New members named to Arkansas Colleges of Health Education board

The Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education has added four people to the board. The new members, elected by the current Arkansas Colleges of Health Education Board of Trustees, are Drs. R. Cole Goodman, of Fort Smith, Christopher Greer, of Fort Smith, Esther Tompkins, of Little Rock, and James Zini, of Mountain View, Ark.

“A venture as bold and as visionary as creating Arkansas' first College of Osteopathic Medicine requires a diverse board of trustees that possesses unique talents, broad experiences, and a commitment to serve,” John Taylor, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said in a statement. “The Board of The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education will prove to be one of our greatest resources as we improve the quality of life for thousands through medical education and training.”

Construction has begun on preparing the site at Chaffee Crossing in Fort Smith with an official groundbreaking to occur in the spring of 2015. The proposed medical school is planned to open in fall 2016 with a first cohort of approximately 150 students.

Goodman is the president/CEO of Mercy Clinics in Fort Smith and has been on the staff of St. Edward Mercy Medical Center since 1978. Goodman has also served as chief of surgery at Sparks Regional Medical Center and St. Edward Mercy Medical Center. He earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in 1973, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Goodman has served as the past president, and is a founding member of the Arkansas Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.

Greer practices at Cooper Clinic in Fort Smith, and received his D.O. degree from Des Moines University – College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1984 after receiving his bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. He is certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Ophthalmology. He is a past president of the Arkansas Osteopathic Medical Association, and is a Fellow of the American Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology and American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Tompkins is an associate professor of Pediatrics at UAMS and is the attending physician in Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. Tompkins earned undergraduate degrees from Greenville College and Northwestern University in Illinois, and received her Doctor of Osteopathy degree from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and is the current president of the Arkansas Osteopathic Medical Association.

Zini is a family practitioner in private practice in Mountain View. He holds medical licensure in Arkansas and Missouri and is Board Certified in Family Practice and Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy by the American College of Osteopathic Family Practitioners. He holds degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, and The University of Health Sciences/College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, Mo. He is a past president of the American Osteopathic Association, and the Arkansas Osteopathic Medical Association.

The new members will join a Board consisting of:
• John R. Taylor, CPA, Chair, senior vice president, Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc.;
• David Craig, Vice-Chair, investment advisor at October Wealth;
• Ronnie Hawkins, Secretary and Treasurer, retired president, Hawkins-Weir, Inc.;
• Mike Rappeport, Vice President, senior financial advisor, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America;
• Jeff Beauchamp, president, Bedford Camera and Video;
• Judy Boreham, Ph.D., retired higher education administrator;
• Benny Gooden, Ed.D., auperintendent, Fort Smith Public Schools;
• Jim Patridge, president, West/South Arkansas Division, BancorpSouth; and
• Karen Pharis, Co-owner, Pharis Broadcasting.