Eight students in the UAMS College of Medicine Class of 2026 matched into the field of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, an extraordinary accomplishment in one of medicine’s most competitive specialties.

The specialty offered only 370 residency positions nationwide for more than 550 applicants in 2026. The national match rate in the specialty fell to 67% during one of the toughest cycles on record. UAMS students matched at 100%.

The eight students represent nearly 4% of the UAMS College of Medicine graduating class — almost double the percentage typically seen at many top-tier medical schools nationwide.

UAMS faculty credit the success to years of intentional collaboration between the UAMS College of Medicine and the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery to create a structured support system that sets students up for success. This includes early exposure to the specialty through meaningful research, mentorship, and extensive clinical exposure at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s, and the Central Arkansas Veteran’s Healthcare System.

“We are incredibly proud of these students and the work they put in to reach this milestone,” said Gresham Richter, M.D., Chair of the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology “Matching eight students in a year this competitive speaks not only to their talent but also to the strength of the training environment and collaborative culture we’ve created at UAMS.”

Congratulations, Dr. Sara Peeples, UAMS neonatologist and associate professor of pediatrics, on being honored with the Willow Award for going above and beyond in the care of a family during their baby’s NICU journey.

In caring for our tiniest patients and educating our future pediatricians, Dr. Peeples exemplifies the qualities that make our faculty so special — clinical excellence, deep compassion, and an unwavering commitment to patient care.

Dr. Peeples graduated from med school at the College of Medicine and also completed residency and fellowship training at UAMS.

Watch her story in this feature from the Little Rock Fox station.

Director, University of Pittsburg Hillman Cancer Center
Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Affairs, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Member, National Academy of Medicine
UAMS College of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus

Since graduating from the UAMS College of Medicine in 1991, John Byrd, M.D., has built a distinguished career in cancer care, research, and education. He currently serves as director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hillman Cancer Center, one of the nation’s leading NCI-designated cancer centers.

An internationally recognized physician-scientist, Dr. Byrd has spent nearly three decades advancing the treatment of leukemias and other blood disorders. His work has fundamentally changed how physicians treat Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (ALL), helping move patients from decades-old chemotherapy regimens toward targeted therapies that are more effective and less toxic.

Dr. Byrd’s research accomplishments are extraordinary. He has authored more than 700 scientific publications, holds 23 patents, and leads a highly translational laboratory focused on drug development for CLL. He also serves as chief medical officer of the Beat AML^® Master Clinical Trial, a nationally recognized precision medicine initiative that is redefining treatment approaches for ALL.

Dr. Byrd is co-chair of the Leukemia Committee and Leukemia Correlative Science Committee in the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and a member of the NCI Leukemia Steering Committee.

Before joining UPMC Hillman, Dr. Byrd served as professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and chief of internal medicine at UC Health. Prior to Cincinnati, he spent more than two decades at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. As founding director of the Division of Hematology and holder of the D. Warren Brown Chair in Leukemia Research, he helped establish Ohio State as an international leader in leukemia research and treatment.

Dr. Byrd’s accomplishments have earned national and international recognition. In 2025, he received the Excellence in Scientific Service Award from Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) for his pioneering contributions that changed the standard of care for leukemia patients. That same year, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in health and medicine.

Dr. Byrd is a UAMS College of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus and a recipient of the Hendrix College Odyssey Medal for Research.

After graduating from UAMS, Dr. Byrd completed a residency in internal medicine and fellowship training in hematology, oncology, and bone marrow transplantation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, followed by advanced translational laboratory training at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Byrd’s career exemplifies the impact a UAMS College of Medicine graduate can have on medicine, science, and patient care. Through innovation, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to improving lives, he continues to help shape the future of cancer treatment worldwide.

May 21, 2026 | Veteran neurologist and UAMS COM alumnus Lee Archer, M.D., was honored for his contributions over 40 years to neurological research, clinical care, and patient access to care in a ceremony at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) that also highlighted an endowed research fund established in his and his late wife’s names.

“Tonight, we’re gathering to honor a remarkable legacy of service, leadership, and compassion, and to celebrate a future built on that foundation,” said Rohit Dhall, M.D., who became chair of the UAMS Department of Neurology in 2023 after Archer, who held the position for seven years, stepped down to focus more on his patients.

A professor and leader in the field of neurology in Arkansas who has been on faculty at UAMS for 40 years, Archer announced at the May 4 event in the Fred Smith Auditorium that he plans to retire next year.

