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Sanjaya Viswamitra, M.D., (seated) with C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., and Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D. Image by Evan Lewis

UAMS Invests Sanjaya Viswamitra, M.D., in Ernest J. Ferris, M.D., Chair in Diagnostic Radiology

Nov. 21, 2025 | LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine invested Sanjaya Viswamitra, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Radiology in the College of Medicine, in the Ernest J. Ferris, M.D., Chair in Diagnostic Radiology during a Nov. 6 ceremony.

“I want to extend my gratitude to the people everyone responsible for me being up here, especially everyone in the Department of Radiology and of course my family,” said Viswamitra. “In our life’s journey, all of us find different paths, and I think it is a funny thing that having followed my road, I returned back to UAMS, back where I started.”

A recognized leader in cardiac, body and musculoskeletal imaging, Viswamitra has played a pivotal role in shaping both clinical services and academic programs at UAMS.

“At UAMS, our most highly regarded doctors, professors and scientists hold these chairs to the benefits of the people of Arkansas,” said C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., UAMS interim chancellor and professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. “I want to extend my congratulations to Dr. Viswamitra — it is evident by the number of people here, many your esteemed colleagues, that you are fully worthy of this great honor.”

Endowed chairs are the highest honors of academic excellence that a university can bestow upon its faculty. A professorship is established with gifts of at least $500,000, which are invested and the interest proceeds used to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chair holder. Those named to a chair or professorship are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields.

The chair is named in honor of Ferris, who chaired the Department of Radiology for 31 years, helping bring comprehensive subspecialty training and highly specialized radiological care to Arkansas. He trained more than 350 fellows and residents at UAMS, six of whom have gone on to become department chairs at various medical schools. Ferris ultimately expanded the department to include 50 radiologists with diverse subspecialties before he stepped down as chair in 2008.

Viswamitra received his medical degree from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Pondicherry, India. He completed his residency in diagnostic radiology at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside in New York City. He also completed fellowships in nuclear medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and in body imaging at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. He is board certified by both the American Board of Radiology and the American Board of Nuclear Medicine.

Joining UAMS in 2001 as an assistant professor in the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Body Imaging, Viswamitra quickly became a driving force in the department’s development. From 2002 to 2007, he served as the inaugural chief of the newly established subspecialty division, laying the foundation for growth in body, musculoskeletal and cardiac imaging at UAMS. In 2012, he was promoted to associate professor and to full professor in 2020. In 2023, he became the inaugural chief of emergency radiology, further expanding the department’s clinical footprint. He was appointed interim chair of the Department of Radiology in August 2024 and assumed the permanent role in April.

Viswamitra also spent several years in India, where he served as head of radiology and senior consultant at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bengaluru. Viswamitra is passionate about teaching and mentorship, having guided numerous fellows and colleagues in both India and the United States. At Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, he founded and directed the fellowship in MRI and cardiac imaging. He led several continuing medical education programs that included advanced MRI physics and musculoskeletal medicine workshops and initiated a highly regarded annual cardiac MRI course in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, endorsed by the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. He continues to serve as a visiting faculty member at the Centre for Brain Research at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India, where he contributes to interdisciplinary imaging initiatives and the governance of MRI research.

Deeply engaged in the global radiology community, Viswamitra is active in professional societies such as the Radiological Society of North America, the American Roentgen Ray Society, the Asian Society of Cardiovascular Imaging and the Indian Association of Cardiac Imaging, where he served as its president. He also received a presidential recognition for transformative academic leadership from the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin — Arkansas Chapter. He has served as the secretary, president and currently as executive chair in the Indian Association of Cardiac Imaging. He has authored more than 60 publications and book chapters and serves as a peer reviewer for leading journals including Radiology and the American Journal of Roentgenology.

“Sanjaya’s skill, dedication and friendship have been very important to me professionally and personally — to say that we are fortunate to have him on our faculty is an understatement,” said James E. McDonald, M.D., professor emeritus and past recipient of Ernest J. Ferris, M.D., Chair in Diagnostic Radiology. “He is more than qualified to serve as the chair of the Department of Radiology, and we are all excited to see how he continues his legacy.”

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the 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, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 902 medical residents and fellows. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.

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