Dr. Kent Westbrook, distinguished professor of surgery in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, received the Dr. Tom Bruce Arkansas Health Impact Award from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement on Dec. 3. ACHI presents the award each year to one or more individuals who have had a positive impact on the health of Arkansans through their service and leadership.
Dr. Kent Westbrook, distinguished professor of surgery in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, received the Dr. Tom Bruce Arkansas Health Impact Award from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement during ACHI’s 20th anniversary celebration on Dec. 3 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
ACHI presents the award each year to one or more individuals who embody the late Dr. Tom Bruce’s lifetime of service by demonstrating courageous leadership and a sustained record as a catalyst for improving the health of all Arkansans, and who exemplify the core values of ACHI: trust, commitment, innovation and initiative.
Westbrook was the founding director of the Arkansas Cancer Research Center (ACRC), now the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute (WPRCI). After stepping down as director in 1998, he served in numerous roles including interim chairman of the Department of Surgery in 1999-2002, interim vice chancellor for development in 2011, and interim chairman of the Department of Dermatology in 2014-2015.
Throughout his career, Westbrook has been committed to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cancer. In 1984, he and Dr. James Suen established the Cancer Institute. They raised money, guided construction, recruited faculty, and implemented the multi-disciplinary programs that make up the WPRCI. This includes diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer, multiple myeloma, melanoma, breast cancer, and other cancers. Westbrook has been at UAMS since 1961 and continues to work in an advisory role in WPRCI and UAMS. The Kent C. Westbrook, M.D., Chair in Surgical Oncology at UAMS was established in 2015.
