June 7, 2011| Gifts from two prominent Arkansas families recently honored UAMS’ Jeanne Y. Wei, M.D., Ph.D., and Ann T. Riggs, M.D., with endowments to support their work in geriatrics.

Wei, executive director of the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and professor and chair of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatrics in the College of Medicine, received the Jackson T. Stephens Chair in Geriatrics.

Riggs, associate professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatrics and medical director for the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Center at the Reynolds Institute, received the Alexa and William T. Dillard Chair in Geriatrics.

Wei and Riggs were invested during a May 11 ceremony at the UAMS Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute. The investiture was attended by Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., and College of Medicine Dean Debra H. Fiser, M.D. Wei gave collegial remarks on behalf of Riggs, and collegial remarks for Wei were given by Walter A. Sedelow Jr., Ph.D., UAMS emeritus adjunct professor in the College of Medicine’s Department of Radiology – Imaging Division.

Rahn and Fiser congratulated Wei and Riggs and presented them with a specially crafted medallion for each chair.

“Today we are honoring two outstanding faculty members: Dr. Wei and Dr. Riggs, and also the generosity of the children of Alexa and William Dillard, and the late Mr. Stephens,” Fiser said. “We thank you for sharing our vision and helping turn that vision into reality.”

Stephens, an Arkansas native who joined his brother, W.R. “Witt” Stephens, in business enterprises that culminated in Stephens Inc., spent a lifetime supporting charitable causes in the community, state and nation. In Arkansas his generous gifts have benefited the Arkansas Arts Center, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the Cathedral School, the First Tee of Arkansas and numerous other organizations.

Through the years Stephens’ extraordinary philanthropy has been of paramount importance in advancing the mission of UAMS. In 2001 his transforming gift of $48 million created the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.

Wei joined the UAMS faculty in 2002. Prior to joining UAMS, she served as associate professor of medicine and director of the Division of Aging at Harvard Medical School, as well as chief of the Gerontology Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Known worldwide for her work in the field of aging, Wei has more than 30 years experience conducting gerontological research, mentoring gerontologic fellows and junior faculty members, and developing research and academic programs and initiatives. Her former trainees have been the recipients of many national awards. She has authored more than 135 peer-reviewed publications, six books – including Aging Well: The Complete Guide to Physical and Emotional Health (2000), and more than 50 review articles. She holds two medical-related U.S. patents. Wei’s major research interests include the effects of age on cardiovascular homeostasis, biology of aging, and mechanisms of cardiac dysfunction.

At UAMS, Wei sees patients in the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic in the Reynolds Institute on Aging. She serves on the UAMS Faculty Group Practice Board and the UAMS Hospital Medical Board. As a clinician, she also has received National Institutes of Health funding to study age-related chronic disease, including congestive heart failure, predictors of falls, orthostatic hypotension, and cancer. Wei is board certified in internal medicine, geriatrics and cardiovascular medicine, and she has been recognized as one of the Best Doctors in Massachusetts and Arkansas.
The late William T. Dillard was the founder of Dillard’s Inc., one of the nation’s largest fashion apparel and home furnishings retailers. From an $8,000 investment in a single store in Nashville, Ark., Dillard built a premier retail chain with a national presence of more than 300 stores in 29 states.
Riggs joined the UAMS faculty in 1997. She was recruited from the University of Rochester, where she had completed a fellowship in geriatrics before being recruited to UAMS. Under her leadership, the Reynolds Department of Geriatrics has further developed its robust clinical and educational programs. The clinical programs include nursing home long-term care and skilled nursing facilities, house calls, geriatric acute care, inpatient and inpatient consults, and multidisciplinary primary care and consultant outpatient clinics. The educational programs involve medical students, residents, fellows, advanced practice nurses and physician assistants.

A strong advocate of geriatric clinical education, Riggs continues to work on her long-term goals of improving delivery of health care for the elderly and educating the next generation of geriatricians. She has served on multiple education and fellowship committees for more than 10 years, developing the curriculum for long-term care and assisting in the development of geriatrics clerkships. She has served as the chair for the Donald W. Reynolds Geriatrics Update and Long-Term Care Conference that is now in its eleventh year. The UAMS medical students have selected her on three occasions for the College of Medicine Red Sash Award as an outstanding educator. Riggs founded the Arkansas Medical Directors Association and was the inaugural president of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Geriatrics Society.

Those named to an endowed chair at UAMS are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in the academic fields. Endowed chairs at UAMS ensure the ongoing pursuit of educational excellence, world-class patient care and outstanding medical research.