“We are in a good place and moving in a good direction,” Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, told members of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Advisory Board Friday during their summer meeting in Memphis.
With many new leaders now in place and joining already committed colleagues to forge a more-cohesive team across all four Health Science Center campuses, the board meeting was replete with evidence of progress and forward momentum at UT Health Science Center.
Reports from each of the six colleges illustrated this, highlighting new programs, major research awards, enrollment gains, and statewide community outreach.
Additionally, a financial report by Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Raaj Kurapati showed adjustments across the university over the last six months have resulted in an overall positive projected financial performance for fiscal year 2024 and a balanced budget for fiscal year 2025, putting the university on a more positive financial trajectory for the future.
Chancellor Buckley said the university is increasing its collaborations across the state, as it builds on its vision of Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities. “I think we’re living our vision of reaching out and being a partner all across the state,” he said.
The chancellor opened the meeting with a tribute to one of the university’s longtime partners, Scott Morris, MD, founder and former CEO of Church Health in Memphis, who retired recently after 37 years at the helm. Chancellor Buckley described Dr. Morris as a “remarkable health care leader,” who has been a role model and mentor to many. “Your contributions are remarkable, they are the soul of this great city,” he said.
Phil Wenk, DDS, advisory board chairman, called Dr. Morris, “a true hero” for the city of Memphis. “In your lifetime, you meet very few people who compare to Scott Morris,” he said. “Scott Morris never ceases to find a way to serve every day.”
Dr. Morris, who attended the meeting with his wife, Mary, expressed his appreciation for the recognition and for the nearly four-decade relationship between Church Health and UT Health Science Center, which has involved mentoring and training medical and dental students volunteering in Church Health clinics for the underserved.
“Church Health provides care for those who make our life comfortable,” he said, accepting a plaque from the chancellor. “They cook our food, take care of our children, wash our dishes, cut our grass, but when they get sick their options are very few. Our goal is to provide the same quality care you want your mother to receive. Training young doctors in a variety of ways to care for all of our patients in that same mentality is something we have been committed to from day one.”
Robert Craft, MD, now in his second year as the dean of the UT Health Science Center College of Medicine campus in Knoxville, outlined the strategy and rationale for a name change for the academic campus to better align it with the university and recognize its expanding academic, clinical, and research efforts.
Dr. Craft eloquently explained the process for internal and external conversations about evolving the name from the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville, as it has been known since its founding, to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine-Knoxville.
The change will not impact the strong and vital relationship with the University of Tennessee Medical Center, he said. “This change will benefit the entire University of Tennessee, while still respecting the brand,” Dean Craft said. The new name reflects the expanding research enterprise and collaborations statewide, continuing strong clinical presence at UT Medical Center, and positioning to enable an expanded undergraduate medical education presence in Knoxville in the future.
Upbeat reports from the deans of the six colleges followed.
- Nick Verne, MD, interim dean of the College of Medicine, reported on Match Day 2024 results showing 39% of the graduating class matched for residencies in Tennessee and 32% matched for residencies at UT Health Science Center campuses. The college had a 93% satisfaction rating for medical education according to 2024 graduates, an impressive new high that is above the national mean for medical schools. Dr. Verne also highlighted exciting recent news that the College of Medicine is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a Tier 2 best medical school for research and for primary care education.
- Speaking for the College of Dentistry, Orpheus Triplett, DDS, associate dean for Extramural Clinical Education and Community Service, said enrollment has increased to 130 dental students and 96 dental hygiene students (with two classes per year). The college has five extramural dental clinics across the state, where students train and provide care to those in need, and recently completed construction on a clinic in Kingsport, along with community, academic, and government partners, to expand access to oral health care there.
- Don Thomason, PhD, dean of the College of Graduate Health Sciences, said the college completed a successful Summer Research Scholars program to train potential students interested in research careers. Applications to the college are up by 60% as a result of aggressive recruiting, and the college is grateful to have received a remarkable $3 million donation from a generous alumnus.
- Stephen Alway, PhD, dean of the College of Health Professions, proudly announced the college increased its grant and contract awards to $3.17 million in 2024 and successfully completed the first cohort of its REACH program, a major grant-funded program to help underrepresented students in West Tennessee who are interested in health careers.
- Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, who is celebrating her 10th anniversary as dean of the College of Nursing, also proudly cited that the college achieved an 86% increase over the previous year in research funding, from $3.59 million to $5.8 million in FY2024. The college also has a growth strategy over the next three years to increase enrollment by 231 students and has met benchmarks for growth and strength in research, advancing healthier communities, strengthening student recruitment and outcomes, and developing and leveraging talent.
- College of Pharmacy Dean Reginald Frye, PharmD, PhD, recognized the college’s exceptionally strong fungal pathogen research group, which recently held a statewide conference. He said the college ranks No. 13 in funding from the National Institutes of Health and is ranked No. 19 among Colleges of Pharmacy by U.S. News & World Report.
Reporting on the university’s financial health, Kurapati said several factors contributed to achieving a balanced budget, including greater transparency around finances, as well as financial adjustments and consolidations throughout the university.
As a result of the work of many at the Health Science Center, rather than ending fiscal year 2024 with a budget deficit the university initially faced, it ended (projected) FY2024 with a fund balance of over $20 million. “We did this literally ‘together’ in six months,” he said. Kurapati was effusive in his praise of all colleagues at UT Health Science Center for such a remarkable accomplishment. Additionally, with appropriate cautious optimism, he reminded attendees that sustained diligence will pay dividends over the long term to enable reinvestment in the university’s academic priorities.
Paul Wesolowski, vice chancellor for Strategic Partnerships, introduced Jessi Gold, MD, chief wellness officer (CWO) for the UT System. Wesolowski collaborated with Bernie Savarese, vice president for Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success for the UT System, to create this new strategic position and the two led the search for a gifted leader for the role.
Dr. Gold reported on her first six months as UT System CWO and an associate professor of psychiatry at UT Health Science Center. She told the board she has been focusing on a systemwide coordinated approach to wellness, which is represented by eight dimensions of physical and mental health. The model is based on prevention instead of intervention. Dr. Gold also has been visiting campuses and talking with students, faculty, and staff to get a baseline and determine what is needed across the system.
The board welcomed new members Jillian McCarthy, PhD, CCC-SLP, associate professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, the Faculty Senate representative, and Margaret Bohm, a student in the College of Graduate Health Sciences, the student representative.
The Advisory Board members were acknowledged for their service, including their commitment of time and their excellent advice that has helped the university progress. The board was also recognized with gratitude for the example set by each member donating to the university last academic year during fund-raising campaigns.
Dr. Wenk closed the invigorating meeting saying, “We have an incredible group of leaders on this campus, and we appreciate everything you do.” He also echoed the chancellor’s emphasis on the university’s statewide reach. “We’re going to stake our name across the state of Tennessee.”
The full advisory board meeting is available to view on webcast on the UTHSC Advisory Board webpage.