Children’s Endocrine Specialist Juan Mejia-Otero Joins ACNW, UAMS

Published date: July 16, 2019

Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) has added a full-time pediatric endocrine specialist to its team, delivering more specialty care tailored directly to children in the region who have diabetes and hormone disorders. Juan Mejia-Otero, MD, is an assistant professor of Pediatrics in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine who will begin seeing patients at ACNW in Springdale on July 15.

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Hilary DeMillo
Arkansas Children's
demillohh@archildrens.org
501-364-6445

SPRINGDALE, AR. (July 15, 2019) – Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) has added a full-time pediatric endocrine specialist to its team, delivering more specialty care tailored directly to children in the region who have diabetes and hormone disorders.

Juan Mejia-Otero, MD, is an assistant professor of Pediatrics in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine who will begin seeing patients at ACNW in Springdale on July 15.

“The demand for additional pediatric endocrine care in Northwest Arkansas has been obvious in our clinic for months,” said Trisha Montague, senior vice president and chief administrator of Arkansas Children’s Northwest. “We are thrilled to offer children with endocrine disorders Dr. Mejia-Otero’s expertise and even better access to care tailored to their unique needs.”

Dr. Mejia-Otero joins ACNW and UAMS after finishing a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at the University of Texas Southwestern-Children’s Medical Center Dallas, and he is board-certified in pediatric endocrinology. A member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society and Pediatric Endocrine Society, Dr. Mejia-Otero received his medical degree from Universidad Libre, in Cali, Colombia and has also worked at Miami Children’s Hospital.

ACNW’s Pediatric Endocrine Clinic has met four days a week drawing on the expertise of a full-time, on-site APN and physician specialists based at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock who commute to Springdale. The addition of Dr. Mejia-Otero will make it easier for children to receive highly specialized endocrine care in Northwest Arkansas more quickly.

About Arkansas Children’s

Arkansas Children's, Inc. is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 710,000 children, giving the organization a unique ability to shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas and transform the health of children throughout the region. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock 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; and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in five pediatric subspecialties (2019-2020): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Pulmonology. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, opened in Springdale in early 2018. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; 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, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can fundamentally transform the health of children in Arkansas and beyond. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.

About UAMS

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise including its hospital, regional clinics and clinics it operates or staffs in cooperation with other providers. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report named UAMS Medical Center the state’s Best Hospital; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide; and named six areas as high performing — cancer, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery. UAMS has 2,727 students, 870 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

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