“Dr. Lee Archer is a distinguished leader, clinician, educator, advocate, mentor — I could go on — whose career has profoundly shaped medicine in Arkansas,” Dhall said. “Lee has been an exemplar of UAMS’ mission, providing world-class clinical care to patients with multiple sclerosis while developing generations of physicians and advancing neurological care and delivery, and research and education, right here.”

An Arkansas native who attended medical school and completed his residency at UAMS, Archer founded the UAMS Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Service in 1987. Later designated a Center for Comprehensive MS Care by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, it provides state-of-the-art care for patients across the state and beyond.

Archer has served in numerous leadership roles within UAMS and across the state, including being president of the Arkansas Medical Society. Among his many awards are the UAMS Dean’s Distinguished Award, the Pulaski County Medical Society’s President Award, and the Arkansas Medical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, all of which Dhall described as “honors reflecting both his achievement and the deep regard from his peers, not only for clinical excellence but for compassion, integrity and humanity.”

“He and Mrs. Archer were pivotal in recruiting me to Arkansas,” Dhall told the audience, which included Archer’s brother and sister, UAMS employees, and members of the community, including several of Archer’s patients.

Archer’s wife, Nancy, a retired schoolteacher, died Jan. 18. The couple was married 48 years, five months and five days.

Dhall said the Nancy and Lee Archer Endowed Research Fund honors Lee Archer’s legacy and “Mrs. Archer’s steadfast support of both our department and neurological research at UAMS,” and provides vital seed funding for neurology subspecialties, including MS research.

The fund was established with a $100,000 gift from Patti Bailey of Little Rock, whose two daughters have MS and are patients of Archer’s. Bailey established the fund when Archer, then the department chair, told her about the need to fund research until larger NIH grants can be secured.

Most large grants for neurological research come from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which requires preliminary research to justify a larger grant. Preliminary research is usually funded internally by a seed grant — such as the typical $30,000 grants that the department chair gives each year to three of its nine subspecialties.

On Dec. 10, 2024, Bailey spoke about the impact that the MS care team at UAMS has had on her daughters, saying, “Dr. Archer and team gave my girls their lives back.”

She and one of her daughters were among four people who recorded video testimonials that were shown to the audience or spoke onstage on May 4 to illustrate the impactful personal care that Archer has provided his patients.

Dhall said the fund has so far received 73 gifts totaling $1.27 million, including $372,523 cash gifts in hand, and that another donor has committed to providing a matching gift of up to $250,000, to help the fund reach its $2.2 million goal.

One of the planned gifts included in the total is from Lee and Nancy Archer, who committed an estate gift of $900,000 to ensure that critical resources needed to advance import neurological research at UAMS are available in the future. Other philanthropic gifts include a generous contribution from Robert C. East and family, a longtime friend who has supported UAMS since 1998.

The goal of the fund, Archer told the audience, is “to be able to fund seed money for research, and if it’s an endowed fund, then it goes on forever. And that’s what we want. As Nancy and I talked about what I can leave, what we could leave as a legacy, I said I’d like for our estate, at least part of it, to go to this fund, because this will allow the department to expand research.”

“It’s a proven way to increase research funding,” he added, “and so this is what I wanted my legacy to be, is to endow this fund for all of the future.” He said that when he retires, “the cupboard is not going to be bare for MS. We’re going to be in good shape going forward.”

Archer reminisced about his wife from the lectern, calling her “fun” while “keeping the books” at home, being the family vacation planner, and helping him recruit top talent to UAMS. He said she always made sure that the children of faculty members had a present for the holidays, trained a therapy dog and took her to visit veterans, participated in an Alzheimer’s respite program at church, and was a master gardener, among other things.

He remembered that when he was trying to recruit Dhall to Arkansas, “she made sure he had cookies to take back to his kids and help seal the deal.”

Archer called himself “blessed” to have the job, co-workers, and patients he has had over the last 40 years, adding, “A lot of people think it’s a one-way street” with his patients, “but it’s not. It’s very much a two-way street. I see so much love between families, and it inspires me. I see courage, and that inspires me. I see determination.”

The audience also heard from Andrew James, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and neurology who directs the Helen L. Porter and James T. Dyke Brain Imaging Research Center at UAMS, and listened to a video recorded by Tatiana Wolfe, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at UAMS who works in the research center, about the kinds of research being done at the center.

Feb. 5, 2026 | The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas today approved the selection of C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as the next chancellor of the state’s only academic health sciences center.

Barnes, founding director of The Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital at UAMS, became interim chancellor of UAMS in July and was selected as one of four finalists in a national search for the position in December.

