UAMS, Washington Regional to offer non-primary residency programs

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville have received accreditation to establish neurology and emergency medicine residency programs in Northwest Arkansas through their joint graduate medical education program.

According to a Wednesday (April 16) news release, these are the first non-primary care residences accredited in Northwest Arkansas by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The programs can begin recruiting residents this fall.

The initial two neurology and six emergency medicine residents will begin in July 2026. At capacity, the four-year neurology program will have eight residents, and the three-year emergency medicine program will have 18 residents.

“Northwest Arkansas is experiencing rapid population growth, increasing the demand for specialized medical care,” said Ryan Cork, vice chancellor of the UAMS Northwest Region. “Despite this growth, the region faces a shortage of neurologists and emergency medicine physicians, leading to longer wait times and limited access for patients. Expanding the number of specialists in the area is essential to meet current health care needs, improve patient outcomes and support the overall health infrastructure of our thriving community.”

According to the release, the neurology and emergency medicine programs are the first new residency programs accredited since the state’s PEER Joint Budget Committee unanimously approved $4.5 million for expanding graduate medical education at Washington Regional. The money will expand the UAMS/Washington Regional Graduate Medical Education Program by 26 medical residency and fellowship slots.

“The partnership between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Washington Regional provides residents with the benefits of being part of a health sciences university and opportunities to practice in a community hospital while caring for a diverse patient population,” said Larry Shackelford, president and CEO at Washington Regional. “Neurology residents will work alongside the multidisciplinary team at Washington Regional’s J.B. Hunt Transport Services Neuroscience Institute, which offers the region’s highest level of neurosciences care, while residents in the emergency medicine program will care for patients in one of the busiest emergency departments in the state as well as the region’s only level II trauma center.”

Washington Regional will be the primary clinical site for both residency programs. Other rotation sites for neurology residents are Arkansas Children’s Northwest, UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute Northwest, Encompass Health and MANA Sleep Medicine Clinic. The emergency medicine residents will also do pediatric rotations at Arkansas Children’s Northwest, an EMS rotation with Central EMS in Northwest Arkansas, and a pediatric intensive care unit rotation at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.

The UAMS/Washington Regional Neurology Residency Program is led by Program Director Dr. Jay Hinkle and Dr. Margaret Tremwel, associate program director. Both are adjunct assistant professors in the UAMS Department of Neurology, staff neurologists for the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation Stroke Program, and board-certified in neurology and vascular neurology. Hinkle and Tremwel are co-medical directors of Washington Regional’s Stroke Program.

The UAMS/Washington Regional Emergency Medicine Residency Program is led by Program Director Dr. Joel “Cam” Mosley and Dr. Ryan Mantooth, associate program director. Mosley is an associate professor in the UAMS Department of Emergency Medicine, while Mantooth is an adjunct assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Emergency Medicine. Both treat patients at Washington Regional.

The UAMS/Washington Regional Graduate Medical Education Program was created in 2021 after a 2019 study commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council identified a shortage of physicians in Northwest Arkansas. The study recommended expanding area graduate medical education programs to increase the number of doctors and expand access to health care. Since 2021, the UAMS/Washington Regional Graduate Medical Education Program has established 50 new residency positions, including 24 residency slots in internal medicine.

“Bringing more specialists to Northwest Arkansas is essential to meeting the needs of our growing region,” said Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council. “These new residency programs are the result of years of collaboration, guided first by our 2019 study and later by the Council’s Vision 2030 health care report. We’re grateful to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, state Sens. Jonathan Dismang and Missy Irvin, and state Reps. Lee Johnson and Nicole Clowney for securing the funding needed to expand the physician pipeline. The Council was proud to support this effort from the start and remains committed to building a stronger, more accessible health care system for the region.”