UAMS appoints new director for family medicine residency program in Northwest Arkansas

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) announced Friday (April 10) that Dr. Michael Macechko will be the new program director for its family medicine residency program in Northwest Arkansas.

The appointment is effective July 1.

A board-certified family medicine physician, Macechko will be responsible for teaching residents and students in community hospital settings, as well as leading and developing the residency program’s curriculum. He will also be responsible for direct patient care and oversight of the UAMS family medicine clinics in Springdale and Fayetteville.

“Dr. Macechko’s appointment comes with strong support from his peer physicians within the family medicine program, local hospital leadership and residency educator leadership throughout UAMS,” Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., vice chancellor of the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville, said in a statement. “We are thrilled that he has accepted this position.”

A Fayetteville High School graduate, Macechko earned his medical degree from UAMS in 2009 and completed his family medicine residency in 2012 at the UAMS family medicine program in Northwest Arkansas. He then completed a two-year UAMS academic fellowship. His special interests are resident health and well-being, geriatrics, pediatrics, preventive care and chronic disease management.

In 2015, Macechko was appointed co-medical director of the Arkansas State Veterans Home in Fayetteville.

“As a product of UAMS and the Northwest Arkansas residency program myself, I am personally invested in the mission of UAMS,” Macechko said. “I am passionate about providing compassionate medical care and find great fulfillment in mentoring and coaching residents throughout their time in training. One of the greatest joys of teaching is witnessing residents become excellent physicians who will serve their communities and positively impact countless lives along the way.”

The UAMS family medicine residency program in Northwest Arkansas is one of seven family medicine residency training programs in Arkansas under the direction of UAMS Regional Campuses. In Northwest Arkansas, the program operates two family medicine clinics, one in Springdale and one in Fayetteville, which serve about 25,000 patients a year. The family medicine residency program in Northwest Arkansas, has 28 residents and is supported by two local hospital partners (Washington Regional and Northwest Health) and a multitude of community-based physicians. A total of 277 family practice physicians have trained in the Northwest Arkansas program.

“During his 10-year tenure with the residency program, Dr. Macechko has fostered excellent working relationships with residents, faculty, staff, administration and collaborative partners alike,” said Ron Cole, MBA, area director of UAMS Regional Campuses. “He has earned the respect and trust not only of the specialist colleagues with whom he works on a daily basis, but also the administrative teams at each of the community hospitals.”

“I also want to thank Dr. Ron Brimberry, who has served as interim program director and has shown steadfast leadership throughout that time,” Cole said. “I am very pleased that Dr. Brimberry will continue to serve as a faculty member in the family medicine program.”