UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation
IDHI Stroke Program
4301 W. Markham St., Slot 513
Little Rock, AR 72205
Stroke Program Team Directory
Medical Director
Sanjeeva Onteddu, MD
Dr. Sanjeeva Onteddu is an Assistant Professor of Neurology, Medical Director for the IDHI Stroke Program and Medical Director of the Stroke Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. After completion of a 4-year neurology residency at UAMS, he completed a 1-year vascular neurology fellowship at the University of Massachusetts. He is board-certified in neurology and vascular neurology and maintains active memberships with the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Neurology.
IDHI Director of Clinical Programs
Renee Joiner is the IDHI Director of Clinical Programs and oversees the Stroke Program, along with the Trauma and TeleSANE Programs. She has a long history of public health leadership including trauma system development, public health preparedness, HIV prevention and treatment, tobacco prevention and the Healthy AR initiative.
Stroke Program Director of Operations
Lori Berry, MNSc, RN, CNOR
berrylori@uams.edu 501-414-7554
Lori Berry is the Director of Operations for the UAMS IDHI Stroke Program. Ms. Berry’s nursing career began in med-surg then she transitioned to perioperative services where she grew from a clinical nurse to a position in leadership as an Advanced Practice Partner. She graduated from UAMS in 2006 with a BSN and in 2018 with a Masters of Nursing Administration (MNSc). She applies the skills she learned during leadership in the operating room and advanced degree to her responsibilities as the Director of Operations. She has presented at the National AORN conference and serves as a content expert for tele-stroke in the state.
Administrative Staff
Project Manager
Baylee Field
bfield@uams.edu 501-526-7556
Project Manager
Denetra Brown
dbrown5@uams.edu 501-960-2210
Administrative Coordinator
Gayla Caldwell
Clinical Nurse Educators
Tim Vandiver, BS, NRP, RN
tvandiver@uams.edu 501-554-1511
Tim Vandiver has been with the Stroke program since October of 2015. Before joining the Stroke team, Tim worked as a Paramedic and ER nurse for over 33 years. Currently, Tim is the Outreach Nurse for 9 hospitals in southeast Arkansas and is responsible for the IDHI Stroke Program education for EMS services across Arkansas.
Robin Banks, RN
rdbanks@uams.edu 501-352-4115
Robin Banks joined the UAMS IDHI Stroke Program in June 2018 as an Outreach Nurse Educator for 11 hospitals in Central and North Central Arkansas. She has worked over 17 years in various hospital settings, which includes 4 years in Neuro-Interventional Radiology at the UAMS Comprehensive Stroke Center.
Jennifer McCurry, RN
JMccurry@uams.edu 501-425-2821
Jennifer McCurry became a part of our team at the UAMS/IDHI Stroke Program in 2018. She brought with her over 15 years of RN experience including PACU, OR, CC, and most recently she worked for 3 years at the UAMS Neuro-Interventional Radiology which is a designated Comprehensive Stroke Center. She is our Outreach Nurse for NWA and the River Valley Regions.
Trish Maynes, BS, RN
PAMaynes@uams.edu 501-954-0392
Trish Maynes is a graduate of JBU with a degree in Organizational Management and a previously earned degree from Lourdes Hospital in nursing. She worked as a pediatric nurse, and a pharmaceutical representative before working as an ER nurse for the past fifteen years. Currently, she works as a Clinical Nurse Educator for the IDHI Stroke Program in rural Southwest AR.
Julia Weatherford, RN, BSN
JAWeatherford@uams.edu 501-413-0151
Julia Weatherford is a 2013 graduate of UAMS earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Science. She comes to our team with 7 years of experience as an RN. She worked in the emergency department at UAMS, which is a Nationally Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. She currently serves as a Clinical Nurse Educator for the IDHI Stroke Program and serves a number of hospitals in and around the Central Arkansas area.
Cynthia West, BSN, RN, SCRN
Brandi Alred, RN, SCRN
Health Educators
Program Manager of Community Outreach
Olivia Wilson, MS, CHES
OWilson2@uams.edu 501-615-4697
Born and raised in Malvern, AR, Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education and Promotion and Master of Science Degree in Health Sciences from the University of Central Arkansas in Fall 2012. Olivia went on to become a Certified Health Education Specialist and member of the National and Arkansas Chapters of SOPHE and APHA. Olivia joined the Stroke Program in June 2015.
Brittany Savage, MS, CHES
BASavage@uams.edu 501-400-6437
Program Manager of Analytics
Erin Wells, MS, CHES
EEWells@uams.edu 501-410-4278
Born and raised in Searcy, AR, Erin graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education and Promotion and a minor in Nutrition. She then became a Certified Health Education Specialist and a member of the National and Arkansas Chapters of SOPHE and APHA. Erin joined the IDHI Stroke Program in August of 2017.
Quality Data
Calvin Duncan, BS, NRP
Calvin received his EMT and Paramedic license at ASU, Searcy. He later went on to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in EMS from UAMS and finally, received an RN degree through ASU-Three Rivers in 2021. He joined the Stroke Program in 2012.
Call Center
- Samantha Hanard: NREMT
Samantha graduated from Pulaski Tech in 1992 as a Paralegal. She attended EMT school with MEMS worked for EMS for 4 years. She joined the Stroke Program in 2017.
- Lizelle Griffith: NREMT
Lizelle attended EMT school at MEMS Ambulance Service where, upon graduation, she worked for the next 10 years. She is the most recent addition to UAMS and the Stroke Program.
- Valerie Green
Valerie Green joined the UAMS IDHI Stroke Program in October 2020. Before joining the Stroke Team, Valerie worked as a Paramedic with MEMS and the Arkansas Trauma Communications Center for over 17 years.
- Carlton “Shane” Milligan
Carlton “Shane” has been involved in pre-hospital medicine for nearly 40 years, retired from the fire department in Arizona in 2014 as a Captain Paramedic, and has continued to work in medicine, joining the Stroke Program beginning of 2021. Shane is a nationally registered Paramedic and holds a BS degree in Applied Management, with an emphasis in Public Safety.
