LITTLE ROCK – Bruce R. Smoller, M.D., an international leader in the study of skin diseases and chairman of the Department of Pathology in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was invested today as the inaugural Aubrey J. Hough Jr. M.D., Chair in Pathology.

Smoller is internationally known for his studies of the pathology of cutaneous malignant lymphoma and has held numerous national posts in his specialty. He is a professor of pathology and dermatology in the UAMS College of Medicine and director of the dermatopathology program. He became chairman of the department in January 2004.

Hough is a distinguished professor in the Department of Pathology who chaired the department for more than 21 years and served two terms as UAMS Medical Center chief of staff. Hough, a Little Rock native, is associate dean for translational research and special projects in the UAMS College of Medicine and was recently named the College of Medicine Distinguished Faculty Scholar – the highest honor a faculty member at the UAMS College of Medicine can receive. He is also chairman of the UAMS Bioterrorism Steering Committee.

The Hough Chair in Pathology is made possible through a gift of $1.5 million from the Marie Denise DeBartolo York Foundation. The gift also establishes the John and Denise DeBartolo York Chief Residency in Pathology.

“We are very grateful to Dr. and Mrs. York for their support of UAMS and this chair in honor of Dr. Hough, whose contributions have made an enormous impact on our institution and on the practice of medicine,” said UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D. “Their gift will not only help support the work of our faculty in the field of pathology through the Hough chair, but also will help us better prepare the pathologists of tomorrow through the establishment of the York Chief Residency in Pathology.”

“The generosity of John and Denise York will make it possible for us to continue our excellent clinical service, award winning residency-training program in pathology and resident-centered research endeavors,” said Smoller. “I am humbled to be the first recipient of this chair and especially since it is named for Aubrey Hough, one of the most brilliant physicians in his field.”

Denise DeBartolo York has received accolades as one of the most successful business women in the United States. She serves as chairman of The DeBartolo Corporation, a professional sports/entertainment and investment business, and oversees the corporation’s portfolio, including the five-time world champion San Francisco 49ers. John York doubles as president of the DeBartolo Corporation and handles the day-to-day operations of the San Francisco 49ers. A successful entrepreneur with a multi-faceted business and medical background, John York practiced Hematopathology through 1996, specializing in the diagnosis of leukemia and lymphomas.

According to John York, “Aubrey Hough, my pathology professor at the VA (Veterans Administration) Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., and close mentor, was instrumental in my decision to pursue and research the diseases that have such a tragic effect on our society. He’s a brilliant man, and by sharing his knowledge he is helping so many others.”

The UAMS Pathology Department provides residency training in surgical pathology, autopsy pathology, orthopedic pathology, dermatopathology, nephropathology, neuropathology, ultrastructural pathology, immunopathology and molecular biology, cytopathology and fine needle aspiration, laboratory hematology and hematopathology, immunology, blood banking and apheresis, special coagulation, cytogenetics and molecular pathology, pediatric pathology and forensic pathology.

An endowed chair is the highest academic honor that can be bestowed by a university on its faculty. A chair can honor the memory of a loved one or a person’s accomplishments. It is supported with designated gifts of $1 million or more.

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 more than 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 $4.1 billion a year.

UAMS centers of excellence are the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.