Category: Research


Pharmaceutical Sciences Student Thrives in Research and Leadership

|
Photo of Ishita Kathuria in the lab

Ishita Kathuria was deeply influenced by her family’s history of heart disease to pursue cardiovascular research.  “Growing up in a family prone to cardiac disorders motivated me to delve into the underlying mechanisms of these conditions with the hope of contributing to their cure,” Kathuria said. Her pursuit of pharmacy stemmed from her curiosity about… Read More


Research Administrator Earns PhD to Advance Career, Help Future Students

|
Portrait of Kimberly Williams Houston

With a relentless drive for learning and a passion for advocacy, Kimberly Williams Houston, PhD, is using her expertise to drive change – both in research administration and in advocating for students like her. Dr. Houston previously earned a master’s degree from UT Health Science Center and has worked on the university’s Institutional Review Board… Read More


CANDLE Study Secures More than $4 Million in Continued Funding to Advance Child Health Research

|
Headshot of Dr. Qi Zhao

The Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) Study, led by Qi Zhao, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has reached a milestone by receiving continued federal support to investigate how early-life environmental exposures affect health outcomes in children. The long-running… Read More


Alicia Barnes, DO, MPH, Named Inaugural Urban Child Institute Endowed Chair of Excellence for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

|
Headshot of Dr. Alicia Barnes

Alicia Barnes, DO, MPH, has been named the inaugural Urban Child Institute (UCI) Endowed Chair of Excellence for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. As the first recipient of the endowed chair, Dr. Barnes will serve as the director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UT… Read More


‘I Love Being Part of Universities,’ New Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications and Marketing Says

|
Headshot of Dr. Karla Leeper

Karla Leeper says she has always been fascinated with words. Consider this little ditty from TV she amazed grownups by reciting as a precocious 4-year-old: “Dirt can’t hide from intensified Tide.” Today, this self-described odd kid holds a PhD and a master’s degree in communication studies, as well an MBA, and has joined the University… Read More


UT President’s Awards Honor 2 from UT Health Science Center

|
Side-by-side headshots of Judith Nyabando and Dr. Natascha Thompson

Two outstanding employees from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center are among the 17 winners of the 2025 UT President’s Awards announced this week by UT System President Randy Boyd during the annual UT Board of Trustees meeting in Chattanooga. The honorees from UT Health Science Center are Judith Nyabando, chief data officer and… Read More


2024-25 Annual Report: Realizing Our Vision

|
Cover art of the 2024-25 Annual Report

In the two years since the 2023-28 Strategic Plan launched, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has worked to make our vision – Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities. – a reality. By training the future of health care, delivering exceptional care in hospitals and clinics across Tennessee, conducting top-tier research, and engaging communities statewide, our… Read More


Dr. John Cox Awarded $3.68 Million to Study How Chlamydia Bacteria Reproduce

|
Headshot of Dr. John Cox

John Cox, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has received a $3.68 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to better understand how the bacterium that causes chlamydia reproduces. The research could lead to better ways to… Read More