UAMS Celebrates James Y. Suen, M.D., at Last Lecture
| A huge crowd turned out Oct. 29 to witness an emotional Last Lecture delivered by James Suen, M.D., a renowned head and neck surgeon who recently stopped seeing patients after 50 years. Earlier this year, Suen was diagnosed with cancer.
Suen was ushered onstage in a wheelchair in the Fred W. Smith Auditorium on the 12th floor of the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute to a standing ovation from a standing-room-only crowd, with others watching from an overflow room. He was then helped into a hospital chair where he sat, partially covered by a blanket and surrounded by fellow physicians and leaders at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), to deliver an hour-long lecture with the help of Gresham Richter, M.D., chair of the Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery.
As Suen entered, the song, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John played, a song that Richter said Suen requested because he wanted everyone in attendance to know how much he loved them.
Also onstage was Suen’s son, Brennan, and Jerry Jones, owner and president of the Dallas Cowboys, a longtime friend who recently spoke at an event in Dallas where Suen was honored for his volunteer work in Ukraine, where he treated soldiers and civilians who were in need of facial reconstruction. Suen also trained Ukrainian surgeons on complex facial reconstruction techniques.
Suen, a distinguished professor in the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, grew up in Dermott in a family of Chinese immigrants. He later chaired the department for 43 years, from 1974 to 2017, making him the longest-serving chair in his field in the country. He and Kent Westbrook, M.D., a distinguished professor of surgery, co-founded the Arkansas Cancer Research Center at UAMS, which later became the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Richard F. Jacobs, M.D., chair of the UAMS Emeritus Society and professor emeritus of the Department of Pediatrics, and UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., gave opening remarks, which included videotaped tributes from many people, including former President Bill Clinton.
Because Suen had trouble speaking, Richter spoke the words that Suen wanted to speak, remembering highlights of his career and, in the humble style he has become known for, thanking everyone in the audience for their support through the years. Suen himself took the microphone and directly addressed the audience. Two of his sons — Brent and Brennan — also spoke from the onstage podium about how fortunate they were to grow up with him as a father.
From his chair near the podium, Suen frequently reached up and grasped the arms of the speakers.
Westbrook spoke from the floor, recounting how he and Suen had worked together since they were both medical students at UAMS. He included “For Good,” from the Broadway musical “Wicked” to describe how Suen made him a better doctor and a better man.
The hour-long ceremony ended with the song, “Time to Say Goodbye,” as close friends and several family members stayed behind to visit with Suen as other spectators joined a reception outside the auditorium.
To view a recording of the Last Lecture, click here.