Category: Public Service


20 People Receive Gift of Sight During Eighth-Annual Cataract-A-Thon

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Photo of surgery

Nik Hopkins, MD, was a medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center when the Hamilton Eye Institute hosted the first Ivan Marais Cataract‑A‑Thon in 2017. Since then, he had hoped to do his part to provide free, vision-restoring surgeries to people in need. “I was amazed at how many people of different… Read More


Chancellor Buckley Honored to Join Alliance of Academic Health Centers International Steering Committee

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Photo of Chancellor Peter Buckley.

Peter Buckley, MD, chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been appointed to the steering committee of the Alliance of Academic Health Centers International (AAHCI). AAHCI is a global network of academic health centers and systems with a mission to advance health, education, and research through collaboration. Chancellor Buckley, a psychiatrist who emigrated from Ireland… Read More


College of Dentistry’s 2025 Give Kids A Smile Offers Service, Inspiration to Local Youth

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Photo from Give Kids a Smile

The annual Give Kids A Smile event, hosted earlier this month by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry, delivered more than $19,000 worth of free dental care to almost 90 middle- and high-school students from across the Memphis area. Give Kids A Smile 2025 provided a welcoming space where access to… Read More


UT Health Science Center Communicators Win Three Awards at Statewide Conference

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Photo of plaques

The Office of Communications and Marketing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center earned three awards, including a first-place honor and a Best in Show nomination, at the 2025 Tennessee College Public Relations Association (TCPRA) conference. Held May 21–23 in Chattanooga, the annual event brought together communications professionals from public and private colleges and… Read More


College of Nursing Dean to Lead Statewide Rural Health Initiative

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Portrait of Dean Wendy Likes

Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc APRN-Bc, FAAN, FAANP, dean of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing, will fill a new role as executive director and special advisor on rural health for the university. Dean Likes will continue her role as the College of Nursing’s dean. Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, made the announcement… Read More


Advisory Board Recommends Approval of FY26 Budget Proposal

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Photo of Raaj Kurapati speaking

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… Read More


Donors Rally for Cancer Research in Record-Breaking UT Health Science Center Giving Day

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Photo of a researcher with the Giving Day logo

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center marked its most successful Giving Day yet on Tuesday, April 29, surpassing fundraising and participation goals and highlighting the strength of its community of supporters. This year’s Giving Day brought in a record-breaking $956,246 from 1,361 donors – well beyond the goal of 1,250 donors and nearly $300,000… Read More


Center for Youth Advocacy and Well-Being Marks 10 Years of Serving the Youth of Memphis and Their Families

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Portrait of Dr. Altha Stewart

The Center for Youth Advocacy and Well-Being (CYAW) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of working in collaboration with community partners to provide services to young people with mental health and trauma-related needs who are at risk of entering the justice or child welfare systems. In recognition of… Read More