CARTI Announces Physician Leadership Transitions
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 21, 2026) – Following decades of dedicated service to patients, Scott Stern, M.D., CARTI’s chief medical officer (CMO), will retire. Matthew Hardee, M.D., Ph.D., current medical director of radiation oncology, will assume the CMO role on July 1.
“The role of a physician-leader is one of the most challenging jobs in health care,” said Adam Head, CARTI’s president and CEO. “I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work alongside someone with the professionalism, character and mission-mindedness of Dr. Stern, along with other CARTI physician leaders who are not only incredibly skilled in their craft but willingly bear the weight of responsibility for others.”
Ron Kuhn, M.D., and Donald Norwood, M.D., will transition from their roles as medical directors of urology and imaging, respectively, to focus fully on patient care. CARTI also recognizes Rhonda Gentry, M.D., for her nine years of leadership as medical director, during which she played an instrumental role in the medical oncology program’s unprecedented growth.
In addition to Dr. Hardee as CMO, CARTI’s physician leadership team will now include the following medical directors: Grace Raja, M.D., medical oncology (July 1); Jonathan Pagan, M.D., M.S., radiation oncology (July 1), David Hays, M.D., imaging (April 1), John Brizzolara, M.D., F.A.C.S., urology (April 1), Yara Robertson, M.D., F.A.C.S., surgery (current) and Sam Makhoul, M.D., FASCO, research (current).
