Dr. Gene Sloan ’80 has always been a man dedicated to family.
As a college student, he transferred from an out-of-state college to an Arkansas university to be closer to his family as they experienced a tragedy. He chose the University of Central Arkansas because it offered a strong science curriculum with accomplished faculty.
He recalls seeing a former science professor several years ago and taking the time to show his appreciation for the education he received at UCA.
“I said, ‘Thank you for teaching me the types of things I need to know to get to med school,'” Sloan said. “If it hadn’t been for him and teachers like him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Sloan is a board-certified plastic surgeon, currently specializing in cosmetic surgery in Little Rock. After studying at UCA, Sloan attended the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He also studied or worked at various schools and locations across the globe–from University of Missouri at Columbia to Nottingham, England and Miami, Florida.
He began his career in reconstructive plastic surgeries, with one of his earlier cases being that of firefighter Marvin Benton.
Benton penned a book titled “Unfallen Hero” about his experience being trapped in a house and surviving, but needed several reconstructive procedures crediting Sloan for much of his recovery success.
“Ever since I’ve been a physician, two things mean a lot,” Sloan said. “When we are discussing things before surgery and what we will be doing, and [patients] say ‘I trust you.’ They let me know that they place their trust in me, and I put a lot of value in that trust.”
Sloan said the other is the ability to help change people’s lives.
“There’s things we do and it seems superficial in cosmetic surgery, but people come here because they have issues they just feel strongly about and when you help them with that, they can be very grateful.”
He and his wife, Dr. Mimi Lee, live in Little Rock with their two teenage daughters and he still has his extended family in Conway through the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.
Sloan said he saw several fraternity members when he attended the 100-year anniversary celebration for the UCA chapter in 2015.
“There were a lot of guys I’d not seen since college, but you talk to them, and it’s like you saw them yesterday,” Sloan said. “You just don’t miss a beat with those kinds of relationships.”