Committee throughout her training.

Dr. Lino is a 2026 recipient of the Outstanding Resident Award, the STFM Resident Teacher Award, the Arkansas Medical Society's Best Resident Award, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors' (AFMRD) Resident Award for Scholarship, and the UAMS Family and Preventive Medicine Department's Resident Research in Family Medicine Award (CARE Awards). Her additional honors include the STFM Foundation's Faculty for Tomorrow Residency Scholarship (2026), the Arkansas Academy of Family Physicians' Rising Star Award (2025), the AAFP Family Medicine Leads Scholarship (2025), the AAFP Physician Health and Wellbeing Scholarship (2024), and recognition as an AAFP Family Medicine Champion (2025).

Her interests include medical education, women's health, preventive and lifestyle medicine, with a particular passion for expanding accessible care to underserved populations. She is also a strong advocate for physician wellness and work-life balance. Outside of the clinic, Dr. Lino enjoys traveling with her fiancé and family, cooking, staying active through the gym and pilates, and exploring new things.

Paige Beck, M.D., Ph.D.

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.

Emma Johnson, C-TAGME

Family Medicine Program Manager

Emma Johnson serves as the GME Program Manager for the Baptist Health–UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program. She brings several years of experience in graduate medical education administration, having supported residency and fellowship programs in academic medical center environments.

Emma is passionate about creating an organized, supportive environment where residents and faculty can thrive. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, crafting, and exploring new restaurants and activities around Central Arkansas.

Darla DalSanto

Program Coordinator

A native of central Arkansas, Darla joined Baptist Health in the fall of 2024. She enjoys helping people and finding ways to make things easier for those around her. When she is not working she enjoys participating in 5ks, baseball, traveling, and being Nonna to her 6 grandchildren.