Alice L. Walton School of Medicine Appoints Dr. Yolangel Hernandez Suarez as Executive Vice Dean

August 12, 2024

Bentonville, Ark. (Aug. 12, 2024) – Today, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) announced the appointment of Yolangel Hernandez Suarez, MD, MBA, FACOG, as the Executive Vice Dean, effective October 2024. In her new role, Dr. Hernandez Suarez will provide oversight and coordination of the School’s clinical and education training programs and learning environments.

“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Hernandez Suarez as a key addition to senior leadership at AWSOM,” said Dr. Sharmila Makhija, Founding Dean and CEO. “Her track record of building high-performing teams in medical education, university settings, and hospital environments provides vital expertise to ensure the School takes significant steps in reaching its strategic goals.”

Dr. Yolangel Hernandez Suarez
Dr. Yolangel Hernandez Suarez

Dr. Hernandez Suarez is a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine graduate and trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. She holds an MBA from the University of Miami and maintained a private clinical practice before entering academia.

“The School’s mission and vision, along with the innovative Northwest Arkansas market, is unmatched in our country,” said Dr. Hernandez Suarez. “When I went to medical school in the mid-80s, the directive from Johns Hopkins was to graduate future leaders of medicine. We have the chance to graduate influencer physicians from AWSOM who will change how health care is delivered, paid for, and managed.”

Dr. Hernandez Suarez most recently served as the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs and has held numerous leadership roles at the school. As the Founding Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education she was critical in starting the Faculty Practice Plan and new residency programs. As FIU’s Founding Vice Provost for Population Health and Well-being, she led the University’s COVID Response Team. She has served as a hospital administrator at the Jackson Health System, Miami’s safety net hospital system and was Founding Chief Medical Officer of Humana’s Care Delivery Organization, where her team delivered care to more than 100,000 seniors across three states in a full-risk, value-based model.

 

Dr. Hernandez Suarez Biography:

Dr. Yolangel (Yogi) Hernandez Suarez has been a health care leader in Miami, Florida for more than two decades and most recently served as Senior Associate Dean for Students at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

She has held positions in private, public, academic, and hospital settings. Her first role in physician leadership was in the Jackson Health System where she served as Chief Administrative Officer of Ambulatory Services. She has spent her career building value for patients, providers, and learners through public/private partnerships, inclusive practice models, and community relationships. Dr. Hernandez Suarez was Chief Medical Officer for Humana’s Care Delivery Unit, supervising the care of over 100,000 seniors in Florida and Texas. She was FIU HWCOM’s Founding Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Clinical Affairs and spent two years in the Office of the Provost as Vice Provost for Population Health and Well-being where she led FIU’s COVID Response Team.

Dr. Hernandez Suarez graduated from Swarthmore College and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. Dr. Hernandez Suarez holds a Master of Business Administration with specialization in Health Administration and Policy from the University of Miami.

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.