FAYETTEVILLE — Drew Rodgers, MD, FASA, a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist with Premier Anesthesia of Arkansas and a member of the medical staff at Washington Regional Medical Center, is the first anesthesiologist in Northwest Arkansas to achieve board certification in adult cardiac anesthesiology.

Adult cardiac anesthesiology is a new certification offered by the American Board of Anesthesiology in cooperation with the American Board of Medical Specialties. Board certification is the highest level of accreditation awarded and recognizes expertise within a specialty or subspecialty.

Earning the designation means that a doctor has spent significant clinical time dedicated to the management of patients undergoing cardiac procedures and has passed a specialty-specific exam that tests their clinical knowledge, medical expertise and diagnostic skills.

Rodgers is also a board certified diplomate in anesthesiology and transesophageal echocardiography and is a fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Rodgers, a Fayetteville native, joined Washington Regional in 2015. He earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and completed an anesthesiology residency at West Virginia University Hospitals and a cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. He serves on the Board of Directors for Washington Regional Medical System and is a UAMS adjunct clinical associate professor.