Category: Research


From Honeymoon to Pitch Table: UT Health Sciences Graduate Student Embodies ‘Discovery to Impact’

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Portrait of CJ Rudolph in the lab with a scoliosis brace on the counter next to him.

On June 18, CJ Rudolph landed in Memphis at 1 a.m. after nearly 24 hours of travel home from his honeymoon. By mid-day, he was standing before a room of researchers, investors and industry leaders pitching a medical device he had spent three years developing. Hours later, the third-year University of Tennessee Health Sciences biomedical… Read More


Community Pharmacy Residency Program Study Leads to Expanded Access to Diabetes Care in Tennessee

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Two pharmacists in white coats speak with a patient

The University of Tennessee Health Sciences College of Pharmacy’s PGY-1 Community-Based Residency Program, in collaboration with Kroger Health, has developed a successful model for expanding access to A1C testing in community pharmacies. A pilot study conducted by the residency program and Kroger Health, completed in May 2026, found standardized A1C testing in community pharmacies improved… Read More


Researcher Receives $466,000 Federal Grant to Study Eye Damage from Chemical Warfare Agents

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Dr. Nawajes Mandal looks into a microscope

Nawajes Mandal, PhD, professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences, has been awarded a $466,103 grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, to investigate how chemical warfare agents, specifically blister agents like mustard gas, damage the eyes and cause long-term vision loss. Blister agents like… Read More


PA Students Put Tennessee First

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UT Health Sciences PA students pose for a group photo with Chancellor Peter Buckley in front of the Capitol Building.

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


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