James W. Haynes, MD, MBA, FAAFP, has been named dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine – Chattanooga. Dr. Haynes has served as the interim dean in Chattanooga since December 2021.
“I am grateful for the opportunity and I believe we have a bright future here,” Dr. Haynes said. The College of Medicine – Chattanooga includes 400 faculty members, approximately 190 residents and fellows, and approximately 250 students, who rotate through for training annually, he said.
“Building upon 50 years and the good relations we’ve had with Erlanger (Health System), we can build a strong health care system that provides care to all the citizens of our community, North Georgia, Western North Carolina, and northeast Alabama,” he said.
A family medicine physician and a more-than-20-year veteran of the United States Air Force, Dr. Haynes listed several priorities for his new role including, “To use our academic infrastructure and resources to help our affiliated hospitals improve quality, depth and breadth of services, and grow residency positions where it is makes the most sense. I’d also like to establish rural health care initiatives around the region, in order to improve the health care to folks who live in rural areas, and to grow our research.”
Dr. Haynes said he also aims to improve faculty development, providing junior faculty a clear path for academic growth and promotion, as well as to partner with the community to improve the health of the citizens in the Chattanooga area.
A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Dr. Haynes received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He completed his residency in family medicine at Eglin Regional Hospital at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
His extensive military service encompasses two tours of duty in the Middle East, including a tour of duty in Iraq as part of a critical care evacuation team. Dr. Haynes was named the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians’ Family Physician of the Year in 2003 and served as the family medicine consultant to the Surgeon General of the U. S. Air Force from 2005 to 2007.
Dr. Haynes has taught in Graduate Medical Education for more than 20 years and has served as the chair of the Department of Family Medicine in Chattanooga since 2019. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and is a past president of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society.
“I am delighted that we were able to successfully recruit Dr. Haynes to serve as the dean of our Chattanooga campus,” said Scott Strome, executive dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine. “He is a fantastic leader, who seeks to grow the UTHSC College of Medicine by building bridges with all of our relevant stakeholders. Our future is incredibly bright with Dr. Haynes at the helm in Chattanooga.”
R. Phillip Burns, MD, FACS, who served 46 years as the chair of the Department of Surgery in the College of Medicine – Chattanooga, said, “I can’t think of a better choice than that of Dr. James Haynes as the dean of the College of Medicine in Chattanooga. He is not only a great teacher and administrator, but I have been particularly impressed with his contributions to leadership in organized medicine, both in our local community and the state.”
Note: Photo courtesy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.