Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) celebrated the investiture of Gregory Albert, M.D., M.P.H., FAANS, FACS, FAAP, as recipient and steward of the Lee and Bob Cress Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurosurgery on November 12 on the campus of ACH.
Dr. Albert is an Associate Professor in the UAMS College of Medicine who practices at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He is the Section Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at ACH and is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at UAMS.
This brand-new chair was established through gifts from Lee and Bob Cress and the Riggs Benevolent Fund, and honors Lee and Bob Cress’ legacy of more than 50 years’ service to Arkansas Children’s. Lee is a lifetime member of the ACH Auxiliary, and Bob served on the governance boards for Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Arkansas Children’s Foundation.
“This chair honors Lee and Bob Cress’ legacy of leadership, volunteerism and their unyielding commitment to champion children. We are proud to recognize Dr. Albert’s commitment to advance children’s health and pediatric neurosurgery at Arkansas Children’s,” said Marcy Doderer, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s. “Dr. Albert continuously demonstrates his commitment to providing excellent and compassionate care for our patients and their families.”
Endowed chairs provide Arkansas Children’s and UAMS the ability to recruit and retain top leaders in the medical field who can provide the best care for patients. An endowed chair or professorship remains one of the highest honors that UAMS and Arkansas Children’s can bestow on its most distinguished physicians. Those named to a chair are among the most highly regarded scientists, practitioners and professors in their fields.
“We are pleased to honor Dr. Albert and invest in his abilities to transform health care for children,” said UAMS Chancellor Dr. Cam Patterson.
Dr. Albert received his medical degree and Master of Public Health from Tufts University in 2003. He was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society while at Tufts. He then completed neurosurgery residency and a one-year fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. During his time at Iowa, he was awarded a Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health. He received additional fellowship training in pediatric neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. He is certified by both the American Board of Neurological Surgery and the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery.
Following completion of his training in the summer of 2011, Dr. Albert joined the Division of Neurosurgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Department of Neurosurgery in the UAMS College of Medicine. He practices the full range of pediatric neurosurgery with a particular interest in the surgical management of epilepsy. He has published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles.
Dr. Albert is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons, the AANS/ CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS), a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), and a Specialty Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP).
About Arkansas Children’s
Arkansas Children’s, Inc. is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas’ 710,000 children, giving the organization a unique ability to shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas and transform the health of children throughout the region. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs. Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state’s only burn center; the state’s only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons; and the state’s only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in five pediatric subspecialties (2019-2020): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Pulmonology. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, opened in Springdale in early 2018. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and Northwest Arkansas’ only pediatric emergency department, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children’s since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can fundamentally transform the health of children in Arkansas and beyond. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.
About UAMS
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven 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 and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise including its hospital, regional clinics and clinics it operates or staffs in cooperation with other providers. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report named UAMS Medical Center the state’s Best Hospital; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide; and named six areas as high performing — cancer, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery. UAMS has 2,727 students, 870 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.