Administration

The College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has held a unique, vital role in Arkansas for more than 130 years. As the state’s only medical school, we train the majority of Arkansas’ physicians. Our outstanding faculty members are on staff at UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers and numerous other clinics and facilities providing services throughout the state of Arkansas and for patients from around the world.

Many of our basic sciences faculty members also hold appointments in the UAMS Graduate School, teaching tomorrow’s scientists. And with a vibrant, world-class research enterprise that emphasizes multidisciplinary collaboration, the College of Medicine’s researchers and clinicians serve on the forefront of medical advances.

Learn more about the College of Medicine’s faculty, students and programs in Fast Facts.

Debra H. Fiser, M.D.
Dean

Debra H. Fiser, M.D., has devoted her career to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the College of Medicine. She has been dean of the College of Medicine and vice chancellor of UAMS since September 2006, after having served 11 years as professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics.

Dr. Fiser was born in Newport and grew up in West Memphis. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and received her medical degree from the UAMS College of Medicine in 1977. Dr. Fiser completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine and a critical care medicine fellowship at the University of Florida College of Medicine. She achieved board-certification in pediatric critical care medicine in 1987.

Dr. Fiser joined the faculty of the College of Medicine in 1981. One of her earliest achievements was to start UAMS’ Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Section and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). In 1995 she was appointed chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UAMS and chief of pediatrics at ACH. She holds academic appointments at the rank of professor in the departments of Pediatrics, Anesthesiology and Psychiatry.

Since becoming dean, Dr. Fiser has introduced numerous initiatives to strengthen the College of Medicine’s educational, clinical and research programs. She has made quality improvement and patient-centered care a priority for the College of Medicine and is currently focused on enhancing the ambulatory operation. In 2008, she launched a free-standing Genetics Division, as well as a new Division of Biomedical Informatics, a reflection of the rapidly changing world of medicine and science. She oversaw the opening of a branch campus of the College of Medicine in Northwest Arkansas in 2009 with concurrent expansion of the class size. And she has championed enhancements in teaching in the clinical years. In addition, Dr. Fiser has initiated magnet programs to foster collaboration among basic science researchers, clinical investigators and physicians to speed the translation of discoveries into better medical care. Multidisciplinary teams of clinicians and scientists have been established in several areas, including cardiovascular research and treatment, the neurosciences, nanomedicine, trauma, inflammation, personalized medicine, and the comparative effectiveness of medical treatment options.  

Dr. Fiser is past president of the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs and of the pediatric section of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. She is a member of the American Board of Pediatrics and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the American College of Chest Physicians. She is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research and the prestigious American Pediatric Society.

She has won numerous national, state and campus awards, including the Women in Medicine Silver Achievement Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. She helped found the UAMS Women’s Faculty Development Caucus in 1989 and was awarded the group’s inaugural Outstanding Woman Faculty Award in 2001.

Lawrence E.Cornett, Ph.D.
Executive Associate Dean for Research
UAMS Vice Chancellor for Research

Lawrence E. Cornett, Ph.D., a professor of physiology and biophysics, joined the faculty in 1980 after receiving his doctoral degree in physiology from the University of California, Davis and completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco. He has served as executive associate dean for research and UAMS vice chancellor for research since 2007. As director of the Arkansas INBRE program and past director of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Dr. Cornett has expanded and strengthened the state’s biomedical research infrastructure by developing a multidisciplinary research network, improving access to new technologies and enhancing science-based economic development.

Dr. Cornett continues to direct an active research laboratory focused on the role of beta2-adrenergic receptors in pulmonary function and the hormonal regulation of stress responses at the level of the anterior pituitary gland. He is active in national organizations that support biomedical research, including the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) GRAND Steering Committee, and is a member of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute Board and the EPSCoR/IDEA Foundation Board.

Charles W. Smith, M.D.
Executive Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs

Charles W. Smith, M.D., completed his residency training in family medicine. He previously was a family practice residency director and served as president of the American Board of Family Practice from 1991 to 1996. He came to UAMS as executive associate dean for clinical affairs and medical director for University Hospital.

Dr. Smith is co-editor in chief of the Journal of Participatory Medicine, an online, peer-reviewed Journal. Dr. Smith’s medical practice includes a diagnostic clinic for complex patients as well as a panel of patients for whom he provides primary care. His clinical interests include use of the internet to improve health care, fitness and lifestyle issues in preventive health and the psychosocial aspects of medical illnesses. He also serves in the family practice teaching program. As director of the Faculty Group Practice, Dr. Smith works to enhance patient care, patient satisfaction, coordination with referring physicians, information technology applications, risk management and practice development.

Richard P. Wheeler, M.D.
Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Fayetteville native Richard P. Wheeler, M.D., received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1972. Dr. Wheeler received his medical degree from the UAMS College of Medicine in 1976. Continuing at UAMS, he completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in nephrology. He is board certified in both specialty areas. Dr. Wheeler’s interest in medical education developed while directing the junior internal medicine clerkship. He joined the College's administration as Assistant Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education in 1987 and assumed his current post in 1989.

Dr. Wheeler is a past regional and national Chair of the Group on Student Affairs with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). His major interest outside of medicine is music. He played the saxophone in school, all the way through the Razorback Band in college. Dr. Wheeler currently serves on the Board of the Arkansas Symphony.

Susan Bell León, M.M.
Executive Associate Dean for Finance and Administration

Susan Bell Leόn received her bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Missouri and her Master of Music degree from Yale University. She became a certified public accountant in 1992 and joined the College of Medicine in 1993 as the research and clinical programs manager in the Dean’s Office. She became director of finance in 1997 and assistant dean for finance in 2003 before assuming her current post as associate dean for finance and administration in September 2011.

Among many contributions to the COM, Ms. Leόn has championed research initiatives across the enterprise, served as the primary liaison between the college and the campus on financial management and accounting-related issues, and been an integral part of campus and college budgeting, financial reporting, process redesign and operational problem solving.