During its spring meeting Friday, May 9, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Advisory Board unanimously approved a $711.3 million balanced budget proposal for FY 2026, which will now go as a recommendation to the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees at its meeting in June.
The board also recognized the university’s vital 10-year clinical partnership with Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville, welcomed its new board chair and a new member, and received updates from Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, and the college deans about new leadership recruits and the university’s recent accomplishments.
Recently appointed Board Chair Randall A. Davis, MD, a Memphis radiologist and proud UT Health Science Center alumnus, presided over his first meeting. Executive Vice Chancellor Raaj Kurapati introduced new board member Rick Spell, a gubernatorial appointee and a prominent Memphis businessman. “This is a very esteemed medical university and I’m very proud to serve it in any way I can,” Spell said.
The chancellor congratulated student representative Margaret Bohm, who is graduating and ending her term, for her service and acknowledged her recent federal research training career award. “We look forward to celebrating you and all your colleagues at our commencement ceremonies,” he said.
The recognition of the 10-year anniversary of the successful and growing clinical partnership with Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville was next on the agenda. “We are proud to celebrate a great partnership,” Chancellor Buckley said. “This is an outstanding hospital system nationally, and then outstanding in our state, and an opportunity for us going forward.”
President and CEO of Ascension Fahad Tahir reminded the board that the partnership – started jointly with Chancellor Emeritus Steve Schwab, MD – began with one residency program. He described with enthusiasm how this collaboration has blossomed over the 10 years to include residency and fellowship programs across multiple specialties, pharmacy training, and research collaborations, and is successful in retaining clinicians to practice and serve Middle Tennessee and across the state.
Brian Wilcox, MD, associate dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education for the College of Medicine in Nashville, also spoke about the bright future, highlighting that consultations are underway to build the partnership further to support long-term physician workforce development for Tennessee. “We’re really excited about the 10-year relationship and where we will go in the future,” Dr. Wilcox said.
Chancellor Buckley turned his focus to new leaders, identified through extensive national searches, who will be joining the university this summer. Michael Hocker, MD, MHS, an accomplished academic physician, innovative educator and mentor, and inspirational servant leader, will join the College of Medicine as its new executive dean June 23.
The chancellor thanked G. Nicholas Verne, MD, for his “steady hand” over nearly two years of outstanding service as the interim dean of the college. “Nick has served this institution remarkably while also being a national leader in gastroenterology,” he said. “We are grateful for that.”
Karla Leeper, PhD, MBA, MA, who has been named the new vice chancellor for Strategic Communications and Marketing, joins the university July 7. Currently, the vice chancellor for Strategic Communications and Public Affairs at the University of Kansas, Leeper brings decades of experience in higher education, health care, and communications.
The chancellor was also pleased to announce College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc APRN-Bc, who continues her leadership of the college, has the additional new title of Executive Director and Special Advisor on Rural Health, reflecting the outstanding work the college has done in bringing needed primary care services to rural communities in West Tennessee through mobile health outreach.
Building upon the recommendations of a gubernatorial task force that addressed rural health needs in Tennessee, Dr. Likes will collaborate with the other Health Science Center deans and with Paul Wesolowski, MBA, vice chancellor for Strategic Partnerships, and Cindy Russell, PhD, RN, vice chancellor for Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs, to advance care, training, and retention of Health Sciences-trained clinicians in rural communities.
Alumnus and former Advisory Board Chair Phil Wenk, DDS, who served as the chair of the board since it began in 2019, has accepted the role of Special Advisor to the Chancellor to advance strategic new partnerships and to help build the university’s presence in Middle Tennessee, where he lives. He will also serve a statewide role as a supporter of the university’s missions and vision, and a role model for its students.
