Biography:

Dr. James Yee Suen, 86, who chaired the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) for 43 years and treated head and neck cancer patients for more than five decades, died November 4, 2026, in Little Rock. He was born in Dermott, Arkansas, on October 9, 1940, to Chinese immigrant grocers.

James was born during the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese from immigrating for over 60 years, and was one of nine children. His oldest siblings weren’t able to go to either the white or Black schools in their town, and he and the siblings who were able to were the only students of color. His parents’ grocery store was one of the few places in Dermott that served everyone, offering credit to sharecroppers and Japanese people who were interned in nearby camps. His family prioritized taking care of their community. James embodied that as he became a doctor.

James started working when he was five, in charge of making sure no one stole candy. He remembered that time: “I think I ate more than I sold.” He kept a major sweet tooth, loving See’s candy and homemade macarons. He internalized that hard-working mindset throughout his career. His journey from these modest means to a world-renowned doctor exemplifies an American dream.

In college, James saw a car wreck on the road and pulled over to help pull people out of the car. He was so shaken by the event that when he told his sister Laura, a nurse, about it, she told him he ought to think about being a doctor. He told her he was too dumb and too nervous to be one, and she in turn said, “I know you, and you could become one of those nervous and dumb doctors.” One of James’ favorite quotes was “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” He later said that conversation was the day he found out why he was born.

James had a storied career as a doctor, nearly all of it right here in Arkansas. He went to college at UT Austin, medical school at UAMS, and an internship at San Francisco General Hospital, where his son Brent was born. His mentor Dr. Masauki Hara pioneered heart surgery in Arkansas. James originally wanted to follow in his footsteps, but after Dr. Hara died of head and neck cancer, he lost interest in heart surgery and switched to focus on ENT out of love for his mentor.

James went into the Air Force during the Vietnam War for two years after internship, and then came back to UAMS for surgery and otolaryngology training before a fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He returned to UAMS in 1974, where he worked for over 50 years, seven of them as head of the cancer institute. He valued his time as a teacher and mentor, training over a hundred residents and fellows throughout the years and receiving numerous teaching awards. He served as president of the American Head and Neck Society, and he received distinguished alumni awards from MD Anderson and from UAMS, among many other awards through the years.

James loved his work and had exceptional standards of care. He befriended many of his patients, gave out his personal phone number, let them stay in his family guest room or helped them find accommodations, and even took family trips to visit patients he had grown close to. He regularly worked 70-hour weeks even into his 80s. The question “when is Dr. Suen going to retire?” became a joke among all who know him.

His patients included President Bill Clinton, whom he traveled with on the 1992 campaign and visited regularly in the White House; actor Roy Scheider, star of Jaws; country singer Charley Pride; and Walmart co-founder Sam Walton. He was also a close friend of Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. His specialty was healing people who were told they stood no chance by other doctors. Friends, family, and strangers – even administrative staff at UAMS – all have stories about him helping them get appointments, evaluating them at his house, and always going the extra mile for those in his orbit.

In his 80s, James became passionate about Ukraine as it was invaded by Russia. From 2023 through 2025, he went on five mission trips there, where he operated on soldiers and children. He performed surgeries that the hospitals he worked in had never attempted. He grew close to many Ukrainians and American doctors who traveled with him, and he would still be going today if he could. In 2026, he was honored by the Order of Saint Panteleimon (often called the “Medical Oscar of Ukraine”), Ukraine’s highest public recognition for service in medicine and health care.

Before his health deteriorated from two cancer diagnoses, he was scheduled to give a “Last Lecture” at UAMS covering lessons he wanted to share from his career of service. He prepared the lecture, and Dr. Gresham Richter, chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, presented it on his behalf. The event typically featured a retiring professor, and as it became clear he would not survive cancer, the event took on new meaning for him: one last lesson to teach. He set a final goal to attend, and it became his celebration of life, held on October 29. He was surrounded by 400 people: family, friends, doctors, patients, and others who loved him.

James was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, who did everything he could to give his children the advantages that he was not afforded as a kid. He was known as Papa to the grandkids, who adored him. In recent years, the family took trips to the beach, Disney World, Italy, their Hot Springs lake house, and New York City, where his youngest son now lives.

He is survived by his wife Karen, who cared for him throughout his illness; his children Brent, Tiffany, Brad, and Brennan; his grandkids Sophia, Vivian, Ethan, and Violet; and his sisters Mary and Judy. He is preceded in death by his siblings Chester, Gene, May, Laura, Ming, and Mable; his mother-in-law Jean Hannahs; his first wife Carol Gee; and his parents Yee Gao Suen and Mary Chiang.

No additional service is planned. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology in honor of Dr. Suen. You can simply put in the gift comments, “in honor of Dr. James Suen.”