HJAR Sep/Oct 2020

60 SEP / OCT 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds University of Arkansas Board of Trustees and the boards of Arkansas Children’s and Baptist Health. Mercy Health Foundation Adds BoardMembers Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas has added three new members to its 24-member board of directors. Joining the board are Dr. Sonal Bhakta, vice president for medical affairs at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers; Chandra Holt, executive vice president and chief merchandis- ing and integration officer for Walmart.com in Bentonville; and Latriece Watkins, executive vice president of consumables for Walmart U.S. in Bentonville. The board also elected a new slate of officers. Chair is Pat Curran, former chief operating offi- cer, Walmart. Vice chair is Karen Parker, retired, Walmart Foundation. Treasurer is Tim Gossett, vice president, Walmart, Anheuser-Busch, and secretary is Susan Peacock, strategic advisor, Run- way Group. Immediate past president is Mary Zet- tle, director, perishables Walmart, General Mills. Additional board members are Sr. Lisa Atkins, Sister of Mercy, Mercy Health System; Kerry Bai- ley, vice president Walmart, enterprise business development, WestRock; Christy Blackshear, vol- unteer, Mercy Hospital Auxiliary; Ben Blakeman, president, Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry; Clark Elli- son, vice president, Mercy Health Foundation; Kelli Huntley, vice president, finance, Mercy Hos- pital Northwest Arkansas; Rick Kirk, JUUL; Chris O’Brien, director and client relationship execu- tive, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Eric Pianalto, president, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas; Loriane Pickell, senior counsel II, Tyson Foods Inc.; Eric Scott, business leader and philanthro- pist; Heather Shell, vice president of logistics, JB Hunt Transport; John Short, senior vice president and general manager, global Walmart Inc. team, PepsiCo; Reg Yarbrough, president, the Con- sumer Products Group LLC; and Kasie Yokley, co- founder, 3W Magazine. Board members serve as ambassadors for Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas and guide Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas in its pursuit of collaborative partnerships to enhance quality of life and strive toward making healthcare accessible for all. Arkansas Children’s, UAMS Announce Perkins as Chief of Pediatric Neurology Arkansas Children’s and the University of Arkan- sas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have named Freedom F. “Fred” Perkins, Jr., MD, as chief of pediatric neurology for both health systems. Per- kins, who also serves as an associate professor of Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine, will lead the Neuroscience Center at Arkansas Chil- dren’s, where he will also see patients, deliver- ing comprehensive pediatric care for neurolog- ical, brain, nervous system, and neuromuscular disorders. Perkins will serve as the director of the MEG lab- oratory at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, leading state-of-the-art brain mapping efforts for epilepsy, neurosurgery, and research. He most recently was the interim leader of the epilepsy program at Dell Children’s Medical Cen- ter in Austin, Tex., where he focused on children with epilepsy, autism, and developmental disor- ders. He also served as the director of the mag- netoencephalography (MEG) laboratory at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Perkins succeeds Greg Sharp, MD, who was appointed to chief medical officer of Arkansas Children’s Hospital in 2019. Sharp is also a pro- fessor of pediatrics at UAMS. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Perkins at the helm of our neurology center,” said Sharp. “His exper- tise, team-based approach to care, and passion for helping patients and their families achieve the highest quality of life is incomparable. He is an incredible asset to our unyielding commitment to making children better today and healthier tomorrow.” Perkins was led to neuroscience through a com- bination of his own aspirations and environmental influences. His younger brother sustained a severe hypoxic brain injury as the result of a viral illness at 10 months old, which led to subsequent devel- opmental difficulties and seizures. This personal experience drove Perkins to pursue a career that might help his brother or others like him. “I love working in pediatrics, because I always start and end my day smiling – no matter how challenging,” said Perkins. “Children are at the center of everything at Arkansas Children’s. As the only hospital system in the state dedicated solely to caring for children, we have an oppor- tunity to shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas.” Perkins was previously an assistant professor of Sonal Bhakta, MD Chandra Holt Latriece Watkins