Heartland Whole Health Institute Launches Statewide Advisory Board to Guide Graduate Medical Education Expansion Across Arkansas

Cross-sector leaders to help shape the work of Arkansas' GME Technical Assistance Center and strengthen the physician workforce pipeline, particularly in rural and underserved communities 

Heartland Whole Health Institute today announced the formation of a statewide advisory board to guide the work of its Graduate Medical Education (GME) Technical Assistance Center, a collaborative effort focused on expanding physician residency and fellowship training opportunities across Arkansas and improving access to care in rural and underserved communities. 

The advisory board brings together leaders from health systems, medical education, workforce development, and public sectors to help inform statewide strategies for strengthening Arkansas' physician workforce pipeline. The board will provide strategic guidance, identify opportunities for collaboration, and support efforts to expand and sustain residency and fellowship training programs across the state. 

The advisory board's work will be informed by findings from Growing the Physician Workforce in Arkansas: A Statewide GME Strategy, a comprehensive research report released by the Institute that identifies gaps in Arkansas' graduate medical education infrastructure and outlines opportunities to expand residency capacity statewide. 

Convening Partners Around a Shared Goal 

Arkansas faces a growing challenge in retaining and training physicians. The state's medical schools graduate approximately 430 physicians each year, while only 375 entry-level residency positions are available statewide. Because physicians often establish their careers near where they complete residency training, this gap can contribute to long-term physician shortages, particularly in rural and underserved communities. 

At the same time, Arkansas has a strong foundation of GME built through years of investment and leadership by health systems, medical schools, and communities across the state. The advisory board and Technical Assistance Center are intended to build on that foundation by helping organizations work together around a coordinated approach to physician training and workforce development. 

"Strengthening Arkansas' physician workforce requires more than any single organization can accomplish alone," said Claude Pirtle, MD, MBA, MSACI, President of Heartland Whole Health Institute. "This advisory board brings together leaders from around the state with diverse expertise and a shared commitment to improving access to care for Arkansans. Their guidance will help ensure that the Heartland Whole Health GME Technical Assistance Center supports communities in building sustainable training programs that meet local needs." 

Advisory Board Participating Organizations 

The advisory board includes representation from: 

• Alice L. Walton School of Medicine 

• Arkansas Children’s 

• Arkansas Colleges of Health Education 

• Arkansas Department of Human Services 

• Healthy Connections, Inc. 

• Mainline Health Systems, Inc. 

• Mercy Northwest Arkansas 

• New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine  

• St. Bernards Medical Center 

• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine 

• Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks 

Together, these organizations represent perspectives from across the physician training and care delivery continuum, including medical education, graduate medical education, health systems, community-based care, and state and federal health programs. Their firsthand experience will help ensure the Institute continues to hear directly from partners navigating the opportunities and challenges of building and sustaining physician training programs across Arkansas. 

Supporting Communities Through the GME Technical Assistance Center 

The Institute’s GME Technical Assistance Center serves as a hands-on resource for organizations across Arkansas interested in developing, expanding, or strengthening graduate medical education. Whether an organization is exploring GME for the first time, considering becoming a training site, or expanding an existing program, the center provides free, objective technical assistance tailored to its needs. 

Services include feasibility assessments, guidance on accreditation and regulatory requirements, program design aligned with local workforce needs, partnership development, access to national best practices and expertise, and data-informed planning to support sustainable GME growth. 

"Nationwide, we are facing a persistent physician shortage, and one important way of addressing these shortages is by strengthening graduate medical education through new GME programs and training opportunities,” said the Association of American Medical Colleges Chief Health Care Officer Jonathan Jaffery, MD. “ Technical assistance centers offer innovative solutions to the unique challenges facing rural and underserved areas by providing critical resources and expertise, and Arkansas' statewide approach will help ensure new programs can navigate the complicated GME development process.”  

"Meeting today's physician workforce needs is important, but Arkansas must also prepare for the future," said Sarah Bemis, DNP, BA, RN, Associate Vice President of Workforce Transformation at Heartland Whole Health Institute. "Achieving that vision requires us to think beyond individual programs and requires us to work together to create a physician training ecosystem that is competitive, innovative, and responsive to the needs of communities across Arkansas, and I am deeply grateful to our advisory board members whose expertise, leadership, and shared dedication to Arkansas will help turn that vision into reality." 

Research Highlights Opportunity for Growth 

The advisory board's work will be guided in part by findings from the Institute's statewide GME strategy report, developed in partnership with ShepsGME at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Key findings include: 

• Arkansas medical schools graduate approximately 430 physicians annually, while the state currently offers 375 entry-level residency positions. 

• Arkansas could support approximately 500 additional residency positions statewide. 

• An expansion of 500 residency positions could generate an estimated $705 million in economic activity and provide a return on investment exceeding 4:1. 

• More than one-third of Arkansans live in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. 

"The launch of an advisory committee represents an important milestone for the physician workforce in Arkansas. Graduate Medical Education is more than creating residency positions; it is an opportunity to create new pathways for physicians who will care for Arkansas communities for decades to come. By engaging stakeholders from across the state, Heartland Whole Health Institute is helping create the partnerships and strategic alignment needed to translate workforce data into meaningful action," said Lori Rodefeld, MS, Deputy Director of the Sheps GME Technical Assistance Centers at the University of North Carolina's Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.