UAMS Invests Steven A. Webber, M.D., in Arkansas Medical Society Distinguished Dean’s Chair
| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine invested Steven A. Webber, M.D., UAMS executive vice chancellor and College of Medicine dean, in the Arkansas Medical Society Distinguished Dean’s Chair during a Nov. 17 ceremony.
“It’s a deep honor for me to serve as dean of the College of Medicine and executive vice chancellor at UAMS, and now to be the holder of the Arkansas Medical Society Distinguished Dean’s Chair,” said Webber. “I have held many wonderful jobs — but this one has the most potential to impact the lives of large numbers of people. As an integrated academic medical center and health sciences university, we can do so much for our state — and we are doing so much.”
Steven Webber, M.D., (seated) with Interim Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., and Provost Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D.
At UAMS, Webber leads integrated efforts in education, research, clinical care and service to improve health in Arkansas and beyond. He is a highly regarded pediatrician, researcher and leader in academic medicine who is internationally known for his expertise in solid organ transplantation in children. He began serving in his leadership roles at UAMS in March 2024.
“At UAMS, endowed chairs are the most prestigious honor that doctors, professors and scientists can attain, not just because they are a reflection of what the holders have achieved and will achieve but also because the work they conduct benefits 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. “Steve, I am excited about all the things you’ll accomplish during your tenure here at UAMS.”
An endowed chair is among the highest academic honor a university can bestow on a faculty member. A distinguished chair is established with gifts of at least $1.5 million, which are invested, with the interest proceeds used to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chair holder. Those named to a chair are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields.
The chair was established in 2017 by the College of Medicine and the Arkansas Medical Society for the college’s most important leadership post.
“Our mission at UAMS is to improve health, and we strive to accomplish this through our work in education, research, clinical care and outreach across the state,” said Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief strategy officer. “It’s important to remember that endowed chairs and professorships help us improve our programs and services in perpetuity — this is especially important when other resources are more limited. So, we are delighted to celebrate the philanthropic spirit of the Arkansas Medical Society that made this chair possible.”
Webber was recruited to UAMS from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, where he had served since 2012 as the James C. Overall professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. He previously held leadership positions at the University of Pittsburgh and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, including chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, co-director of the Heart Institute and medical director of the Thoracic Transplantation Program.
Steven Webber, M.D., speaks during his investiture.
Webber received continuous funding for his research focused on solid organ transplantation in children for more than 25 years. He has published more than 240 peer-reviewed scientific publications and is the co-author of three textbooks. He has served as president of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study, which is an international research consortium, and the International Pediatric Transplant Association. He has also served as chair of the Thoracic Committee of the United Network for Organ Sharing and as a member of the boards of directors of the American Society of Transplantation and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
Born in London, Webber graduated first in his class from the University of Bristol Medical School in Bristol, England. He completed his internal medicine residency at University Hospitals of Leicester in England and his pediatric residency at University Hospital Nottingham and John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. Webber continued his training with pediatric cardiology fellowships at the University of British Columbia and B.C. Children’s Hospital and at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh.
“Dean Webber, I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with you for about two years — you have always been supportive of the Arkansas Medical Society initiatives and ensured that your faculty, trainees and students are active and involved in the society’s activities. We are grateful,” said Naveen Patil, M.D., MHSA, deputy state health officer for the Arkansas Department of Health and president-elect of the Arkansas Medical Society.
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.###