The UA Board approved University of Arkansas System President Jay B. Silveria’s recommendation of Barnes during a specially called meeting today held virtually and in-person at the UA System – Cammack Campus.

“Dr. Barnes’ distinguished career and service to UAMS and the health profession have earned him the respect and admiration of many people in this state and nationally, and certainly within the ranks at our state’s only academic medical center,” Silveria said. “He is driven by a sincere desire to see UAMS succeed and ultimately to make a positive difference for health care across our state. I look forward to working with him to set UAMS on a strategic path to long-term success in each of its core mission areas of education, research and patient care.”

Barnes is a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in joint reconstruction and replacement surgery of the hip and knee. He joined UAMS in 2014 as professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. In 2017, he was invested in the Carl L. Nelson, M.D. Distinguished Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery. He also serves as the director of the Musculoskeletal Service Line at UAMS Health. Barnes is founding director of The Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital at UAMS, a hospital located on UAMS’ Little Rock campus that brings world-class orthopaedic, spine and pain experts together under one roof to provide the best possible care focused on achieving the best possible results. The Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital opened in 2023.

“In the six months I’ve had the pleasure of serving as interim chancellor, two things really stood out — the opportunity to work with such an outstanding executive leadership team, and the level of commitment shown by the more than 12,000 members of the UAMS family,” Barnes said. “Given this opportunity to continue in a permanent role, I am most excited about being a part of the significant growth and transformation we are planning for our institution. This begins with a modification in culture so that UAMS becomes known for exceptional hospitality and service as we put patients, families and guests first in everything we do. I am humbled by this opportunity to work with President Silveria, the Board of Trustees and the entire UAMS family to improve health and health care delivery across our state through clinical care, discovery and education.”

Widely recognized as one of the foremost joint replacement experts in the world, Barnes has made substantial contributions to research focused on the hip and knee, having published more than 350 peer-reviewed articles. He lectures nationally and internationally on total joint replacement surgery and holds seven patents for orthopaedic surgery devices and implants.

After graduating with honors from the UAMS College of Medicine, Barnes remained at UAMS for his internship and residency in orthopaedic surgery. He completed an Adult Reconstructive Surgery and Arthritis Surgery Fellowship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston. He was then selected to participate in the prestigious John N. Insall Traveling Fellowship as well as an AO/ASIF (Association for the Study of Internal Fixation) Adult Orthopaedic Fellowship at Inselspital in Bern, Switzerland.

Barnes went into practice as a joint replacement surgeon at Arkansas Specialty Orthopaedics, later becoming its president and managing partner for more than a decade. He’s held numerous leadership roles in professional societies, including serving as the president of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS). He has also served as president of the Society for Arthritic Joint Surgery, the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association, the Southern Orthopaedic Association, and the Arkansas Orthopaedic Society.

Barnes is actively involved in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, (AAOS) Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons, and the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty. He is also a member of prestigious Knee Society and Hip Society and serves on the editorial boards of many scientific journals.

About the University of Arkansas System (www.uasys.edu)
Since its inception, the University of Arkansas System has developed a tradition of excellence that includes the state’s 1871 flagship, land-grant research university; Arkansas’s premier institution for medical education, treatment and research; a major metropolitan university; an 1890 land-grant university; two regional universities serving southern and western Arkansas; eight community colleges; two schools of law; a presidential school; a residential math and science high school; and a 100 percent-online university and divisions of agriculture, archeology and criminal justice. As the premier higher education system in the state, it enrolls more than 70,000 students, employs more than 27,000 employees, and has a total budget of more than $4 billion. An intrinsic part of the texture and fabric of Arkansas, the UA System is a driving force in the state’s economic, educational and cultural advancement.

Nov. 7, 2025 | LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine invested Tim Langford, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Urology in the College of Medicine, in the Steven K. Wilson Endowed Chair in Prosthetic Urology during an Oct. 28 ceremony.

“This is a tremendous honor for me, and I want to thank the many people who have supported me through my journey, especially my family,” said Lanford. “The opportunity to return to UAMS is an exciting endeavor — the work that is being done and will be done in the Department of Urology will empower UAMS and greatly serve the people of Arkansas.”

Langford practices general urology with an emphasis on prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, male voiding dysfunction and robotic surgery.

“I want to congratulate Dr. Langford on this tremendous honor for which he is certainly deserving,” said C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., UAMS interim chancellor and professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. “Further, he has been a force in advancing cutting-edge urological practices for the benefit of Arkansas and beyond. Tim, you should be very proud of what you have accomplished, and I’m happy to celebrate with you today.”

