People: Faculty News


HEI Doctors Push Eye Safety as Priority for Solar Eclipse Preparation

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The solar eclipse on August 21 is an exciting event, but it can also be dangerous if you don’t take precautions to protect your eyesight. During a solar eclipse, the moon will partially or fully cover the sun. During this event, the sky will turn darker, causing the pupils to dilate, increasing the amount of… Read More


$1.3 Million Granted to Helena Parfenova, PhD, to Study Damaging Seizure-Activated Mechanisms in Newborn Brains

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The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Helena Parfenova, PhD, professor in the Department of Physiology in the College of Medicine, was recently granted a $1.3 million from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Parfenova is studying the underlying mechanisms and functional consequences of glial cell, or astrocyte, injury caused by seizures in the neonatal… Read More


David M. Stern, MD, New UTHSC Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs for Statewide Initiatives

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After a highly successful six years as Robert J. Kaplan Executive Dean and vice chancellor for Clinical Affairs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, David M. Stern, MD, has been named vice chancellor for Health Affairs for Statewide Initiatives, a new position at UTHSC. Dr. Stern began his new role today. Dr. Stern’s… Read More


UTHSC Partners with Girls Inc. of Memphis to Teach Computer Skills to Teens

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The Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) Program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center partnered with Girls Inc. of Memphis this summer to teach information technology skills to teenage girls. The girls, ages 13 to 14 years old, are part of the Eureka! program, a five-year STEM program at Girl’s Inc. Eureka! is… Read More


Dale Granted $3.9 Million to Develop Universal Group A Streptococcal (GAS) Infection Vaccine

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James B. Dale, MD, Gene H. Stollerman Professor of Medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), recently received a $3,942,923 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for his project titled “Structure-Based… Read More


UTHSC’s New Registered Nurse First Assistant Program Only One in Tennessee

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A new Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) program in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is the first in Tennessee, and one of only a few nationally. The new program will prepare nurses with the skills needed to provide evidence-based care to surgical patients before, during, and after… Read More


New Health Initiative for UTHSC Facilities and Administrative Employees a Lifesaver

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Jeanetta Dixon believes a new health initiative for some employees at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center saved her life. Dixon, 59, a custodial foreman, found out she has diabetes, thanks to a free biometric screening offered to all facilities and administrative employees through University Health Services. She is now getting treatment, working to… Read More


Amali E. Samarasinghe Awarded 2017 Assembly on MTPI Junior-Level Peer Recognition by the American Thoracic Society

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Amali E. Samarasinghe, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been designated by the Assembly on Microbiology, Tuberculosis & Pulmonary Infections (MTPI) Award Selection Committee as the recipient of the 2017 Assembly on MTPI Junior-Level Peer Recognition Award from the American Thoracic Society. This annual… Read More