Description
Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
Nationally Recognized. Rapidly Expanding, Academically Driven.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) seeks an accomplished, dynamic leader to serve as Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. Reporting to the Dean of the UAMS College of Medicine, the Chair will lead a nationally recognized orthopaedics program, free standing orthopaedic and spine hospital, $11.3 million COBRE research program and a rigorous ACGME accredited residency. The ideal candidate combines strategic vision with forward-looking leadership skills, including change management & adaptability, effective communication, mentorship& coaching, and business acumen.
The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
UAMS is designated as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Knee and Hip Replacement and Spine Surgery and is ranked by U.S. News & World Report in the Top 10% of hospitals for Orthopedics, Spinal Fusion, and Hip Fracture.
As the leading provider of orthopaedic care in Arkansas, orthopaedics faculty care for adult and pediatric patients at The Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital (TOSH) at UAMS, , Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital. Additional care is provided across 13 outpatient clinics in Little Rock, Conway, Pine Bluff, Springdale, Bentonville, and Fayetteville.
In addition to The Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital on the UAMS campus, the Department of Orthopaedics will also be opening The UAMS Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Fayetteville, AR, in June of 2027. This facility will hold 6 operating rooms and 10 inpatient rooms as well as specialty outpatient clinics, Therapy and Sports Performance clinic and the ability to do WALANT procedures. It will also host an advanced MRI suite. UAMS orthopaedic surgeons are the official orthopaedic and sports medicine providers to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks Athletics program.
The Department includes 54 orthopaedic clinical faculty (39 in Central Arkansas;15 in Northwest Arkansas), 6 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation faculty, and 19 research faculty. Clinical teams include: Foot and Ankle; Adult Reconstruction and Replacement; Hand and Upper Extremity; Orthopaedic Oncology; Orthopaedic Trauma; Pediatric Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine; Shoulder and Elbow; Sports Medicine Surgery; Primary Care Sports Medicine; and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Faculty members are academically productive, with 46 manuscripts published in the last year.
The Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital (TOSH) at UAMS
This freestanding four-story, 158,000 square-foot structure is dedicated entirely to orthopaedic surgery, comprehensive spine care, rehabilitation therapy, and pain management.
Key features include:
12 operating rooms and 24 inpatients rooms
Specialty clinic with 19,000 + visits annually
OrthoNow walk-in clinic
WALANT procedures
Robotic Spine Program
Advanced imaging suite
Bioskills lab and dedicated educational spaces
Faculty administrative offices, conference rooms
140 works of art by local and regional artists
Annual volume:
6,740 operating room cases
4,656 inpatient stays
6,761 outpatient therapy visits
6.233 pain clinic visits
5,659 pain procedures
The Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Northwest Arkansas
85,000 square feet
6 operating rooms
10 inpatient rooms
Specialty outpatient clinic space, including sports medicine
Therapy and Sports Performance outpatient clinics
WALANT procedures
Advanced MRI suite
Faculty administrative offices, conference rooms
Residency & Education Programs
Our highly competitive ACGME accredited five-year residency program includes 25 residents and boasts a 100% Part 1 board pass rate over the last ten years, reflecting our strong commitment to educational excellence and trainee success. Residents benefit from a comprehensive curriculum that blends didactic learning with early and progressive clinical responsibility. The program emphasizes a flipped classroom model supported by weekly conferences, journal clubs, case presentations, hands-on training in our simulation labs and a dedicated bioskills lab. Clinical training is distinguished by high patient volume and broad subspecialty exposure across three major hospital sites, allowing residents to develop technical skills early and refine them through graduated surgical autonomy. The department offers fellowships in Adult Reconstruction and Integrated Spine Surgery, as well as elective orthopaedic rotations for medical students.
The Center for Musculoskeletal Disease Research
The Center for Musculoskeletal Disease Research (CMDR) is a trans-departmental center supported by an NIH COBRE award to UAMS. The CMDR currently supports 24 faculty members at UAMS (17 PhDs, 2 MD/PhDs, and 5 MDs ) and 2 faculty members at University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UAF). Over the last 8 years, the CMDR has obtained $45.3M in federal support ($22.9M COBRE + $22.4M COBRE-supported investigators). The CMDR also maintains 4 research cores (the Genetic Models Core, the Histology, Biomechanics, and Human Tissue Core, the Bone Imaging Core, and the Bioinformatics Core). During the last 8 years, CMDR-supported investigators have published more than 220 peer-reviewed research papers.
Translational Research Institute (TRI)
The Translational Research Institute (TRI) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is one of 62 Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) in the United States. The CTSA was renewed for seven years of funding in July 2024 through a $32 million dollar award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health. The CTSA has a K12 award program that funds four early career faculty each year for two-year career development awards, as well as a T32 program that trains post-doctoral fellows in entrepreneurship through a collaboration with the Walton Business School of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. In addition, TRI serves as the home for clinical trials for all non-cancer studies conducted at UAMS. Currently TRI provides regulatory, financial, coordinator and recruitment support for over 140 active clinical trials, sponsored by the NIH or the pharmaceutical industry. TRI also provides support for bioinformatics, study design and statistics, community engagement, team science studios and training, pilot grants, grant-writing and development, and scientific communication. TRI is one of four campus sponsors of the UAMS Rural Research Network which places research coordinators in UAMS rural clinics to increase the engagement of rural patients in clinical research opportunities.
About UAMS
UAMS is Arkansas’ only comprehensive tertiary academic health center. The institution includes:
Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions & Public Health and the Graduate School
A 535-bed acute care hospital in Little Rock
The state’s only Adult Level 1 Trauma Center
Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions & Public Health
A Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Nine regional campuses across Arkansas
Eight institutes of excellence
A statewide clinical enterprise under UAMS Health
By the Numbers
11,000 + employees
1,200 + physicians
3,553 students
1,000 + residents and fellows
Arkansas’ largest public employer
Little Rock Metro Area
State capital city
Excellent public and private schools
Abundant affordable housing
Outdoor activities including hiking, biking, state parks, boating, camping
Cultural activities including Clinton Presidential Library, symphony, ballet, repertory theater, art museums, zoo
National airport served by Delta, American, Southwest, Frontier, United, Allegiant with easy connections to national and international hubs and non-stop flights to 17 cities
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
4301 W Markham Street, #550
Little Rock, AR 72205
medicine.uams.edu
Requirements
Qualifications
MD, DO or equivalent
Certification by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Academic rank eligibility per UAMS Promotion and Tenure criteria
National reputation for leadership in the specialty of orthopedics
Sustained academic productivity in research, education, quality, or orthopedic business models
Eligibility for Arkansas medical licensure
Application
Cover Letter
Curriculum Vitae
Email to [email protected]