Endowed chairs are the highest honors of academic excellence that a university can bestow upon its faculty. A professorship is established with gifts of at least $500,000, which are invested and the interest proceeds used to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the chair holder. Those named to a chair or professorship are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians and professors in their fields.

The chair was established in 2005 with a lead gift from Steven K. Wilson, M.D., FACS, and his wife Barbara Wilson. Additional philanthropic funds were donated by numerous individuals, corporations and foundations to advance the work of the chair. Wilson is a former UAMS professor of urology who devoted his professional career and clinical research to the medical and surgical treatment of erectile dysfunction and male incontinence. Wilson completed his undergraduate work with honors at Yale University and received his medical degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He served his urology residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Wilson currently serves as a urologist at the Institute for Urologic Excellence in La Quinta, California.

“Endowed chairs help us recruit and retain world-class educators, scientists and clinicians, and they support the vital work and vision of the faculty who hold them,” said Steven Webber, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine and UAMS executive vice chancellor. “We are delighted to celebrate the philanthropic spirit that made this chair possible, and we are pleased to honor Dr. Langford for his outstanding service and leadership.”

Langford received his Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and graduated from medical school at UAMS in 1988. Langford completed his urology residency at UAMS in 1993 and then joined Arkansas Urology, where he practiced for 28 years prior to returning to UAMS. While at Arkansas Urology, he served as president and medical director.

Since 2004, he has performed more than 2,500 robotic surgeries for prostate disease, kidney cancer and urinary reconstruction. Additionally, he has participated in clinical trials focusing on prostate cancer biomarkers and novel agents for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

In addition to his clinical and administrative roles, Langford has served in multiple leadership capacities. He has been deeply involved with the Arkansas Urological Society, serving as secretary, treasurer and president. He served as chief of staff of Baptist Health-Little Rock from 2014 to 2015. Langford has also been very engaged in the South Central Section of the American Urologic Association, serving as treasurer, program chairman and president. Langford has also been very involved in civic affairs. He has served on the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Pulaski Academy Board of Trustees, the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation Advisory Board and the Arkansas State University System Board of Trustees.UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 1,015 medical residents and fellows. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.

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Nov. 4, 2025 | Arkansas native Chad E. Cragle, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as a surgical oncologist specializing in the treatment of cancers of the liver, pancreatic and biliary system.

A board-certified surgeon, Cragle also serves as assistant professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology in the UAMS College of Medicine.

Cragle returns to UAMS from the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he completed a fellowship in complex general surgical oncology and hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery — a highly specialized field focused on cancers and diseases of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts.

In addition to cancer treatment, Cragle performs gallbladder removals and surgical treatment of benign diseases of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas. He also treats a wide range of solid cancers including gastric, neuroendocrine, sarcoma, melanoma and other skin cancers.

Cragle completed a residency in general surgery at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. He earned both his medical and doctoral degrees from UAMS, where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

A native of Calico Rock, Arkansas, Cragle received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Arkansas Tech University before beginning his medical training at UAMS.

“Cancers of the liver, pancreas and biliary system are complex, and unfortunately, increasing in incidence,” said Sonia Orcutt, M.D., director of Surgical Oncology for UAMS Health and associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine. “Having Dr. Cragle’s advanced expertise in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery right here in Arkansas means patients can receive the highest level of care right here at home. We’re thrilled to welcome him back to UAMS and to the state.”

Cragle sees patients in the UAMS Surgical Oncology Clinic at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and is accepting new patients. For appointments, please call 501-296-1200.UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 1,015 medical residents and fellows. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.

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Oct. 22, 2025 | LITTLE ROCK — Bradley Houston, M.D., a board-certified urologist, has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Urology as an assistant professor.

Houston comes to UAMS from Arkansas Urology in Conway.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Brad Houston join UAMS Urology,” said Tim Langford, M.D., director of the department. “Dr. Houston is a graduate of UAMS and brings a wide range of skills and knowledge to our department. His versatility will be valuable for our patients as he has expertise in kidney stone surgery, enlarged prostate (BPH), prostate cancer and robotic surgery.”

After earning his medical degree at UAMS in 2017, Houston completed a general surgery internship, followed by a urology residency, at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

Before medical school, Houston earned a Master of Public Health degree, also at UAMS, preceded by a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Houston is accepting new patients at the UAMS Urology Clinic in the Premier Medical Plaza building at 10915 Rodney Parham Road. Call 501-686-6324 to make an appointment.UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 1,015 medical residents and fellows. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.

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