People: Alumni


Planting the Seed: Growing Tomorrow’s Health Care Workforce One Field Trip at a Time

|
Two young Black girls are wearing UTHSC white coats. One is holding a pen and looking at the other while smiling, and the other one is smiling at the camera while holding a folder.

Inside a converted Save-A-Lot in the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis, elementary and middle schoolers pull on white lab coats and other uniforms as they get to work. They are bankers, pharmacists, business owners, and doctors for the day, managing budgets, running storefronts, and making decisions inside a miniature city called JA BizTown, the flagship experiential… Read More


Health Sciences Weekend Unites Alumni Around Shared Health Science Center Story

|
UT Health Sciences Weekend Logo

For decades, alumni returned to the University of Tennessee Health Sciences through individual college and class reunions, usually over six different weekends throughout the year. Each college gathered separately, celebrated its own outstanding alumni, and there was little, if any, crossover to the other colleges. This weekend, however, that familiar tradition evolves into something more… Read More


HIIM Program Marks 50 Years, Grateful Alumnus Would Recommend It ‘In a Heartbeat’

|
Headshot Dr. Faisal Hussain

Faisal Hussain, MD, earned his master’s degree from the Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) program in the College of Health Professions at UT Health Sciences in December 2021. When he comes to Memphis for alumni festivities during the weekend of April 17, it will be his first time setting foot on campus. Despite never… Read More


College of Health Professions’ Audiology Program Achieves No. 18 in Country

|
A female audiology practitioner works with a young boy wearing a hearing device, both of them facing a piece of computer equipment in the clinic.

The Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences ranked No. 18 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings, released April 7. The AuD program climbed five spots from last year. “This recognition is a reflection of the people who make this department what… Read More


Teacher Finds Her Path to Dentistry Through Students She Served

|
In a high school classroom, Hannah holds up a gift of a toy apple that says #1 teacher on the box, with science posters in the background.

Hannah Black spent her first year teaching high school science without a teaching license. She had signed up to be a substitute teacher while her husband completed graduate school in Knoxville. But when the phone rang, the school district had a different proposal. “They said, ‘Hi, you have a degree in science, right? Do you… Read More


The Envelope Moment: 2026 Match Day Results

|
A student holds up her Match letterhead letter and smiles big at the camera, while another young woman in glasses looks at the camera candidly and smiles.

Fourth-year medical student Avery Dargie has always viewed medicine as something more than a job. That grounding shapes her vision for the future. “It’s something that allows for this beautiful combination of science with teamwork, and this human connection that is so tangible.” Last Friday morning for students like Dargie felt a little different across the… Read More


Japanese Scholars Visit One-of-a-Kind Nursing Theory Center at UT Health Sciences

|
The visitors from Japan gathered with Professors Gill and Langford in front of a portrait of Dr. Newman.

A nursing theory that originated at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has made a major impact worldwide, especially in Japan. Followers of this theory traveled from Japan to Memphis recently to visit the Dr. Margaret A. Newman Center for Nursing Theory, established at the UT Health Sciences College of Nursing in 2023. There… Read More


Proving the Naysayers Wrong: Trailblazing Thoracic Surgeon Dr. John Howington Shows Grace Under Fire

|
Dr. John Howington's headshot with his white coat and stethoscope on.

When someone is a cardiothoracic surgeon, has authored publications, held leadership and teaching roles, presented internationally, been listed in “Best Doctors in America,” trail-blazed cancer prevention and treatment, and helped raise a family, you might think that person grew up surrounded by degrees and overflowing with confidence. “Kind of the opposite,” says John Howington, MD,… Read More