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Tamara T. Perry, MD, named president of Arkansas Children's Research Institute. Arkansas native and pediatric allergy expert Tamara T. Perry, MD, FAAP, FAAAAI, will serve as the new president of Arkansas Children's Research Institute (ACRI). She will also serve as senior vice president and chief research officer for the Arkansas Children's system. She assumes leadership July 1, as ACRI experiences pivotal growth and accelerates innovative research to improve health outcomes for children in rural and underserved communities. "Dr. Perry has been an integral part of Arkansas Children's and ACRI for nearly two decades and is a highly respected leader in pediatric research and academic medicine," said Arkansas Children's President and Chief Executive Officer Marcy Doderer, FACHE. "Throughout her career, she has remained deeply committed to advancing innovative research that improves outcomes for children, particularly those in rural and underserved communities. Her leadership, collaborative approach and passion for discovery make her exceptionally well-suited to lead ACRI into the future." Arkansas Children's opened a new Pediatric Clinical Research Unit, more than doubling the number of beds dedicated to caring for children in trials for innovative treatments including gene therapy. The institute is also building the National Center for Opioid and Addiction Research (NCOAR), a center with majority funding from opioid and vaping settlement dollars. Perry serves as a professor of pediatrics and recently held the title of Chief of the Allergy and Immunology Division at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Arkansas Children's. In 2020, Perry was recognized with the Dr. Robert H. Fiser, Jr., Research Achievement Award for her contributions to pediatric research. She was also recognized as the Arkansas Biosciences Institute's Established Investigator of the year in 2022. Perry earned medical degree at UAMS and completed an undergraduate degree at University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. 05/31/2026

Log a Load for Kids commits $2.5 million to Arkansas Children's. Gift will help fund heart research. Published date: March 26, 2026 LITTLE ROCK, AR. (March 26, 2026) - Log a Load for Kids of Arkansas has committed $2.5 million to support heart research at Arkansas Children's, continuing a decades-long partnership aimed at improving outcomes for children with cardiovascular conditions. The funding is designated specifically for heart research, advancing innovation in diagnosis, treatment and care for pediatric patients across the state and region. The gift follows the organization's completion of a previous $2.5 million heart institute fundraising endowment in 2024. Additionally, they have endowed two heart-related chairs at Arkansas Children's Hospital: the Log a Load for Kids of Arkansas Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery and the Log a Load for Kids of Arkansas Endowed Chair in Congenital Cardiac Disorders. "I am so proud of our timber and forest products community volunteers for their tireless efforts in support of the Log a Load for Kids program and the opportunity it provides to help Arkansas Children's and the kids they serve," said Max Braswell, executive vice president of the Arkansas Forestry Association, which acts as a liaison between the Log a Load chapters and Arkansas Children's. "I know our chapters are excited to continue funding critical heart research. We've been honored to help raise millions of dollars to support tangible resources like the Angel One helicopter, emergency unit and cardiovascular research, but it's the passion for helping children in need and the relationships we've built with the incredible ACH staff that defines Log a Load's mission. The Arkansas Forestry Association looks forward to continuing to help facilitate this long-standing partnership for years to come." Log a Load for Kids began in 1988 when loggers and others in the forest products community donated the value of a load of logs to their local Children's Miracle Network hospital. Today, the program is a national leader in fundraising for Children's Miracle Network, raising more than $6.5 million annually through golf tournaments, sporting clays events, fishing tournaments, auction dinners and log donations. In Arkansas, Log a Load for Kids has supported Arkansas Children's since 1993. The organization typically sets multiyear fundraising commitments designed to be fulfilled within five years. In their more than 30-year tenure, Log a Load for Kids of Arkansas has raised over $12 million for Arkansas Children's, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to the hospital. "We're tremendously grateful for the support that Log a Load has given to Arkansas Children's," said Fred Scarborough, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Arkansas Children's. "For more than 30 years, they have been a terrific partner in helping us advance heart health for children across the state and the region." Arkansas Children's is home to a team of dedicated pediatric cardiology experts, offering the latest technologies and high-quality cardiac care tailored to the specific needs of patients ranging from before birth to adults with congenital heart disease. Continuous involvement in research puts Arkansas Children's at the forefront of improving patient care through innovation and evidence-based medicine, while leading-edge technologies provide children from across the country access to advanced cardiac imaging, state-of-the-art surgical care and minimally invasive diagnostic and interventional procedures in the cardiac catheterization laboratories. Arkansas Children's Heart Institute is ranked No. 27 by U.S. News & World Report, higher than any other pediatric heart program in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas. The work of the expert heart team reaches beyond the hospital and into local communities through the Project ADAM - Arkansas Heart Safe Schools program with more than 300w schools certified. ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S Arkansas Children's is the only health system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 850,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes the Arkansas Children's Golisano Campus in Little Rock, home to Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH), and the Arkansas Children's Pat Walker Campus in Springdale, home to Arkansas Children's Northwest (ACNW). The two pediatric hospitals host 361 licensed beds, supported by a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics and many education and outreach programs - all focused on fulfilling a promise to define, discover and deliver unprecedented child health. ACH is a Magnet-recognized facility operating the state's only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Arkansas Children's is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in seven pediatric subspecialties (2025-2026): Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery and Urology. ACNW, the first and only pediatric hospital in the northwest Arkansas region, is a Level IV pediatric trauma center. ACNW operates an inpatient unit that will expand in 2026; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health.To learn more, visit archildrens.org.