After an extensive nationwide search, Michael Hocker, MD, MHS, a highly accomplished academic physician, innovative educator and mentor, and inspirational servant leader, has been named the new executive dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He will begin his tenure in July 2025.
Dr. Hocker currently serves as the dean and chief academic officer for the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine, and as the senior vice president for the UT Health RGV clinical practice, where he has had a transformative impact.
Dr. Hocker led the new college through full accreditation of its medical education programs from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), positioning the college to expand its student body to better serve the region through planned combined programs, including an MD/PhD program to train physician-scientists, as well as an MD/MBA program to equip physicians with the business skills necessary in today’s health care climate.
He led the School of Medicine’s continued accreditation for its Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, while also developing a new Graduate Medical Education consortium, including 10 new GME programs, with 250 residency/fellowship positions. Notably, 60% of residents who graduate stay in RGV to practice.
Further enabling this prodigious growth in regional workforce through new departmental chairs and faculty hires with clinical practice partners, Dr. Hocker developed a clinical practice plan with governance and committee structures in support of a new $156 million UT Health RGV Cancer and Ambulatory Surgery Center, a full-service radiology, lab, and physical therapy space. Additionally, under Dr. Hocker’s leadership, the UTRGV School of Medicine’s footprint has grown with the opening of a new Institute of Neurosciences and a Human Genomics Center.
Attracted by UT Health Science Center’s statewide vision, broad impact, and multiple campuses, Dr. Hocker said he is excited to join the momentum and new leadership team at the university. Additionally, his extensive educational, clinical, and life experiences position him perfectly for his new role at the helm of the College of Medicine, the largest college at UT Health Science Center.
“As the next dean, my vision for excellence and success will focus on educating, developing, encouraging, and leveraging the unique abilities of the extraordinary students, residents, fellows, and faculty at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center,” Dr. Hocker said. “We will develop health care leaders, advance human health through high-quality clinical care, advance knowledge through research and education, and serve the community of Tennessee.”
“We are extremely fortunate to welcome Mike to our outstanding leadership team,” said Peter Buckley, MD, chancellor of UT Health Science Center. “Mike is a mentor for students, residents, and faculty, and he is a proven and inspirational leader in workforce development, clinical practice governance, philanthropic outreach, and collaborative community partnerships. He will be a tremendous asset to the College of Medicine and the university, as we work in partnership to fulfill our vision of Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities.”
“Educating and developing the next generation of physicians and health care providers is one of the most gratifying aspects of my career,” Dr. Hocker said. “I am a servant leader with an unwavering belief in core values of family, honesty, integrity, transparency, clear communication, collaboration, adaptability, respect, and loyalty. Success results from perseverance and hard work, opportunity, not entitlement, and gratitude, not grievance. These core values guide me and those I lead to achieve success and excellence.”
Also previously, Dr. Hocker served as the senior associate dean and designated institutional official for Graduate Medical Education at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, overseeing 51 residency programs. He was also the vice chair of Operations for Emergency Medicine and held the Harrison Distinguished Chair in Emergency Medicine.
“We are extremely fortunate to welcome Mike to our outstanding leadership team. Mike is a mentor for students, residents, and faculty, and he is a proven and inspirational leader in workforce development, clinical practice governance, philanthropic outreach, and collaborative community partnerships.
Chancellor Peter Buckley
He spent 14 years at Duke University School of Medicine, helping to found and lead the emergency training program, which is now considered one of the best in the country.
A former U.S. Navy flight surgeon, Dr. Hocker graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, Colorado. Building upon his military and progressive leadership experiences, Dr. Hocker also earned a Master of Health Science in Clinical Leadership from Duke and a certification in conflict resolution – additional skills that are foundational to his leadership and to his mentorship of others.
Strategically, Dr. Hocker’s success in generating philanthropic support for naming UTRGV’s new Cancer/Ambulatory Surgical Center and several endowed professorships bodes well for his future success at UT Health Science Center, which is beginning philanthropic fund-raising for a new College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building, designed to give the college its first dedicated home and provide space for collaborative learning and research across colleges at the university.
Great Things are Happening in the College of Medicine
The College of Medicine has made remarkable progress under the stellar guidance of G. Nicholas Verne, MD, who has served as the interim executive dean for almost 20 months. As interim dean, Dr. Verne successfully led the college through accreditation of its undergraduate medical education programs by the LCME.
Among other accomplishments, the college received a 93% overall satisfaction rating from 2024 graduates on the American Association of Medical Colleges Graduate Questionnaire. Additionally, USMLE Board Exam Results are above the national average, with a 93% Step I pass rate and a 100% Step II pass rate and mean score of 252.
