View Larger Image Chancellor Patterson chats with Mardell McClurkin of Alma.
Chancellor Patterson chats with Mardell McClurkin of Alma.

Patterson Receives Warm Welcome at Friends of UAMS – Fort Smith Event

By Benjamin Waldrum

| June 22, 2018 | More than a hundred community members and well-wishers braved the heat and humidity to pack the halls of the UAMS West Family Medical Center in Fort Smith on June 14 for a Friends of UAMS event introducing Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA.

Staff at UAMS West were excited to meet the new chancellor, whose first day on the job was June 1.

Staff at UAMS West were excited to meet the new chancellor, whose first day on the job was June 1.

The new chancellor, whose first day at UAMS was June 1, has been eager to meet as many Arkansans as possible, learning firsthand the health care needs of the people UAMS serves.

Among those attending were Fort Smith Mayor Sandy Sanders; University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Chancellor Paul Beran, Ph.D.; Terry Hunton, M.D., director of regional foundations for Mercy Health Foundation Fort Smith; and Richard Williams, a member of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board.

Guests sampled heavy hors d’oeuvres and chatted, undeterred by a sudden and intense rainstorm prior to the event. Patterson received a tour of UAMS West and spent ample time greeting and talking with many guests.

Don Heard, Ed.D., director of UAMS West, thanked those in attendance and welcomed Patterson to Fort Smith. Hunton, one of six family members who are UAMS graduates, is the wife of David Hunton, M.D., chief medical officer for Mercy Hospital Fort Smith and a member of the UAMS Foundation Fund Board. The Huntons hosted the inaugural Friends of UAMS Fort Smith event in 2016 at their home.

“David and I are very proud to be a part of the Friends of UAMS here in Fort Smith,” Hunton said. “Our connections go very deep, and we continue to be very proud of the great educations that all my family and all my children are now receiving.”

Before introducing Patterson, Hunton recognized Williams as “the brainchild of the Friends of UAMS program,” which he and other Foundation Fund Board members devised years ago.

Patterson took the stage to smiles and applause.

“I left New York two weeks ago, and I already feel like I am back home,” said Patterson, a native of Mobile, Alabama.

Terry Hunton, M.D. (center), hosted the inaugural Friends of UAMS – Fort Smith with her husband, David.

Terry Hunton, M.D. (center), hosted the inaugural Friends of UAMS – Fort Smith with her husband, David.

Patterson thanked the Huntons for their support of UAMS. He recognized members of UAMS who were in attendance, including Sterling Moore, UAMS vice chancellor for Regional Campuses, who Patterson said is “the gentleman who brought this building to life.” The Family Medical Center opened May 2017.

“There is no better example of the impact UAMS is making on Arkansas than this regional center,” Patterson said. He noted that since its founding in 1973, UAMS West has provided medical care to more than 99,000 people in the area and graduated 248 family practice physicians through its residency program. Of those 248 physicians, 161 are practicing in Arkansas, with 105 of those practicing in west Arkansas.

“The impact of this center on western Arkansas has been substantial,” Patterson said.

Patterson outlined several areas he intends to focus on as chancellor, such as continuing to educate health care professionals, strengthen existing programs, promoting digital health and genomic research, and achieving National Cancer Institute designation for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS.

Partnerships and collaboration are critical to achieving these goals, Patterson said. He thanked Sparks Health System, a longtime partner of UAMS in residency education, and Dan McKay, its chief executive officer, for its “dramatic impact on health care and medical education.”

Patterson spent time talking about his family and their imminent move to Arkansas, saying that the family has a long bucket list and is already falling in love with the state and its people.

“I feel so fortunate to be a part of this team, and to be a part of the UAMS family,” Patterson said. “It’s really gratifying to join such a committed team.”

A whirlwind tour of additional events featuring Patterson are planned for each of the 13 other Friends of UAMS chapters in northwest Arkansas, Russellville, Mountain Home, Magnolia, Hot Springs, Hot Springs Village, Helena-West Helena, Pine Bluff, Batesville, Monticello, Jonesboro, Searcy and Texarkana.

For more photos from the event, visit the UAMS Flickr page.