Hi, I’m Dr. Ryan Southard, board-certified pediatrician and founder of Expedition Health and Pediatrics. I started this practice to give families the things I believe are often missing in healthcare today: time, trust, and truly personalized care.

Over the last six years in practice, I’ve had the privilege of caring for hundreds of families—from newborns just minutes old to young adults in college. I’ve practiced in both Charleston, SC and Central Arkansas, but it’s here in Central Arkansas that I’ve chosen to plant roots and grow this practice. I’ve seen firsthand how rushed visits, confusing billing, and long wait times can get in the way of great care. I created Expedition to change that.

My Approach to Pediatrics Is Simple:

• Spend more time listening than typing

• Build real relationships with families

• Make care easier to access—whether that means a home visit, same-day visit, or message for peace of mind

• Be transparent about costs, so families always know what to expect and can plan with confidence

Why "Expedition?”

The name Expedition carries deep meaning for me—personally, professionally, and spiritually.

First, I’ve always felt most alive and at peace in nature. I love the outdoors and have spent days at a time on the trail during backpacking trips through national parks. It’s in those quiet, rugged places that I feel most connected to God.

Second, I see pediatric care as a kind of expedition in itself. Raising children is an adventure—beautiful, challenging, unpredictable. As your pediatrician, I’m not here to bark orders from the sidelines. I’m here to walk beside you, to guide and support your family through the many stages of childhood and parenthood.

Finally, my faith is the foundation of all I do. In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham to depart from what was familiar and promises to bless him—so that all peoples and nations of the world would be blessed through his family. I see this practice as my own step into the unknown: a departure from the traditional medical model, led by a desire to serve and bless my community in a more meaningful way.

Expedition Health and Pediatrics is more than a clinic. It’s a calling—to walk with families, to provide care that’s rooted in relationship, and to do it with purpose, compassion, and faith.