AHEC Hires New Director

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced on April 17 that it had hired Dr. Robert R. Gullett Jr. as the new director for the Area Health Education Center in Northwest Arkansas.

AHEC-NW, which has an office in Fayetteville, in addition to a family medical clinic in both Fayetteville and Springdale, acts as a regional campus of UAMS.

Gullett comes to the Fayetteville AHEC from Pine Bluff, where he had a private practice as an orthopedic surgeon, in addition to serving as a volunteer faculty member at AHEC-Pine Bluff. Gullet has also served as medical director for Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff.

“All of my professional experiences have resulted in my strong belief in the importance of teamwork,” Gullett said in a released statement. “I will strive to build a unified workforce that shares a common vision for elevating the organization. My personal mission will be to ensure that AHEC-NW will be the AHEC that others strive to emulate.”

There are seven AHECs in the Arkansas AHEC system.

The director post has been vacant at the AHEC-NW office since Rick Guyton resigned June 2 after eight years in that position. Associate director Arlis Herriman resigned the same day.

Shortly after Guyton resigned, an internal audit revealed more than $300,000 in accounting irregularities.

Sterling Moore, associate director of administration for UAMS regional programs, served as AHEC-NW’s interim director. AHEC hired Peter Leer as the associate director in October 2005.