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UA System Names Two Finalists for UAMS Chancellor

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LITTLE ROCK (June 28, 2017) – Two finalists were selected today in the search for the next chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), and both will make visits in July.
University of Arkansas System President Donald R. Bobbitt named the finalists with the help of an advisory search committee. The finalists include:
  • A. Wesley Burks, M.D., executive dean of the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Danny O. Jacobs, M.D., executive vice president, provost and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas

“I’m extremely pleased with the progress we’ve made in the search for the next chancellor at UAMS,” Bobbitt said. “The high quality of our two finalists is a testament to both the outstanding work of our search committee and to the reputation UAMS has established as an institution making a positive impact at the state and national levels. These two individuals have the experience and leadership skills necessary to lead a major academic medical center, and I’m thrilled to invite them to campus to meet the students, faculty, staff and community stakeholders who serve as the lifeblood of our state’s leading medical institution.”

Both finalists will travel to Little Rock for two days of on-campus meetings with faculty, student leaders, administrators, members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas and others before traveling to Northwest Arkansas to meet with the leadership and key stakeholders at the UAMS-Northwest campus. Jacobs will visit July 16-19 and Burks will visit July 25-28.

The search is to replace Chancellor Daniel W. Rahn, M.D., who will retire on July 31 after eight years serving in the position.

“I’m deeply grateful to all the members of the search committee and to our search consultants with Isaacson Miller for their work on this effort thus far,” said Jeannette M. Shorey, M.D., chair of the advisory search committee and associate provost for faculty. “I’m confident that between these two finalists is the best person to serve as our next chancellor. I’m looking forward to the on-campus visits to get to know these exceptional individuals even better and to hear more about their vision for our institution. I also look forward to receiving input from the whole UAMS community and helping these candidates take a very good look at the opportunities they will have to help shape the future of UAMS and improve the health and healthcare of Arkansans.”

More information on the search, including resumes and cover letters for the finalists, is available on a UAMS site created to track the search’s progress.