Emily McCulley grew up in Memphis, about as far from a coastal naval base as you can get. Then she enrolled in medical school and started asking a different kind of question. “I kind of wanted more out of life,” she says. “Adventure.” This spring, Emily McCulley, MD, crossed the commencement stage at the University… Read More
The University of Tennessee Health Sciences College of Medicine – Chattanooga has named Benjamin C. Smith, MD, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Smith steps into the role after serving as interim chair of the department since January 2025. Dr. Smith has played a key role in training future emergency physicians since the… Read More
A new generation of Physician Assistants trained at UT Health Sciences are heading toward the communities that need them most. The bus pulled out of Memphis before sunrise. A few students dozed in the early dark, heads tilted toward windows as the highway unspooled west to east. In the quiet, a voice carried from the front. “What are you doing?” Another student… Read More
For S. Dave Bhattacharya, MD, medicine was never a distant goal. It was a part of his everyday life. Just before he was born, his father, Syamal Bhattacharya, joined the University of Tennessee Health Sciences in 1979, spending decades as a researcher in the Departments of Neurology and Surgery, and he’s still a faculty member… Read More
The Faculty Senate at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences wrapped up the academic year by celebrating its accomplishments and honoring several people who have made a tremendous impact on the university and its future. At its final meeting of the year Tuesday, the Faculty Senate presented awards to some of the leaders who played… Read More
The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Office of Communications and Marketing earned four awards, including two top honors, at the 2026 Tennessee College Public Relations Association (TCPRA) conference. The annual event, held May 20–22 in Chattanooga, brought together communicators from public and private colleges and universities across the state. This year’s competition drew a record-breaking… Read More
Memphis wasn’t on Alicia Barnes’ bingo card, but she saw an alignment she couldn’t ignore. The physician arrived three years ago, answering a listserv post from a colleague she had first met as a medical student at a national community psychiatry conference. She wasn’t actively looking. Yet when Altha Stewart, MD, posted about a leadership… Read More
“Never underestimate the power of showing up and serving others,” said Leatriece Franklin, MHA, MSN, RN, as she received the 2026 Dr. John W. Runyan, Jr., Community Nursing Award at the recent 10th annual NightinGala. The award recognizes a registered nurse practicing in Tennessee, Mississippi, or Arkansas, who has made significant contributions to the development… Read More
