Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) celebrated the investiture of four physicians in a ceremony at CALS Ron Robinson Theater on April 26.
The honorees included Sid Dassinger, MD, FACS, FAAP, as a recipient and steward of the John Boyd Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery; David Kawatu, MD, MSc, as a recipient and steward of the Jane and Frank Lyon Endowed Chair in Pediatric Gastroenterology; Robert Lyle, MD, as a recipient and steward of the Rockefeller Endowed Chair for Children with Special Healthcare Needs; and Tamara Perry, MD, FAAP, FAAAAI, as a recipient and steward of the Dr. & Mrs. Leeman King Endowed Chair in Pediatric Allergy.
“Dr. Dassinger, Dr. Kawatu, Dr. Lyle, and Dr. Perry are wonderful examples of our unyielding commitment to excellence,” said Marcy Doderer, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s. “Each of these physicians plays an essential role in making Arkansas a safer and healthier place to be a child.”
Establishing endowed chairs provides Arkansas Children’s and UAMS the ability to recruit top leaders in the medical field who can provide the best care for patients.
“An endowed chair is the highest academic honor that a university can bestow on our distinguished medical leaders,” said Cam Patterson, MD, MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “It is an indication of the work that they have done to advance health care, and it is an investment in their productivity in the future.”
Dassinger, who is board-certified in general surgery and pediatric surgery, joined ACH and UAMS in 2007. He is professor and chief of the pediatric general surgery division in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, and he serves as director of the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s. Dassinger is also active in research and plans to expand research efforts in his division. He is a member of many professional societies, such as the American College of Surgeons, American Pediatric Surgical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Kawatu, a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist who joined ACH and UAMS in 2018, is professor of pediatrics and chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. His clinical work includes building a new program-based pediatric gastroenterology section, with a team of gastroenterologists and advanced practice nurses who work in clinics across the state of Arkansas. Kawatu is in constant pursuit to learn more about pediatric gastroenterology and serves as co-investigator or consulting investigator for several clinical research trials.
Lyle is a board-certified neonatologist and pediatrician at ACH and a professor of pediatrics at UAMS. He serves as medical director of the ACH Complex Care Program and the ACH High Risk Newborn Program. Since joining ACH in 1991, Lyle has been instrumental in improving patient care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). He also co-founded and co-developed, along with Patrick Casey, MD, the ACH Medical Home Program for Special Needs Children, which led to multiple publications and numerous awards.
Perry is chief of allergy and immunology and a clinician scientist researcher at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute. She also serves as medical director of telemedicine at ACH and as a professor of pediatrics at UAMS. Perry is a member of many professional societies, including a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics and in the American Academy of Asthma Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI). She was elected to the national AAAAI Board of Directors (2020–2024), where she also serves on the executive committee.