Category: Research


Rooted in Tennessee: Pediatric Surgeon Brings a Lifetime of Commitment to Chattanooga Community

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Dr. Dave Battacharya sits in a room with medical equipment.

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


‘We Are on a Roll,’ Chancellor Buckley Says at Town Hall

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Dr. Karla Leeper speaks at the town hall, seated between Chancellor Peter Buckley and Raaj Kurapati

Executive leadership at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences held a town hall Thursday on the Memphis campus to discuss the university’s momentum, pay raises for employees, a refresh to the university’s branding and other updates. “We are on a roll, and we’ve got great momentum,” Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, told the faculty and staff… Read More


Leading the Fight: Dr. Kenneth Ataga’s Mission to Advance Sickle Cell Care

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Portrait of Dr. Kenneth Ataga

When Kenneth Ataga, MD, talks about his work, his focus is always on his patients. He has spent more than two decades caring for people with sickle cell disease and searching for better treatments for the condition that often causes unpredictable pain, threatens organs, and shortens lives. “I was attracted to medicine because I wanted… Read More


‘We Are Stronger Together’: Faculty Senate Celebrates University’s Achievements, Looks Ahead with Optimism

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Dr. Ted Cory speaks at a podium while Dr. Karen Derefinko stands nearby clapping

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


‘You Are Never Done Learning,’ Two-Time UT Health Sciences Doctoral Grad Says

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Dr. Brittany Grayless

Brittany Grayless holds not one but two doctorates from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences. Already a Doctor of Audiology (AuD), she graduated in May with a PhD in Speech and Hearing Science from the university. “You are never done learning,” says Dr. Grayless, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech… Read More


There Is Hope: Friend’s Death from Brain Cancer Sets Researcher on Career-Long Quest for a Cure

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Dr. Lawrence Pfeffer in lab

In the mid-1980s, Lawrence Pfeffer and Daniel Nachsen were young PhDs, assistant professors, collaborators and friends working at research institutions across the street from each other in New York City: Dr. Pfeffer at Rockefeller University and Dr. Nachsen at Cornell University Medical College. Then one became ill. “It was very depressing when I found out… Read More


PhD Graduate’s Work Could Alter Stroke Treatment Paradigm

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Dr. Nicole Schumacher poses with her family for a professional photo outside with palm trees in the background.

Nicole Schumacher began working at 14, when she started helping her dad with his eBay side business of selling electronic components from their garage. At 18, the California native worked for Best Buy and had no plans for college. Today, Dr. Schumacher is doing research on glucose levels in stroke patients, especially in the very early stage of the stroke called… Read More


Seven UT Health Sciences Physicians Named to Inaugural Memphis Medical Society Hall of Fame

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The honored physicians stand together in a line, wearing their Hall of Fame white coats at the Memphis Medical Society gala.

When the Memphis Medical Society named its inaugural Hall of Fame class recently, seven of the 10 honorees could trace their training, faculty careers, or both to the University of Tennessee Health Sciences. For 150 years, the Memphis Medical Society has stood alongside the physicians who built medicine in the city. The Hall of Fame… Read More