Staff

Dr. Puru Thapa is the Director of the UAMS Student, Resident, and Faculty Wellness Programs. He is the founding Director of the UAMS Mindfulness Program, a Professor of Psychiatry, and an adjunct faculty in the Department of Epidemiology at the COPH. Dr. Thapa is a highly respected educator and psychiatric clinician at UAMS and has received numerous teaching awards from students and residents. Over the course of his academic career, he has published over 40 papers and book chapters, including publications in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Archives of General Psychiatry. In his current role as the Director of the UAMS Wellness Programs, he has brought a passion and dedication to improving and promoting the well-being of our students, residents, and faculty. In addition to providing direct clinical care, he has been actively conducting outreach efforts to increase awareness of Wellness, destigmatizing mental illness to encourage students/residents/faculty to seek help, and promoting wellness activities. His strong belief in the importance of Mindfulness practice to help relieve stress led him to establish the UAMS Mindfulness Program with a Chancellor’s Circle of Excellence grant. He is a certified Koru Mindfulness Teacher and is also trained in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR).

Vicki Flynn, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry and the Associate Director of the UAMS Student and Resident Wellness Programs. An Arkansas native, Vicki attended both medical school and residency at UAMS, where she served as Chief Resident of the general psychiatry residency. Throughout her training, Vicki received awards for teamwork and excellence in clinical care and was named the outstanding psychiatry graduate in 2019. Her professional interests include medical student and resident education, the role of mentoring in medical education and professional development, non-pharmacological approaches to treatment, the interconnection between physical and mental health, positive psychology approaches, and professional burnout. You could say Vicki is a hobbyist: her hobbies include gardening and flower arrangements, making paper and frames to display pressed flowers, photography, and taking her large pup for walks and trips to the dog park.

Jim Holland, MSW, LCSW, joined the UAMS Student Wellness team in February 2014. Prior work centered on mental health with kids, teens, and families, so the move to the Student Wellness Program provided an opportunity to hone skills in individual work with adults. After earning a bachelor’s degree at the University of Arkansas, Jim moved to St. Louis to join the Master of Social Work program at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. An initial interest in child welfare narrowed to a passion for child, adolescent, and family mental health issues as expressed in traumatized children and teens. Jim graduated with a concentration in Children and Youth and a Family Therapy specialization in May 1997. He has since worked in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, foster care and adoption recruitment/training, clinical case management, school social work, and individual/group/family therapy. In his free time, Jim enjoys live blues music, learning new things, and napping with his dog, Henry.

After earning a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from the University of Arkansas, Angie enjoyed a career in finance, sales, and marketing until she took three years away to raise her son. She returned to the workforce in sales and began to work toward her goal of becoming a therapist. Angie attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Social Work. She was trained in psychodynamic theory, family systems approach, and mediation during her work toward her master’s degree. Along the way, she earned a Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has served multiple populations from children to teens in the juvenile justice system, children and teens in the day treatment, outpatient, and school settings, as well as families in distress. Angie was introduced to meditation through extensive yoga practice and workshops, finding that slowing down and paying attention are positives! As a recovering perfectionist and constant “doer,” mindfulness provided her with calmness, balance, and a place for compassion and acceptance. As a clinical therapist, mindfulness is integrated into her practice as a valuable tool. Angie joined the Student Wellness team in December 2015. She enjoys working with individual clients, couples, and groups. In her personal time, Angie enjoys nature, creative projects, learning new things, visiting with family, and fishing/boating with her husband, Greg. Her Golden-Doodle, Tater Tot, occasionally joins her in her office on campus.

Matt Boone, LCSW, is Director of Programming and Outreach at the Student Wellness Program and Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry. His professional interests include evidence-based treatments for anxiety, depression, trauma, and eating disorders; training professionals in cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT); and supporting students of color, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, first-generation students, and others who might face challenges in medical training. He specializes in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness- and acceptance-based behavior therapy for a broad spectrum of problems, and has published various books, articles, book chapters, and blogs on ACT-related topics. In his life outside of work, he enjoys writing and recording music, eating amazing food, and hanging out with friends. He and his wife spend way too much time talking about their cat, Elliot, and he loves working with people who think therapy is for wimps.

Lecretha Brown is the Administrative Assistant of the Student Wellness Program. She has worked at UAMS since 2013, both in Student Wellness and Care Management. She loves supporting students, and in her off-hours she enjoys spending time with family, working in her church, hula hooping and going on long walks.