James E. McDonald, M.D., Chair of the Department of Radiology, was formally invested in the Ernest J. Ferris, M.D., Chair in Diagnostic Radiology on March 27.
Endowed in 1998, the chair honors Dr. Ferris, who chaired the department from 1977 to 2008. Internationally known for his contributions to radiology, Dr. Ferris has received some of the field’s highest honors. At UAMS, he received the Caduceus Club’s Distinguished Faculty Award in 1996 and the Dean’s Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award in 2007.
“It goes without saying that receiving the Ernest J. Ferris Chair in Radiology is the highest honor of what’s now a pretty long career, and I’ll be forever grateful,” Dr. McDonald said. “Our more than 100 years of history in radiology at UAMS and the contributions of our founders, faculty, residents and alumni constitute a powerful legacy. It’s our privilege now to continue to build on those relationships that have made us so strong as we move into our second century.”
Dr. McDonald was in private practice in Little Rock for 27 years, serving in numerous clinical leadership posts and also as an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiology at UAMS from 2003 to 2006. He joined the faculty full time in 2010 as an Assistant Professor and Director of the Division of Nuclear Medicine. He has directed the Nuclear Medicine Residency Program since 2013. He was Interim Co-Vice Chair of Radiology from 2012 to 2014, when he was named Interim Chair. He was promoted to Associate Professor in July of 2016 and accepted appointment as Chair that November.
Dr. McDonald has championed implementing imaging decision support algorithms into the Epic electronic medical records system and led an effort to ensure appropriate use of mobile chest radiography. He was named both Director and Medical director of the Imaging Service Line in 2015. He also serves as Director of Nuclear Medicine and PET and, as an expert on the molecular imaging of multiple myeloma, serves as a consultant to the Myeloma Institute. He also assists in the integration of quantitative imaging and radiomics into research initiatives for the Department of Biomedical Informatics and chairs the Radiation Safety Committee.