Jon McCullers, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and pediatrician-in-chief of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, has taken on an additional role with the UTHSC College of Medicine.
College of Medicine Executive Dean Scott Strome, MD, named Dr. McCullers to the new position of interim senior executive associate dean of Clinical Affairs and chief operating officer for the college.
At the same time, Dr. McCullers retains his positions as chair of Pediatrics at UTHSC and pediatrician-in-chief at Le Bonheur.
In this new role, Dr. McCullers is charged with supporting the alignment of the clinical, education, and research missions within the College of Medicine and with hospital partners. He will provide oversight of academic practice plans and associated affiliation agreements. He will also promote the growth of service lines and the academic clinical practice.
The university, through the College of Medicine, is affiliated with core partner teaching hospitals and systems, including Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Regional One Health, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis Veteran’s Medical Center, UT Medical Center in Knoxville, Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, and Saint Thomas Health in Nashville, as well as to a lesser degree, other hospitals in the area. College of Medicine faculty serve as clinical staff at these partner hospitals.
“Dr. McCullers in partnership with Meri Armour, as CEO of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, has successfully transitioned the Department of Pediatrics and Le Bonheur Hospital into a top-tier academic medical center in pediatrics,” Dean Strome said. “Le Bonheur is now recognized as a Top 25 Children’s Hospital nationally, according to U.S. News & World Report, and a Top 10 Children’s Hospital for Quality, as designated by The Leapfrog Group. In the College of Medicine, it is now time to use Dr. McCullers’ talents and experience to shape the adult clinical practices into a vehicle to grow the academic mission.”
Dr. McCullers will work with key partners, including clinical chairs, practice group directors, and partner hospital leaders to grow and enhance the College of Medicine and the university’s missions.
“In addition to my work at Le Bonheur Children’s, I am excited by this opportunity to work with our strong partners in the community and in systems, such as Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Regional One Health, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, to advance our mission to promote the health and well-being of the entire Mid-South,” Dr. McCullers said.
“Dr. Strome’s strategic plan to take the College of Medicine to the next level taps into one of the college’s greatest strengths,” said UTHSC Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD. “Dr. McCullers joined us full time in 2012 as chair of Pediatrics, and he has done a stellar job. Over the subsequent five-year period faculty size grew from 96 to 185 physicians and scientists, extramural NIH funding increased by more than tenfold, multiple educational programs expanded, outpatient visits increased by more than 40 percent, and physician culture was transformed to that of providing cutting-edge, evidence-based care in an academic health center.”