Charles A. Napolitano, M.D., Ph.D., Program Director
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Dr, Napolitano and his wife of almost 40 years, Maria Castro, Ph.D., are the proud parents of two sets of fraternal twins. Dr. Napolitano has been at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) since 1996 and has been involved with resident education as a Co-Residency Director (2000-2008). Since 2008, he has served as Program Director and over this time, has enjoyed the challenges of academic medicine and graduate education and has endeavored, with the help of many faculty members past and present, to train the next generations of anesthesiologists. Dr. Napolitano is most proud of the humanistic approach he has taken to leadership – a sentiment echoed by past residents and colleagues alike.
Dr. Napolitano attended Brown University for his undergraduate education and obtained a doctorate and medical degree from Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University. He attended the University of Florida for both his core Anesthesiology residency training and fellowship in CT Anesthesia. During his time at UAMS, his clinical and research interests have been in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia, an area of interest that has stemmed from his doctoral and post-doctoral years exploring aspects of cardiac physiology, biophysics, and biochemistry. He continues to serve as the Director of the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Division. Additional administrative experience during his tenure has included ten years of service as the Chief of Anesthesia at the John McClellan VA Hospital with the Central Arkansas Veterans Hospital System and serving the Anesthesia Alumni Association of Florida as President (2010-2012) and the Association of Anesthesiology Core Program Directors (AACPD) as Secretary, President-elect, President, and currently Past President over the past seven years.
Although Dr. Napolitano has thoroughly enjoyed his time here at UAMS, on June 30, 2023, he will step down as Program Director, while continuing with day-to-day teaching of cardiac residents in his role as Director of the Adult Cardiothoracic Division. For the last three years, Dr. Napolitano has been coaching Dr. Lide to assume his Program Director role. He has carefully planned the transition and is confident it will be smooth. UAMS and this Residency Program have been his life, and the residents, faculty, and all in the department have been his second family. He will be remembered for many wonderful things, most notably though, for hosting resident cardiothoracic journal clubs featuring his delicious homemade pizzas.
Dr. Napolitano said, “All will be missed, but the program is in good hands and the future looks bright…”.
Associate Program Directors
Riley Carpenter Lide, M.D.
Program Director-Elect
Medical School: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Residency: University of Texas Southwestern
Candidate for MHPE 2023: NYU Langone
Dr. Lide is originally from rural Alabama. Out of high school, she was accepted to the Early Medical School Acceptance Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she obtained her undergraduate and medical degrees. She then completed her residency training in Dallas at the University of Texas Southwestern. Following residency, she moved to Little Rock where she has been faculty for the past five years. Dr. Lide has done grant-supported work to reduce opioid consumption in ambulatory thyroid patients as well as an NIH-funded pilot study with the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute working to study the impact of ketamine infusions on smoking cessation. She is enrolled in a Master’s in Health Professions Education program through NYU and Maastricht University, which she will complete in June 2023. Currently, her thesis work is focused on the implications of the American Board of Anesthesiology’s Basic Examination. Clinically, Dr. Lide specializes in providing care for high-acuity, complex patients as a member of the liver transplant team. She is also a member of the regional team and considers bedside teaching one of her favorite aspects of the job. This past year she received an early promotion to Associate Professor for her clinical and academic work. For the last three years, Dr. Lide has served as an Associate Program Director during which time she has worked hand-in-hand with Dr. Napolitano in preparation for her transition into the Program Director role in July of 2023. Her husband Thomas is a FedEx pilot and they have a two-year-old toddler named Logan. Naturally, they enjoy traveling and exploring local cuisine together as a family.
Shannon Dare, M.D.
Associate Program Director for Curriculum Development
Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Residency: Vanderbilt University
Dr. Shannon Dare is a native Arkansan from Hot Springs who has found her way back to Arkansas time and time again. After pursuing an undergraduate English Degree at the University of Virginia, she returned to Little Rock and attended the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for medical school. After completion of medical school, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee for an anesthesiology residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Shortly after graduation, Dr. Dare moved back to Little Rock and began her career as faculty at UAMS in 2016, and she was promoted to Associate Professor of Anesthesiology in 2022. Since starting at UAMS, Dr. Dare has been a central member of the clinical team inside the operating room as well as an active leader outside the operating room. Her clinical interest includes anesthesia for liver transplantation. Her participation in the residency program began in 2019 as an Associate Program Director of Curriculum and since then she has developed numerous educational initiatives. She is most proud of her work co-creating and annually leading the anesthesia Bootcamp at the end of the intern year as well as organizing active learning each week through the anesthesia didactics program for resident education.
Dr. Dare lives in Little Rock with her husband, Ryan Dare, who also works at UAMS as an Infectious Disease Specialist. They share 3 children, Baker, William, and AnnaJane, who take up every minute of their time outside the hospital.
Kyle Stoner, M.D.
Associate Program Director for Operations and Professional Development
Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Residency: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Dr. Kyle Stoner is a lifelong Arkansan, originally from Cabot, AR. He attended the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for medical school, graduating in 2015. Following graduation, Dr. Stoner continued at UAMS for his anesthesiology residency where he discovered his passion for obstetric anesthesia. After residency, he spent two years as faculty at the University of Iowa while his wife, Dr. Ashley Stoner, completed her fellowship in Allergy and Immunology. While at the University of Iowa, Dr. Stoner became a member of the obstetric anesthesia division and served as the resident education director for the division. He and his family returned to Little Rock in the summer of 2021.
Since returning to UAMS, Dr. Stoner has continued to pursue his clinical interests in obstetric anesthesia, and, in the fall of 2022, joined the residency program office. He is passionate about resident development and looks forward to the opportunity to help prepare our residents for their careers beyond residency.
Dr. Stoner and his wife currently live in Little Rock with their two daughters, Evelyn and Caroline. They love spending time on Lake Ouachita in the summer and cheering on the Razorbacks in the fall!