UTHSC News


The Long Way Around: How Dr. James Parrett Became UTRF Memphis’s New Vice President

|

“My background is a little atypical of how people do things,” says James Parrett, PharmD, JD, and it’s hard to argue. Chemist, patent litigator, pharmacist, technology transfer manager: Dr. Parrett has worn all four hats on his way to a fifth. This July, he became vice president of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation’s Memphis… Read More


Podcast Helps Students Find Their Voice Before Their Specialty

|
Dr. Faria Abdullah with her podcast team, the podcast table in the foreground and a UT Health Sciences College of Medicine sign in the background.

We all know medical school is known for its demanding coursework, long hours, intense studying and steep learning curve. Students quickly become immersed in anatomy, physiology and clinical skills as they prepare to care for future patients. But some of the most important lessons in medicine are harder to teach. They happen in moments of… Read More


47th Annual Medical Student Research Fellowship Presentations Mark a Record Year

|
Photo of the UT Health Science Center arches

For 47 years, the Medical Student Research Fellowship (MSRF) program has provided competitively selected UT Health Sciences medical students the opportunity to conduct individualized research under the mentorship of College of Medicine faculty in both basic science and clinical science departments over the summer. The program served as an introduction to biomedical research and careers… Read More


Continued Expansion of Certification Program Gives Tennessee Dental Practices More Hands on Deck

|
A dental program student trains at a desk with specialized equipment.

As Tennessee’s demand for oral healthcare continues to grow, the University of Tennessee Health Sciences College of Dentistry’s Office of Continuing Education has grown its Expanded Functions for Dental Auxiliaries (EFDA) Certification Program to strengthen the state’s dental workforce and improve access to care. With new training sites in Kingsport and Chattanooga, the expansion brings… Read More


More Than a White Coat: College of Medicine Welcomes Largest Class in History

|
Inside a dim auditorium, students in short white coats hold up their right hands while reading an oath printed in a pamphlet.

One by one, 181 first-year medical students walked across the Cannon Center stage in Memphis recently, as faculty members from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences College of Medicine helped them into their first white coats. The annual White Coat Ceremony represents one of medicine’s earliest traditions. This year’s event carried additional significance. The Class… Read More


$4 Million Commitment Will Help Expand Health Hubs to Bring Preventive Care to More Communities Across Tennessee

|
Group photo of leaders at the announcement of expansion of health hubs across tennessee

“We need to put prevention first, we need to put abundant life first,” James Bailey, MD, executive director of the Tennessee Population Health Consortium at UT Health Sciences, said Wednesday during an event to announce the statewide expansion of a neighborhood health hub model developed at the university to improve health and wellness in medically… Read More


When Physical Therapy Means First Names and Open Hearts

|
Dr. Ray Patterson, Dr. Carlos Clardy and Linda Patterson pose for a photo together at an event.

Charles Clardy had one instruction for his son before the dinner at the Peabody Hotel. Tell Ray I said hello. Doctor of Physical Therapy Carlos Clardy, EdD, spent years hearing his father speak of Dr. Ray Patterson, the young physical therapy educator at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences who had meant so much during… Read More


2 from UT Health Sciences Honored with UT President’s Awards

|
Side-by-side headshots of Edwin Jeffres and Dr. Tina Dudney

The University of Tennessee System has named two employees from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences among the recipients of the 2026 President’s Awards, the highest honor a UT employee can receive. Edwin Jeffres, assistant vice chancellor of Facilities, and Tina Dudney, MD, professor and assistant dean for Graduate Medical Education in the College of… Read More