Jeanne Y. Wei, M.D., Ph.D., the Executive Director of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatrics at UAMS, joined the faculty in 2002. Prior to joining UAMS, Dr. Wei served as associate professor of medicine and director of the Division of Aging at Harvard Medical School (HMS), as well as chief of the Gerontology Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. At the University of Illinois, she earned a bachelor’s degree in physics, medical degree in medicine and a doctorate in pharmacology.
She completed postdoctoral training as a medicine intern and resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. She also completed clinical and research fellowships in cardiology at Johns Hopkins and served as a fellow in the Clinical Physiology Branch – Cardiovascular Section at the National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Aging, and Gerontology Research Center.
Known worldwide for her work in the field of aging, she has more than 30 years experience conducting gerontological research, mentoring gerontologic fellows and junior faculty members, and developing research and academic programs and initiatives.
Dr. Wei has been recognized as one of the Best Doctors in both Boston and Arkansas.
She serves as both the Executive Director of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and Chair of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatrics and continues to be engaged in the clinical care of patients in the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic at the Reynolds Institute.
In June 2025, Dr. Wei was honored by the creation of a distinguished chair in her name. The Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation donated $1 million to create the endowed chair, and Jane Lyon donated an additional $1 million to elevate it to a distinguished chair. An anonymous donor gifted $100,000 to the chair, in addition to multiple donations made by others.
In September 2025, Dr. Wei received the 2025 University of Illinois College of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award. This award recognizes alumni whose professional achievements and cumulative contributions have brought personal distinction, enhanced the general health and well-being of the public through professional practice, research or public policy, and brought honor to their medical alma mater (source: chicago.medicine.uic.edu).