Alice L. Walton School of Medicine Welcomes New Whole Health Education Leader

Bentonville, Ark. (May 08, 2026) – Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) has announced the hiring of Jacquelyn M. Paykel, MD, MBA. Beginning May 4, Dr. Paykel serves as Assistant Dean, Whole Health Education.

Dr. Paykel is a physician and leader in women’s health, integrative medicine, and Whole Health care, most recently serving as Founder and CEO of S.H.E. Medical, LLC, where she led Whole Health consulting and coaching initiatives.

Dr. Paykel previously served as Women’s Health Medical Director and Physician in gynecology and integrative medicine at the Tomah VA Medical Center in Wisconsin and held multiple leadership roles at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and Clinics in Tampa, Florida, including Chief Well-being Officer, Chief of Whole Health Service, and Director of the National THRIVE Program, while continuing her clinical practice. From 2018 to 2023, she served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. Her appointment was at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Paykel served as Assistant Professor and Staff Physician at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, as well as in clinical roles with Prevea Health, Riverside Medical Group, and ProHealth Care. Dr. Paykel began her medical career as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. She served as a Staff Physician and Medical Student Clerkship Director in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Dr. Paykel received a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, her MD at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and an MBA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Kenan-Flagler Business School. She completed an internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and a fellowship at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.

Dr. Paykel is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Integrative Medicine by the American Board of Integrative Medicine.

About Alice L. Walton School of Medicine

Founded in 2021, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is a nonprofit, four-year MD program enhancing traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and Whole Health principles. The School’s culture embraces self-care 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 on the Crystal Bridges Campus, home to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Heartland Whole Health Institute. The School has been granted preliminary accreditation status by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.