The chancellor expressed deep appreciation to Dr. Verne for his service as the interim executive dean. A distinguished educator, clinician, and researcher, Dr. Verne joined the university in 2019 as the chair of the Department of Medicine in the College of Medicine and senior associate dean for Statewide Operations and Strategy.
With Dr. Verne’s leadership, the College of Medicine’s extramural funding rose to $61 million in FY 2025. Additionally, Dr. Verne sustained his own federal research portfolio and, while interim dean, served as president of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society.
“Nick has done an outstanding job fostering collaboration among the college and our hospital affiliates,” Chancellor Buckley said. “We are tremendously indebted to him for his stellar service, his great leadership, and his attention and care for students, faculty, and staff in the college. We are excited he will continue at the helm of the Department of Medicine and serve as a vital colleague for Mike and for all of us.”
New Leaders and Strategic Direction at UT Health Science Center
Dr. Hocker joins an impressive roster of outstanding senior leaders recruited to UT Health Science Center over the past few years. This leadership team is uniquely situated to take Tennessee’s more than 100-year-old academic health science institution into the future as the largest educator of health care professionals in Tennessee.
In addition to Chancellor Buckley, who joined the university in 2022, the new leaders include Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Raaj Kurapati, AIFA; Vice Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships Paul Wesolowski, MBA; Vice Chancellor for Advancement Brigitte Grant, MBA; College of Pharmacy Dean Reginald Frye, PharmD, PhD; College of Dentistry Dean Ken Tilashalski, DMD; Vice Chancellor for Research Jessica Snowden, MD; and UT System Chief Wellness Officer Jessi Gold, MD. The new leadership at UT Health Science Center also includes outstanding deans at College of Medicine campuses across the state: James Haynes, MD, in Chattanooga; Robert Craft, MD, in Knoxville; and Brian Wilcox, MD, associate dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education in Nashville.
In 2023, UT Health Science Center adopted its new vision, as part of an ambitious five-year Strategic Plan. The university continues to make strides in fulfilling that plan. In a recent major accomplishment, the university achieved R1 status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, joining the elite ranks of the nation’s top-tier research institutions. “Dr. Hocker’s ability to inspire others and to develop new collaborative programs makes him a great partner as we build together upon our momentum to pursue statewide collaborative research,” Vice Chancellor for Research Jessica Snowden said.
Thank You to Our Search Committee
Dr. Buckley thanked Executive Vice Chancellor Kurapati and College of Pharmacy Dean Frye, who co-chaired the search committee. “Our search committee selected candidates from over 50 U.S. academic leaders, particularly impressive given some 25 School of Medicine dean searches were also active nationally at that time,” Kurapati said. “Through the search and interview process, Mike emerged as choice among the five outstanding finalists, including three deans, a vice dean, and a departmental chairperson, who interviewed across UT Health Science Center’s campuses.”
Kurapati and Frye praised the members of the inclusive and broadly representative search committee for their commitment to this successful search. The committee included: Kristen Bettin, MD, MEd, senior assistant dean for Clinical Curriculum and associate professor of Pediatrics; Mary Billstrand, MD, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology; Elizabeth Dang, medical student and class representative; Kelly Davis, senior director of Development for the College of Medicine; Alex Dopico, MD, PhD, Harriet Van Vleet Chair of Excellence and chair of the Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology; Trey Eubanks, MD, president of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and professor in the College of Medicine; Bruce Keisling, PhD, executive director of the Center on Developmental Disabilities and Herbert A. Shainberg Professor; Paul “PJ” Koltnow, MS, MSPAS, director of admissions and assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Program and Faculty Senate representative; Crystal Maddox, MPA, assistant dean for Finance and Administration for the College of Medicine – Chattanooga; Ryan Mire, MD, Alumni Council representative; James Neutens, PhD, Dean Emeritus at the College of Medicine in Knoxville; Altha Stewart, MD, senior associate dean for Community Health Engagement in the College of Medicine; Rory Thomas, MBA, president of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative; Robyn Morrissey, chief strategy officer for Ascension Saint Thomas.
The co-chairs also thanked the search consultant team, Jamie Sands, Stephanie Fidel, Nick Sands, and Lileana Sethares, from Isaacson, Miller, who helped engage a stellar pool of candidates nationally. Thanks also to Melissa Norris, executive administrative aide to the executive vice chancellor, and Leslie Phelps-Detter, assistant to the vice chancellor for Research, for their great commitment in organizing all the interview meetings, along with help from Kristi Roe, administrative specialist in the Office of the Dean on the Knoxville campus, and Chailah Sanchez, executive administrative aide at the Chattanooga campus.
“This was an important search for our institution, and we were most grateful for all the engagement of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, hospital partners, and community leaders,” Chancellor Buckley said. “This wonderful spirit of collaboration sets the tone for great things to come for our College of Medicine, our university, and the people of Tennessee, who we are honored to serve.”