The chairman of the pediatrics department at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has been tapped to become executive vice chancellor and dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Dr. Steven Webber, who is also pediatrician-in-chief at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, will start in his new position at UAMS on March 1, according to a news release from UAMS.
Webber will be succeed Dr. G. Richard Smith, who has served as interim dean since January, following the death of Dr. Susan Smyth.
An "internationally renowned expert on solid organ transplantation in children," Webber has published over 230 peer-reviewed publications and is the co-author of three textbooks in the field of organ transplantation, according to UAMS.
He has served as president of the an international research consortium known as the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study and of the International Pediatric Transplant Association.
He has also served as chair of the Thoracic Committee of the United Network for Organ Sharing and has served on the board of directors of the American Society of Transplantation and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
"Dr. Webber is a remarkable physician, researcher and administrator who has accomplished wonderful things at Vanderbilt," Dr. Cam Patterson, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health, said in the news release. "I look forward to working with him as we accomplish great things at UAMS."
Born in London, Webber graduated first in his class from the University of Bristol Medical School. He completed his internal medicine residency at University Hospitals of Leicester in England, his pediatric residency at University Hospital Nottingham and John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and pediatric cardiology fellowships at the University of British Columbia and B.C. Children's Hospital and at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Prior to joining Vanderbilt in 2012, Webber served as chief of the division of pediatric cardiology, co-director of the Heart Institute, and medical director of the Thoracic Transplantation Program at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
"I look forward to working with the UAMS community to advance the clinical, educational and discovery missions of the university, and to share in the common goal of improving the health and well-being of all those living in Arkansas and the surrounding region," Webber said in the news release.
Webber was selected after a nationwide search, Stephanie Gardner, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at UAMS, said in the news release.
"I know he will accomplish great things here," she said.
Webber will earn an annual salary of $925,000 at UAMS, a UAMS spokeswoman said. She said Smith's annual salary as interim dean was $725,000, which was also Smyth's annual salary as dean.
Webber is married to Jennifer Hill, a nonprofit education leader in Nashville, Tenn., according to the UAMS release. The couple collectively raised four children: Hannah, Katie, Lev and Eliana.
My Ly is a Report for America Corps member.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified Dr. Steven Webber.
Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.