A part-time pediatrician and a full-time mother, wife and daughter, Dr. Belinda Hutcheson enjoys traveling, eating, and being outdoors with her friends and family. Belinda and her husband, Jim, have three children: Katie (17), Nathan (14) and Andrew (12).

Being a part of UAMS Southwest’s All for Kids Pediatric Clinic is one of Belinda’s proudest professional accomplishments. As the only teaching hospital in Arkansas, All for Kids provides pediatric health care locally for children in Texarkana and Southwest Arkansas. “I feel like I get to meet and help so many children which helps them and is very fulfilling to me, as well. I am also very proud of the partnership with Your Mission Matters and the Kiley Stuesse Mission Center that is being built in Peru. This is a mission center that is being built in memory of my niece that passed away two years ago from neuroblastoma. I had the opportunity to head up their first medical mission trip and am excited to help that grow!”

Personally, Belinda is proud of being able to pray with each one of her children as they have asked God to be Lord of their life. If offering advice to young women today, Belinda would advise them to be strong and independent but allow themselves to appreciate (and expect) chivalry.

Belinda has been involved with several local service organizations, including: Junior League of Texarkana, Watersprings Ranch, Pleasant Grove ISD Foundation Board, Texarkana Soccer Association and PGYA. She has taught Sunday School for 17 years, led Wednesday Night activities including AWANAS Cubbies, Sparks, and TNT, and currently teaches Wednesday Night Youth Girls. She has enjoyed going on medical mission trips to Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru.

The first 18 years of her life, her parents influenced her the most. She explains, “They taught me to be kind and to make good choices in life. They taught me to be independent and the value of education. Most of all they taught me about God.” As the youngest sibling, Belinda’s three older brothers have also influenced her life in many ways. “They have always been in the next stage of life. If I was in high school, they were in college. When I was in college, they were getting married. When I was getting married, they were starting families. When I was having babies, they were raising teenagers,” she says. “So at every stage in life, I got to learn from watching them, before I had to go through it! And they would also have a lot of advice when I was going through things. I have to also include my sisters-in-law because they have been invaluable to me. Lastly, when we moved to Texarkana 17 years ago, we moved closer to Jim’s family. During those times, my mother-in-law has been a big influence. I have learned most of all what servanthood looks like.”

The way SANDY VARNER sees her ...

When I think about words that describe Belinda Hutcheson, several come to mind. Smart. Caring. Dedicated. Pretty. Amazing. Fun. Selfless. The list goes on ... I first met Dr. Belinda Hutcheson in 2010 when she was asked to take over as the medical director of the Temple Center. Our longtime director, Dr. Billy Burns, had passed away unexpectedly, and she did not hesitate to step in and help despite already having a demanding job, being married to an ENT doctor and raising a family. Her leadership of our patient care team has been nothing short of phenomenal.

As a pediatrician at UAMS-AHEC, she is the primary care physician for a large group of underserved and at risk children so she was already familiar with many of our clients. Her concern and care of these patients and their families are evident, and we are very fortunate to have someone with her talent in our area. Her skills reach far beyond what she learned in medical school. As a child, she and her family lived in several foreign countries and learned to speak Portuguese fluently. As an adult, she learned to speak Spanish in order to better communicate with some of her patients and their families. Belinda has spent quite a few of her “vacations” on medical missionary trips out of the country – this year she is traveling to Honduras!

We are so blessed to have Belinda supervising the plans of care for our patients and as a resource for helping our therapists provide the best care available to the children in our area. Her servant’s heart is evident in everything she does. Belinda and I have the same maiden name (Burnett) and we may even be distant kin since our families originated in the same area, but more importantly I am proud to have her as part of our Temple “ family.”

FUN FACTS

What did you imagine yourself being when you were growing up?
“I always wanted to be a veterinarian.”

What is the last gift you gave someone? “Boring but true ... I gave someone lotion from Bed Bath and Beyond.”

What is your favorite meal that you order regularly at a local establishment?
“My all time favorite is the lunch special at Ironwood Grill: blackened fish sandwich and tomato soup!”

If there was a movie produced about your life, which actress would portray you?
“I have had people say I look like Helen Hunt, but I would probably pick Sandra Bullock.”

What is something unique about you that most people would not know?
“I am almost a black belt in Taekwondo! Most people who know me already know that I was born and grew up in Brazil and that I speak Portuguese and Spanish ... those are unique but most people know that already!”

If you could trade places with any person for a week, famous or not, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?
“I would want to trade places with Andrew Zimmern or Anthony Bordain ... they get to travel and eat as their jobs!”

If you could travel to space, and it was free, would you go?
“Absolutely!”

What music do you listen to in your vehicle? “I usually listen to K-LOVE radio or Air1 Radio.”

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