Baxter Health is proud to welcome Joel McMasters, MD, to our medical staff as a board-certified anesthesiologist. Dr. McMasters brings over 25 years of clinical and military anesthesiology experience, having served in academic, hospital, and military medical settings.
Dr. McMasters most recently served as a staff anesthesiologist at Arkansas Health Group Anesthesia at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, where he has held various clinical roles since 2010. He also served as Medical Director for Premier Anesthesia at Jefferson Regional Medical Center and as an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). During his academic tenure, he directed the Anesthesiology Peri-Operative Evaluation Clinic at UAMS.
Dr. McMasters earned his Doctor of Medicine from the UAMS College of Medicine and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Abilene Christian University. He completed his internship at Brooke Army Medical Center, followed by an anesthesiology residency at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC), training at both Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center.
Dr. McMasters served with distinction in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom as Chief of Anesthesia with the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq. His leadership roles in military medicine include Acting Chief and Assistant Chief of Anesthesia at Brooke Army Medical Center, Director of Cardiac Anesthesia, and Chief of the Pain Clinic. He has also served as Assistant Program Director of the SAUSHEC Anesthesiology Residency and participated in research initiatives such as the TARGIT (Tri-Service Anesthesia Research Group Initiative on TIVA) Center.
Outside of caring for his patients, Dr. McMasters enjoys spending time with his wife and family, exercising, reading, listening to theology podcasts and sermons, reading, fishing, and following a variety of sports.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. McMasters to our team,” said Ron Peterson, President & CEO. “His depth of experience, especially in cardiac anesthesiology, adds immense value to our anesthesiology services, and our continued focus on providing high quality cardiovascular care.”
