People: Faculty News


UTHSC’s Griffith Receives 2021 Pioneer in Basic Science Award

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When Andrew Griffith, MD, PhD, looks at the inner ear, he sees what he describes as “an engineering marvel.” Just think about it, he says, the inner ear is intricately designed to process sound, which can travel faster than the speed of nerve cell signaling in our body. Yet, when he began his research career… Read More


UTHSC’s White-Means Receives $298,368 Grant To Study Poverty-Health Connection in Primary Care Delivery

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Shelley White-Means, PhD, a professor of health economics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, is the principal investigator of a $298,368 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to examine whether health outcomes for low-income individuals will improve if primary care delivery focuses not only on physical and mental health, but also… Read More


UTHSC, West Tennessee Healthcare Collaboration in Telemed Research Seeks Insights into Rural Patient Experience

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The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing and West Tennessee Healthcare are collaborating on a study to better understand access to health care since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic for older, rural patients living with heart failure. Problems with health care access have been a side effect of the pandemic, and… Read More


College of Medicine Inducts Inaugural Class of Academy of Master Educators

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The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Medicine has inducted its inaugural class to the Academy of Master Educators. The academy recognizes and celebrates contributions to education by dedicated physicians and other medical educators. The academy, which was formed in 2019, is being led by Mukta Panda, MD, MACP, FRCP, assistant dean for… Read More


UTHSC Advisory Board Approves Proposal to Hold Tuition Steady for 2022 Academic Year

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No tuition increases are currently planned for the 2022 academic year at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, according to a recommendation made Wednesday by Chancellor Steve Schwab, MD, to the UTHSC Advisory Board. In its first meeting of the year, held virtually via Zoom, the board approved the university’s tuition recommendation, which will… Read More


UTHSC’s Professor Chester Brown Named to List of Inspiring Black Scientists

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Chester Brown, MD, PhD, St. Jude Chair of Excellence in Genetics at UTHSC and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, is listed among “1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America,” by the journal, Cell Mentor, which is affiliated with Cell Press. Dr. Brown is also a UTHSC professor of Pediatrics, professor of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, and Genetics… Read More


Bruce Keisling Named 2021 Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

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Bruce L. Keisling, PhD, executive director for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been named a 2021 Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). He will be recognized during the organization’s 145th  Annual Meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, in June.  Dr. Keisling also holds the Shainberg Professorship… Read More


Derefinko Studying Methods to Reduce Stigma Among African Americans Seeking Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

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Karen Derefinko, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and the Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a $201,631 grant to study ways to reduce the stigma those in the African American community face when seeking treatment for opioid use disorder.… Read More