UAMS Names Interim Chair of Department of Radiation Oncology
| LITTLE ROCK – Hershey Garner, J.D., M.D., has been named interim chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
He succeeds Vaneerat Ratanatharathorn, M.D., M.B.A., who has led the department since it was established in 2000. Ratanatharathorn is stepping down to focus on patient care and will continue as a professor.
Garner is board certified in radiation oncology from the American Board of Radiology and practices at Highlands Oncology Group in northwest Arkansas. He previously served as clinical assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Radiation Oncology.
A native of Little Rock, Garner received a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law prior to earning his medical degree from the UAMS College of Medicine. He serves on several regional ethics committees and is active in many community organizations.
The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and Highlands Oncology Group formed a collaboration in 2013 to strengthen research and clinical programs for cancer patients across the state.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,890 students and 782 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS regional centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.
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