David Mills, director of Government Relations, reported on the successes of the recent legislative session, emphasizing how these strategically align with the priority status of the new College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building (COMIB). Chancellor Buckley expressed gratitude for the work of UT System President Randy Boyd, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the UT System David Miller, Vice President for Government Relations and Advocacy for the UT System Carey Whitworth, Mills, and the entire government relations team for another stellar year working with leaders in Nashville and for the positive outcomes from this legislative session.
Reports from the Colleges
- Verified applications to the College of Graduate Health Sciences are up 35% over the previous year, said Dean Donald Thomason, PhD. The college held its annual Graduate Research Day April 25, a student writing retreat in February, and a student symposium about career paths, he said.
- Dean Reggie Frye, PharmD, PhD, reported the college excelled in the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) residency match cycle with 66 PGY1 (Postgraduate year 1) and 28 PGY2 (Postgraduate year 2) residency matches this year, earning the rank of #1 in Tennessee, #8 nationally for number matched and Top 20 for percent matched (94.3%).
- The College of Dentistry is having its Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) site visit May 13-15, said Jon Ryder, DDS, executive associate dean in the college. Curriculum innovation and modernization is ongoing in the college, and the successful partnership with the city of Kingsport to expand dental services there is progressing, including partnering with East Tennessee State University and Ballad Health.
- In the College of Health Professions, the UT Grand Challenges Grant awarded to the Audiology and Speech Pathology Department and UT Knoxville Social Work has enabled nine rural and underserved counties in East Tennessee to receive comprehensive services thus far, said Interim Dean Ashley Harkrider, PhD, who recently accepted this interim leadership appointment following almost eight years of exemplary service by former Dean Stephen Alway, PhD. Also in the college, a new Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program has been approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, with the first class to start this summer. The Pathologists’ Assistant program recently hosted accreditors for its initial review from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. The reviewers were overwhelmingly complimentary of the program and its support in the college and the institution.
- Dean Likes reported the College of Nursing has received a $3.6 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Health Rural Resiliency program to provide a second Nursing Mobile Health Unit to serve primarily Hardeman and Haywood counties in West Tennessee. Additionally, Dean Likes received a $300,000 grant from Tennessee Department of Labor/Workforce Development for the Rural Nurse Scholars program. The college has provided student health services at Southwest Tennessee Community College (SWTCC) one day a week. SWTCC desires to expand this to five days a week, which will maximize the college’s use of the mobile health unit, including its staff and telehealth technology, and provide additional financial support for operation of the unit.
- The College of Medicine has a 94.5% satisfaction score among students for their preclinical curriculum, and a 99.3% pass rate on the USMLE Step 1 exam and a 100% pass rate on the USMLE Step II exam among students who have taken the exams, above the national rates of 91% and 98% respectively, Interim Dean Verne said. A new chair of Medical Education, Tony Nicholas, MD, PhD, joins the college on June 1, and searches for new chairs of Pathology and Pediatrics are underway.
Introducing his budget proposal, Kurapati reiterated the university’s strategy to prepare and positively position the institution in the face of the uncertainty in an evolving national environment. These efforts include building transparency around finances, following an established budget process, balancing the budget, investing in the future, and preparing for contingencies.
“We need to be prepared to take action,” he said. A Contingency Planning Workgroup has been established to monitor and develop institutional strategies to act as and when necessary. “We will make our decisions in a very strategic way.”
The university is reviewing contracts and eliminating redundancy, addressing deficit operations, managing attrition, and has instituted a strategic hiring review process to ensure it is nimble and proactive.
The FY2026 budget proposal includes funding for strategic improvements on campus, development of a Capital Master Plan for the university along with some capital investments, a 2.6% compensation adjustment for faculty and staff, and funds to launch planning and design for the proposed College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building in Memphis.
Chancellor Buckley also acknowledged the professionalism and support of faculty, staff, and students during this uncertain time, and he congratulated Kurapati and his team for “budgeting in a sea of uncertainty.” Chancellor Buckley added, “these conversations are going on with boards all across the country.”
The recorded webcast of the meeting is available to view on the UT Health Science Center Advisory Board website.