BENTONVILLE -- Dr. Sharmila Makhija will be the founding dean and chief executive officer of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.
She will begin the new role in May, according to a Monday news release from the school.
Makhija is a surgeon and "an international expert on gynecologic cancer," the release states.
"We are excited to welcome Dr. Makhija to the team," Alice Walton, Walmart heiress and founder of the school, stated in the release. "Her background and commitment to medical education will advance our work in equipping physicians to tackle challenges of the 21st century by focusing on the physical, mental, social and emotional health of the people and communities we serve."
Makhija has held faculty positions at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Emory University and the University of Louisville. She most recently occupied the Chella and Moise Safra Endowed Chair at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System in New York. She was also department chair of obstetrics and gynecology and women's health and a professor of gynecologic oncology at the school, according to the release.
Makhija received a bachelor of arts in chemistry from Cornell University, a medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an executive master in business administration from Emory University. She serves on the board of the nonprofit Every Mother Counts, is the associate editor-in-chief of a peer-reviewed medical and health care journal and has received awards for dedication to women's health, the release states.
She stated in the release the Walton school opportunity was "a dream come true."
"Health care delivery is fractured and in need of transformation so that all Americans can have access to the respectful care they deserve. Training the doctors of the future, within a culture of diversity and inclusivity, is central to that transformation," Makhija stated in the release. "Our goal is to build a new medical school and be a leader in improving health and wellness. I can't wait to meet the wonderful community of Northwest Arkansas and get started!"
The Walton School of Medicine aims to create a four-year medical degree program where evidence-based practices focusing on physical, mental, social and emotional aspects of health are integrated into every facet of the environment, even the architecture, according to school leaders.
The school's 154,000-square-foot building, to be built on the campus of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, will be surrounded by outdoor healing gardens, woodland meditation gardens and space for urban farming, according to previously released plans. Its first class of students will arrive on the campus in 2025, pending programmatic accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
The dean position is one of about 100 new positions the school plans to hire over the next few years, said Walter Harris, chief operating officer, in August.