James, Mary Kay East Give $1M To Establish UAMS Chair in Surgical Oncology

Dr. Kent C. Westbrook (left) and James C. East in 2014.

A $1 million gift by James C. and Mary Kay East to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has established the Kent C. Westbrook, M.D., Chair in Surgical Oncology, the university announced Thursday.

The chair will provide resources to ensure patients have the opportunity to understand their disease and participate in decisions based on scientific evidence, treatment availability and their own wishes, according to a UAMS press release.

Westbrook, a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine, was named the inaugural recipient of the chair.

“This generous donation by Mr. and Mrs. East will ensure that our patients have expanded opportunities to participate in their own health care decisions and understand the options available to them,” UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn said. “We are ever grateful for their generosity and dedication to improving health care for all Arkansans.”

James East led Pulaski Bank and Trust from 1973 until its 2006 purchase by Iberiabank, in which he became the largest stockholder. He was the principal founder and first chairman of the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation and was the organizer of the Robert S. Bass Chair in Urologic Oncology at UAMS.

Mary Kay East is a long-time supporter of health-care causes and organizations.

Westbrook served as director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute from 1984-1999 and has served in the institution in numerous other roles.

“The UAMS Cancer Institute wouldn’t be here today without the commitment of Dr. Westbrook,” said Peter Emanuel, director of the Cancer Institute. “When he and co-founder Dr. James Suen saw their dream of a cancer institute become reality in 1984, they could never have known the extent in which it would influence our state through life-extending treatments, research endeavors and economic impact.”

An endowed chair is established with gifts of at least $1 million, and the chair holder uses the interest proceeds for research, teaching or service activities, the release said.