JUNE 7, 2005 | “It takes three pathologists to make a chair – but it lasts forever.”

That poignant observation was made May 4, as the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) invested the inaugural Aubrey J. Hough Jr. M.D. Chair in Pathology.

Bruce R. Smoller, M.D., an international leader in the study of skin diseases and chairman of the Department of Pathology in the UAMS College of Medicine, is the recipient of the chair. He is only the second dermatopathologist in the nation to hold a chair.

The majority of funding for the position came from a third pathologist, John York, M.D., who studied under Hough and practiced hematopathology through 1996, specializing in the diagnosis of leukemia and lymphomas. He and his wife, Denise DeBartolo York, donated $1.5 million to endow the chair.

William Hartmann, M.D., executive vice president emeritus of the American Board of Pathology, told the crowd at the investiture that he has known Hough for more than 30 years. “He is one of the smartest people I have ever known in my entire life,” he said.

“Folks in Arkansas are very blessed that Aubrey has planted himself here,” said John Tarpley, M.D., professor of surgery and program director for general surgery at Vanderbilt University and chief of general surgery and associate chief of surgical service, Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Health System, Nashville Division.

UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson said he is honored to have both Hough and Smoller on staff and pointed out that the UAMS Department of Pathology is considered one of the best in the nation.

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 chair 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. A Little Rock native, Hough 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 chair of the UAMS Bioterrorism Steering Committee and has been instrumental in obtaining federal funding for bioterrorism education programs.

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.

The Hough Chair in Pathology medal symbolizes Hough’s dedication to UAMS and the state of Arkansas, his decendancy from pioneers of the Arkansas Territory, his Native American ancestry and his concern for the continued well-being of the Native American people.

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.

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