The UK College of Medicine is excited to announce that Susanne Arnold, MD, professor of medicine, has been named recipient of the prestigious William R. Willard Dean’s Recognition Award. She was honored at the 2025 College of Medicine Awards Convocation.
Named after the college’s founding dean, the William R. Willard Award honors a faculty member whose long-standing commitment to medical education exemplifies the mission and values of the college.
For nearly 30 years, Dr. Arnold has been a cornerstone of excellence in medical education, clinical care, and research. A true Wildcat through and through, she earned her medical degree and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the UK College of Medicine before joining the faculty.
Dr. Arnold specializes in cancer care and serves as associate director of clinical translation at the Markey Cancer Center, the Commonwealth’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. She also holds the Buck-Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Chair, leading transformative work that bridges laboratory discoveries and patient care.
Dr. Arnold has contributed to over 150 publications and grants, driving forward research that improves lives across Kentucky and beyond. Yet even with her national recognition, she remains deeply rooted in service — as both an eighth-generation Kentuckian and a second-generation UK physician, she carries forward a legacy of compassion, scholarship, and mentorship.
Dr. Arnold’s father is the late William Markesbery, MD, a longtime physician who dedicated more than 40 years to medicine, research and education. His impact was global, though perhaps most visible through the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, which he helped found in 1979.
Just last week, University leadership, along with state and community leaders, joined members of Sanders-Brown to celebrate a significant achievement: 40 years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for their revolutionary work in the field of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Though Dr. Arnold didn’t study the same field of medicine as her father, she shares his interest in finding solutions to ailments that affect Kentuckians. Her colleagues and students alike describe her as a mentor who leads by example — steadfast in her commitment to teaching, tireless in her pursuit of discovery, and profoundly caring toward her patients.
“Dr. Arnold embodies the very best of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine,” said Dean Charles “Chipper” Griffith, MD. “She is a distinguished alumna, a compassionate physician, a driven researcher, and a mentor who has guided countless learners throughout their training. Through her dedication to patient care, education, and discovery, she continues to strengthen our UK community and the future of medicine in Kentucky.”
