Located in scenic Mountain View, Arkansas, White River Orthopaedic Sports and Hand Surgery Clinic is committed to providing cutting-edge, comprehensive orthopaedic care to patients of all ages. Our team includes two fellowship trained Orthopaedic Surgeons, John Akins, MD and Charles Varela, MD, and Carla Langston, APRN who are supported by an experienced team of nurses, radiological technologists, and administrative staff.
A native of Hampton, AR, Dr. Akins relocated to Mountain View in August 2011. He attended Lyon College on a basketball scholarship where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2000. He received his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2004. After finishing residency training in orthopaedic surgery at Texas A & M Health Sciences Center in 2010, he completed fellowship training in orthopaedic sports medicine at the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, GA.
He is board certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and an active fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. His orthopaedic interests include arthroscopic knee surgery and reconstruction, arthroscopic shoulder surgery, fracture care, and total knee, hip and shoulder replacement surgery.
Dr. Akins and his wife Kelly have four daughters, Ellie, Emma, Erin, and Eli. Dr. Akins has a keen interest in health and fitness and co-founded Stone County Health and Fitness Center, the area’s only public fitness facility. In his spare time, He enjoys basketball, tennis, fishing, and snow skiing.
Dr. Varela is a native of Santa Fe, NM, and a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Dr. Varela earned his medical degree at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine followed by an orthopaedic residency at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. He then completed a fellowship in hand, microsurgery and upper extremity surgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. Dr. Varela opened Ozark Orthopaedic and Hand Surgery Center in 1996, after serving four years as a major in the US Army Medical Corps. In 2021 the Clinic became a part of White River Health and renamed White River Orthopaedic Sports and Hand Surgery Clinic.
His orthopaedic specialty areas include hand surgery, knee injuries, joint replacement, trauma surgery and foot surgery. He is board certified in orthopaedic surgery with added certification in surgery of the hand and has published several articles in the field of orthopaedic surgery.
Dr. Varela has three children: Hayley, Jarret, and Tyler. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with the family, cycling, farming, and outside activities with the kids
Carla Langston, MSN, APRN, FNP-C works alongside Orthopaedic Surgeons, John Akins, MD and Charles Varela, MD. Langston provides clinical evaluation and treatment of orthopaedic patients in the clinic. She assists with orthopaedic surgeries and follow-up care for patients hospitalized at Stone County Medical Center. Carla’s previous experience in orthopaedics led her to pursue her career as an Orthopaedic APRN. She worked with an orthopaedic group as the surgical First Assistant Registered Nurse; as the Orthopaedic Liaison for White River Medical Center’s (WRMC) total joint replacement program; served as the manager of WRMC Surgical Services Department before serving as the Director of WRMC Community Care Network while pursuing her master’s degree. Langston obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Central Arkansas in 1995. She recently completed her Master of Science in Nursing from the Arkansas State University. Langston received the Daisy Award for extraordinary nurses at WRMC. In 2018, her diabetes self-management research placed first in the Arkansas State Nursing and Allied Health Professions Poster Presentation. “I feel fortunate to be a part of such a great care team,” said Carla Langston. “I feel everything I have achieved up to this point has prepared me for this role. I am committed to providing the best care that I can provide for the patients in Stone County.” A Batesville native, Carla graduated from Batesville High School. She and her husband Bryan have three children: Zach, Will, and Lizzie.