JONESBORO, Ark. — A Wynne native will be among the four individuals recognized by Arkansas State University with its 2026 Emerging Young Alumni Award this fall.
Arkansas State said Dr. Morgan Benefield, who is a Wynne High School graduate, will receive the award at a ceremony set for Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Cooper Alumni Center.
Benefield received her bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State in 2014 before receiving her Doctor of Medicine degree with honors from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2018.
She completed a family medicine residency at the University of Alabama Family Medicine Residency Program, where she served as chief resident, followed by a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Alabama. Benefield later joined the university’s faculty as an assistant professor and became its first director of women’s sports medicine while serving as a team physician for Crimson Tide athletics.
Benefield is a physician with Jonesboro Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, which is part of the St. Bernards Healthcare System. She offers a specialty clinic at CrossRidge Community Hospital in Wynne each month.
Benefield is also a team physician for Arkansas State University and several area high schools.
