Susan Hutchinson, Greer Grace Join UAMS Institute on Aging Community Advisory Board

By ChaseYavondaC

Wei Grace Hutchinson

Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Reynolds Institute on Aging, with new advisory board members, Arkansas first lady Susan Hutchinson and businesswoman Greer Grace.

“Our advisory board plays a vital role in the advancement of the Reynolds Institute on Aging, and we are delighted to have Mrs. Hutchinson and Mrs. Grace join us,” said Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Reynolds Institute on Aging. “We know that both of these remarkable women will be important voices on our board and will help advance the mission of improving care for older people in Arkansas and the nation.”

Hutchinson, the wife of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, is a former teacher. As first lady, she is committed to several organizations that include the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Discovery, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Benton County.

Hutchinson, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, has served on regional boards of the American Heart Association and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

The work and research being done at the Reynolds Institute, particularly in Alzheimer’s, is truly magnificent,” said Hutchinson. “It is improving the quality of life of aging Arkansans while providing support to their families and caregivers, and will continue to do so.”

Grace owned and operated Barbara Jean Ltd., a women’s designer apparel and luxury boutique in Little Rock, for 20 years. She has served with the Junior League of Little Rock and numerous community service activities, including the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Arts Center, the Arkansas Cancer Research Center and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She also volunteered with the Accademia dell’Arte, a performing arts college in Arezzo, Italy.

“The subject of aging is one of growing significance in our lives as the population ages,” said Grace. “I am proud Arkansas has such a unique facility here and that I can be a small part of it.”

The community advisory board was created to assist the Institute on Aging with cultivating resources necessary to expand its clinical, research and education components. Among the board’s objectives are developing ways to expand public awareness of the institute, its accomplishments and services; aiding the director in defining the institute’s goals for growth and development; and encouraging philanthropic gifts.

Each board member may serve up to three, three-year terms on the board.

The Reynolds Institute is a leader in geriatrics for Arkansas, providing services for an aging population through education, research and patient care. Among the institute’s many services are the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic, the Ottenheimer Therapy and Fitness Center, the Pat and Willard Walker Family Memory Center, the HouseCall program and the Palliative Care service, in addition to regional Centers on Aging around the state. Each year, more than 50,000 patient visits are recorded through the Reynolds Institute on Aging.