Public Health Alum Enjoys Making Impact in the Realm of Health Administration
| Daniel McFarland embraces the opportunity to help the masses through his role as chief operating officer for Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
McFarland, an alumnus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health’s Master of Health Administration program, is responsible for helping provide operational oversight of clinical support services, facilities and other areas across the hospital’s campus.
McFarland is passionate about advocating for the well-being of individuals who enter the facility.
“This role is to ensure the clinical stakeholders across campus have the tools, environment and workflows in place to provide high-quality care,” he said. “The ability to help provide solutions to an array of issues that may present on campus and serve as a thought leader of how to fix the immediate and potential deeper-rooted issues is incredibly fulfilling.”
“My career has taken me places I never even thought of,” he said. “I can’t limit the plans God has for my life.”
McFarland is from the Louisiana community of Keithville, which is south of Shreveport.
He grew up on a cattle ranch owned by his family. They raised Angus and Beefmaster cattle, goats, hogs, and chickens. McFarland’s household consisted of him, his parents and three siblings. His dad worked in healthcare as a family practice physician alongside his mother who was a stay-at-home mom.
“My parents created a remarkable environment for my three siblings and me,” he said. “We had what we needed but also worked hard on the farm.”
Each day, McFarland and his family members woke up early in the morning to take care of the animals.
“It was a hobby of my dad’s that’s now become a passion for all of us,” he said.
The constant sunrise labor taught McFarland a lot about having a good work ethic and proper preparation. Those values helped him shine academically at Shreveport Caddo Magnet High School. At Caddo, McFarland was part of the student government, 4-H club, and the school orchestra. He graduated in 2011.
McFarland then continued his education at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Initially, McFarland wanted to be a veterinarian or a physician. He ultimately opted to major in animal science. He graduated in fall 2015 with a bachelor’s in animal science.
However, while obtaining the degree, he developed an interest in healthcare administration.
In 2016 while working for a behavioral health clinic in Memphis, Tennessee, McFarland enrolled in the UAMS MHA program and started classes that fall.
While taking MHA courses, McFarland worked for Baptist Health in Little Rock. In the summer of 2017, he had an internship at Baptist Memorial in Memphis. During his final year in the master’s program, he returned to Baptist Health-Little Rock to work on projects in the corporate offices.
McFarland completed the program in 2018. The evening classes on the UAMS campus afforded him the opportunity to work during the day and engage in didactic activities at night. He said that acquiring real world experiences serving within hospital systems was an ideal complement to his UAMS education.
McFarland said he has fond memories of his time as an MHA student.
“The program focused heavily on the students,” he said. “We worked on projects together. We benefited from having attentive faculty who assisted in our development.”
“Also, a lot of the tools and concepts we learned remain true,” he added. “I’m grateful for the business plans, program structures, taking a summary from data and converting it to a narrative. All those components were incredibly impactful and still a part of who I am today.”
Upon obtaining the degree, McFarland accepted the opportunity to join Johns Hopkins Medicine’s two-year administrative fellowship program. In spring 2020, he assumed a full-time role as administrator of John Hopkins’ pediatric heart center and adult cardiac surgery. After his time at Johns Hopkins, McFarland began working for Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston serving as the service line administrator of the neurosciences, digestive, and spine service lines. In 2024, he transitioned to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to serve as the assistant vice president of operations.
However, after years of residing on the East Coast, in August McFarland moved closer to home once again assuming a position at Baptist Memorial Memphis. But this time, as a full-time employee.
“I’m enthused to have the opportunity to serve the greater Memphis community in this capacity,” McFarland said. “I served as an intern within the Baptist Memorial Health System back in 2017, and the opportunity to return in this role is a full circle moment. Bringing back best practices learned within other academic medical systems along the East Coast down south is an ideal scenario to give back to the communities that have poured into me.”
McFarland — who was recognized as the 2025 UAMS MHA Alum of the Year — said a lot of what he’s accomplished is a matter of building upon the foundation laid by his family.
In fact, he now owns a farm, McFarland Cattle Company, and occasionally, he returns to Louisiana to help his dad with the family farm.
Continuing the legacy of farming is of the utmost importance to McFarland.
“I’m excited about continuing the incredible vision launched by my grandfather and father,” he said. “It’s nice to have an outlet from professional life and continue something I enjoy. I can work with my cows, tag them, vaccinate them, treat them, clear out pastureland and do all the things my father taught my siblings and me to do.”
In his downtime, McFarland enjoys listening to and playing music, hanging out with friends, or eating good food.
Professionally, McFarland aspires to continue growing as a hospital and community leader who helps provide exceptional healthcare services and support.
“I enjoy helping hospital team members fulfill their goals to take care of patients,” he said.