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Attached photo: Susan S. Smyth accompanied by Stephanie Gardner, Cam Patterson and members of the Arkansas Medical Society.
Image by Evan Lewis
| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas College of Medicine for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has invested Susan S. Smyth, MD, Ph.D., UAMS Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Medicine , in the Arkansas Medical Society Distinguished Dean’s Chair during a November 9 ceremony.
“Serving as Dean of the School of Medicine is an incredible honor, and today I am privileged to be invested in the Distinguished Dean’s Chair of the Arkansas Medical Society,” said Smyth. “I especially appreciate the confidence the Chancellor and Provost have placed in me and the opportunity to advance UAMS’s vision of making Arkansas a healthier state in partnership with leading organizations such as the Arkansas Medical Society.”
Cam Patterson addresses the guests.Evan Lewis
Smyth is a nationally recognized cardiologist and translational scientist who brings extensive experience in directing educational, clinical and research programs. Since joining UAMS in June 2021, Smyth has launched and expanded numerous initiatives to improve health in Arkansas while increasing the College of Medicine’s national rankings in primary care and other aspects of health. education, research and clinical care. She has made the pursuit of health equity, diversity and inclusion a top priority for the college.
An endowed chair is one of the highest academic honors a university can bestow on a faculty member. A Distinguished Chair is established with gifts of at least $1.5 million, which are invested and the interest proceeds used to support the chair holder’s educational, research and clinical activities. Chair appointees are among the most reputable scientists, physicians and professors in their field.
“An endowed chair is the highest honor we can bestow on our faculty members,” said Cam Patterson, MD, MBA, UAMS Chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “It’s an indication of the work they’ve done to advance our academic mission in healthcare, and it’s an investment in their productivity going forward.”
The chair was established in 2017 by the College of Medicine and the Arkansas Medical Society for the college’s most senior leadership position.
“The Arkansas Medical Society and UAMS College of Medicine share common roots that date back to the 1870s,” said Stephanie Gardner, Pharm. D., Ed.D., UAMS Provost and Chief Strategy Officer. “The Society and its members have been strong and kind supporters of UAMS, funding scholarships, supporting our programs, and establishing the Distinguished Dean’s Chair. We are grateful for the company’s long-standing support of our institution, our faculty, our students, and our state.
Smyth was recruited to UAMS from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, where she has served as the Jeff Gill Professor of Cardiology, Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, and Director of the Gill Heart and Vascular Institute since 2011. Since 2006 , she served as a cardiologist and funded researcher for the VA Health Care System.
Susan Smyth addresses the guests.Evan Lewis
Smyth is a physician-scientist whose clinical practice in cardiology focuses particularly on arterial and venous thrombosis and whose funded research examines the interplay between inflammation and thrombosis in vascular biology. She is the author of over 200 publications and has contributed to over a dozen textbooks. She has remained active in teaching and mentoring throughout her career.
Smyth graduated summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, before earning her Ph.D. in Pharmacology and MD from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Carolina. North. She completed her residency in internal medicine, including a year as chief resident, at the University Medical Center in Stony Brook, New York. She continued her training with cardiology fellowships at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York and the University of North Carolina, where she joined the faculty in 2001. Smyth was recruited to the University of Kentucky in 2006 .
“I successfully recruited Dr. Smyth to the University of Kentucky where she made amazing contributions, developing our clinical cardiology program into a regional powerhouse,” said Frederick C. de Beer, MD, associate director principal of the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Kentucky. “What I find most remarkable about Susan Smyth is her talent, skill and desire for her work. Arkansas is blessed with one of the most outstanding academic physicians and one of the most outstanding people I have had the pleasure of working with.
UAMS is the only health sciences university in the state, with colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, health professions, and public health; a doctoral school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwestern Arkansas Regional Campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses the entire clinical enterprise of UAMS. UAMS is the only Level 1 adult trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,240 students, 913 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the largest public employer in the state with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide patient care at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, TwitterYouTube or Instagram.
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