Alice L. Walton School of Medicine Welcomes New Leadership and Faculty

Bentonville, Ark. (April 23, 2024) – Alice L. Walton School of Medicine announced three new key positions today including Amy Wenger, MHSA – Vice President of Finance and Administration, Dr. Jonathan Brown – Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, and Dr. Alexia Riggs – Senior Director of Library and Information Services.

Founded in 2021, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is a nonprofit, four-year MD program that will enhance traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and whole health principles. Pending accreditation, the School will be a state-of-the-art medical facility located in Bentonville, Arkansas on a shared campus with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Heartland Whole Health Institute.

“I look forward to working alongside these talented professionals who add to our strong team and will help build the foundation for the School’s operational plans, new academic medical library, and our integrated curriculum,” said Dr. Sharmila Makhija, Founding Dean and CEO, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, “Their deep academic experience and dedication to creating meaningful change will help shape the future of medical education and health care delivery in the Heartland and beyond.”

 

Amy Wenger, Vice President of Finance and Administration

Amy Wenger, MHSA, is Vice President of Finance and Administration for Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. In this role, she serves as an advisor to the Dean’s Office and Board of Directors and oversees financial and administrative operations for the School.

Prior to joining the School, Wenger served as Vice Chancellor for the Northwest Regional Campus at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She previously held several leadership positions at UAMS. With a health care career that spans over two decades in clinical administration, Wenger also managed specialty departments such as Women and Infant Health, Surgical Specialties, Nursing, and Psychiatry.

Wenger earned her bachelor’s degree in education in community health at the University of Arkansas and her master’s degree in health services administration at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She completed her postgraduate fellowship at Vanderbilt Medical Group in Nashville, Tennessee. Read Wenger’s full bio.

 

Jonathan Brown, Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Jonathan Brown, PhD, serves as a Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. In this role, he is developing the Microbiology and Immunology courses in Phase I and microbiology and immunology content throughout the curriculum.

Prior to joining the School, Dr. Brown taught microbiology and immunology for almost a decade, serving as an Associate Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM). Additionally, he was a Co-Principal Investigator of an American Heart Association and National Institutes of Health grant researching the cellular processes involved in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Dr. Brown obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Tennessee. He earned his PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, for his research on toll-like receptor signaling. Read Dr. Brown’s full bio.

 

Alexia Riggs, Senior Director of Library and Information Services

Alexia Riggs, EdD, serves as Senior Director of Library and Information Services for Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. In this role, she manages all facets of the School’s academic medical library, including the development of the library’s collection and database.

Prior to joining the School, Dr. Riggs held leadership positions at several academic libraries, and served most recently as Director of Library at the A. Frank Smith Jr. Library Center at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Prior to that position, she was Dean of the Library at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, and Dean of Libraries at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas.

Dr. Riggs earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Howard Payne University, her master’s degree in library science at the University of North Texas, and her doctor of education in higher education at Texas A&M University. She also holds a certificate of advanced management in library and information agencies from the University of North Texas. Read Dr. Riggs’ full bio.

 

To learn more about the team, visit the Leadership page and the Faculty page. Visit the Join Our Team page to view all open positions.

 

About Alice L. Walton School of Medicine

Founded in 2021, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is a nonprofit, four-year MD program that will enhance traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and whole health principles. The School’s culture embraces self-care through offerings such as 1:1 health coaching to empower students to care for their own well-being as well as their patients’. The School’s state-of-the-art medical education facility is under construction in Bentonville, Arkansas near Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Heartland Whole Health Institute. The School is seeking programmatic and institutional accreditation with the goal of welcoming its inaugural class in 2025.