LITTLE ROCK – Robert D.B. “Jake” Jaquiss, M.D., of Milwaukee has been named director of the pediatric cardiovascular program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine and at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

He is now an associate professor of surgery and senior cardiothoracic attending physician at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Jaquiss’ practice has focused on neonatal cardiac surgery, pediatric cardiac surgery, including transplantation, and the surgical care of adults with congenital heart disease.

“Dr. Jaquiss is recognized as a national leader and an outstanding pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon who has pioneered multiple procedures for congenital heart disease surgery,” said UAMS College of Medicine Dean E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A. “We are thrilled that Dr. Jaquiss has accepted our offer and will join the UAMS faculty and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) staff on November 1.”

“We are absolutely delighted to have someone of Dr. Jaquiss’ caliber as part of our team,” said Jonathan Bates, president and CEO of ACH. “Our cardiovascular program is recognized as one of the top pediatric programs in the nation. Under Dr. Jaquiss’ leadership we will continue that tradition of excellence.”

Dr. Jaquiss will take the post held by Jonathan Drummond-Webb, M.D., who died last year. 

Reece and Bates thanked the search committee led by Michael Edwards, M.D., professor and chairman of the UAMS Department of Surgery, and Debra Fiser, M.D., professor and chairman of the UAMS Department of Pediatrics, for its dedication in locating the right person for the position.

“I wish to also thank the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Leadership Team and the ACH Cardiovascular Team for their hard work and commitment to excellence during this interim period,” Reece said.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Drs. Edwards and Fiser and the entire search committee for locating such a tremendous candidate as Dr. Jaquiss,” added Bates.

Jaquiss is a graduate of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in general surgery at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and his fellowship in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

His first academic appointment was in 1995 at the University of Miami, where he had an active practice in pediatric cardiac surgery and founded the adult and pediatric lung transplant programs. Later he was recruited to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, joining one of the top five programs in pediatric cardiac surgery in the country.

“We couldn’t be more excited about Dr. Jaquiss’ acceptance of this position and to have him as a member of our faculty in the UAMS Department of Surgery,” Edwards said. Arkansas Children’s Hospital is well known for its innovations in pediatric cardiovascular medicine and Dr. Jaquiss will bolster that reputation.”

Jaquiss is a member of numerous surgical societies and professional organizations, including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the 21^st Century Cardiac Surgical Society, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the Midwest Pediatric Cardiology Society. He has provided frequent reviews and invited commentary for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

He has published extensively in scientific literature and presented his work at national and international meetings. He also has served as principal investigator on several basic science and clinical research projects.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,200 students and 660 residents and is the state’s largest public employer with almost 9,000 employees. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.3 billion a year.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital is the comprehensive clinical, research and teaching affiliate of the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. UAMS pediatric faculty physicians and surgeons are on staff at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.