The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has named Dr. James Y. Suen as the inaugural recipient of the Patricia and J. Floyd Kyser, M.D. Chair in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
An endowed chair -- the highest academic honor a university can bestow on faculty -- can honor a person's memory or accomplishments. It is supported with donations of $1 million, with the chair holder using the interest proceeds for research, teaching or service activities.
Suen's primary interests are the treatment of head and neck cancer and the management of vascular anomalies, for which he established a treatment team that is internationally known.
UAMS held a ceremony for Suen, 75, in the Sam Walton Auditorium of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute on May 12.
Suen, the son of immigrant parents who settled in Dermott, thanked and credited people who influenced his career, including Kyser, at the ceremony. Suen trained under Kyser as an otolaryngology resident in the 1970s.
"I was amazed at how fast and efficient he was," Suen said. "I would watch him do six or seven operations and be through by noon. He was also great with patients. I learned a lot about how to interact with patients by watching him."
Kyser, who grew up in Camden, interned at UAMS after graduating with honors in 1962. After a stint in the U.S. Army and additional medical training, Kyser and his wife returned to Little Rock in 1969, establishing a solo practice. He worked for 32 years until his retirement in 2002. Two of the Kysers' four children graduated from the UAMS College of Medicine.
Suen, also a graduate of the UAMS College of Medicine, was chairman of the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for the past 41 years. He is co-founder and former director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
He served as the personal physician for President Bill Clinton during his presidency. Clinton remains one of his patients.
Suen has been listed in every edition of Best Doctors in America, Castle Connolly's America's Top Doctors for Cancers, and Top Surgeons in the United States, and he was named to the 2015 Newsweek Top Cancer Doctors in the United States.
His UAMS salary won't change with the academic chair honor. He earns $457,150 per year.
Metro on 05/24/2016