LITTLE ROCK -- Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested June 3 as the third recipient of the Harry P. Ward Chancellor's Distinguished Chair.
Created in 2005, the Ward chair became the first chancellor's chair endowed at an Arkansas university. I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., who succeeded Harry P. Ward as chancellor in 2000, was the inaugural recipient, followed by Daniel W. Rahn, M.D., who succeeded Wilson in 2009. Patterson has served as chancellor since June 1, 2018.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson praised Patterson's accomplishments since he joined UAMS.
Patterson thanked Gov. Hutchinson, who attended with his wife, Susan, as well as University of Arkansas System President Donald R. Bobbitt, Ph.D., for bringing him and his family to Arkansas. Patterson thanked his wife, Kris Patterson, M.D., their children Celia, Anna and Graham, and his mother Audrey, who were seated in the front row. He also thanked a host of mentors, friends, extended family members, legislators, the UA Board of Trustees and each of his predecessors as chancellor.
Bobbitt presided over the investiture ceremony, held in the Fred W. Smith Conference Center at the UAMS Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.
Bobbitt and John Goodson, chairman of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, presented Patterson with the chair medallion.
In a video message, Nancy DeMore, M.D., professor of surgery and medical director of the breast program at the Medical University of South Carolina, credited Patterson as a strong mentor who helped advance her career as a physician scientist.
Friend and mentor Michael E. Mendelsohn, M.D., executive chairman of Cardurion Pharmaceuticals and adjunct professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, offered his congratulations to Patterson and UAMS.
The chair is named for Harry P. Ward, M.D., UAMS chancellor from 1979 to 2000, who is remembered as a giant in the history of health care and higher education in Arkansas. Ward led UAMS' transformation from a small medical school with a charity hospital into a health sciences university and research leader, with an annual economic impact in Arkansas of more than $4.5 billion. His wife, Betty Jo, attended Patterson's investiture.
An endowed chair is among the highest academic honors a university can bestow on a faculty member. A distinguished chair is established with gifts of at least $1.5 million, 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 are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields.
The Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation provided the lead gift of $1 million for the chancellor's distinguished chair, with support from other donors reaching $2.5 million. The chair provides funding for the UAMS chancellor to use in recruiting faculty and administrators of the greatest possible caliber and vision.
In his first year as chancellor, Patterson led efforts to trim a potential $72 million deficit to produce a balanced budget. In February, UAMS established the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation to increase health care access across the state through technology, one of Patterson's key priorities. Patterson has also worked alongside the governor and the Arkansas General Assembly to receive a commitment of at least $10 million in annual state support in UAMS' quest for National Cancer Institute designation for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
A renowned cardiologist, Patterson earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Vanderbilt University, his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School of Business.