The impact of UAMS |
We live in a small state. Dr. Lowry Barnes, chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and I have known each other since we were in high school in the 1970s. He was at Pine Bluff High School and was the state lieutenant governor for high school Key Clubs, which were sponsored by Kiwanis Clubs. I was chapter president at Arkadelphia High School.
Today is Barnes' 66th birthday.
I lost track of Barnes for a number of years after high school. While I pursued a career in journalism, Barnes earned a medical degree with honors from UAMS College of Medicine. He later completed his internship and residency there, then pursued advanced fellowship training at Brigham & Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, followed by the prestigious John N. Insall Traveling Fellowship and an orthopedic fellowship in Bern, Switzerland.
I came back to Arkansas in 1989 after almost four years as a Washington correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat. With a growing reputation as a surgeon, Barnes could have practiced anywhere in the world. But he also returned to Arkansas.
Barnes was born in Meridian, Miss.; his family moved to Pine Bluff when he was 11. He's the first person raised in Arkansas to be chosen as UAMS chancellor. He's also the first chancellor who's still practicing medicine.
"I gave up hip surgeries, but I'm still doing knees," Barnes said.
In spring 2023, I toured the new UAMS Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital (known as TOSH) with Barnes. The $85 million facility covers 158,000 square feet and has 10 operating rooms, 24 private rooms for overnight observations, and a separate section for pain management. The hospital was Barnes' idea.
"It has exceeded all expectations," he said of TOSH. "The culture is just incredible here. Our goal is to make it the best day it can possibly be for someone who really doesn't want to be here having surgery. Our patient numbers continue to grow. We have people coming from all over the country."
Barnes practiced for a number of years at Arkansas Specialty Orthopaedics, where he served for more than a decade as president and managing partner. He became one of the world's leading knee and hip surgeons. Barnes served as president of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, and remains active in orthopedic societies worldwide.
Barnes left Arkansas Specialty Orthopaedics to join UAMS in 2014 as professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. He has published more than 350 peer-reviewed articles and holds seven patents for orthopedic surgery devices and implants. His celebrity patients include the likes of former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw. You might remember UAMS television ads that featured Bradshaw.
During our 2023 TOSH tour, Barnes handed me his business card and told me to call if I ever needed anything. I stuck the card in my pocket and didn't think about it again until a few weeks later. I was in Atlanta for my son's law school graduation from Emory University when a pickup made a left turn into a crosswalk where I was walking and sent me flying. As soon as I got back to Little Rock, I was in Barnes' office as a patient.
Last June, Dr. Cam Patterson announced he would leave his job as UAMS chancellor after seven........