People: Staff News


New Chief of Staff Strengthens College of Medicine’s Tennessee Mission

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Brittany Sheehy's headshot

Brittany Sheehy, PhD, recently joined the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as the chief of staff for Executive Dean Michael Hocker, MD. As chief of staff, Dr. Sheehy manages internal operations for the executive dean’s office. “Brittany brings exactly the kind of strategic thinking and operational excellence we need… Read More


Investing in Innovation: New Technology Expands Reach of Simulation Training

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Photo of a CHIPS control room

When the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS) opened in 2018, it transformed how the University of Tennessee Health Science Center prepared students for clinical care. With a recent round of major technology upgrades, CHIPS is again redefining what is possible, making high-quality simulation training more accessible, flexible, and forward-looking than ever. Over… Read More


Innovation in Action: UT Health Sciences Physician at the Forefront of Tennessee’s Cancer Fight

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A colorful, computer-generated image showing a glowing, potentially cancerous tumor in a lung

In a darkened operating room at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville, something extraordinary happens. As John F. Lazar, MD, peers into a surgical console, the lung tissue on his 3D monitor begins to glow. What was once invisible to the human eye — tiny, early-stage cancer cells — is now illuminated in vivid fluorescent… Read More


Why Inflammation Matters This Holiday Season

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Dr. Jimmy Kerrigan's headshot

As millions of Americans prepare for the holidays, a cardiologist and professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center says the conversation about heart health needs to shift from cholesterol to include a less visible but more dangerous threat: inflammation. Jimmy Kerrigan, MD, FSCAI, FACC, is an assistant professor of medicine at the College… Read More


College of Medicine’s Knoxville Campus Embraces New Name in Line with Academic Expansion

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Photo of a physician and two medical students in an exam room.

For the last several years, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s medical campus in Knoxville operated with a name it had outgrown, according to the campus’s dean. On October 1, that changed. Now officially the College of Medicine – Knoxville, the campus has stepped into a new identity that reflects its expanding role in… Read More


Impact Awards Commend UT Health Science Excellence Across State

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The winner holding his award and posing against the UTHSC Impact Awards backdrop

“The energy yesterday and the energy today makes me feel like if I come in tomorrow and then Sunday, those days will also have some great energy happening around here,” Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, said Dec. 12 of recent celebratory events, opening the 2025 Impact Awards at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Attendees… Read More


Staff Senate ‘Ready to Move to the Next Level’ as It Concludes Successful Year

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Photo of campus arches

At its final meeting of 2025, the Staff Senate at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center celebrated its achievements, honored university leadership, and welcomed its new president for 2026. Among the Staff Senate’s accomplishments in its second year were approving bylaws and operational procedures and securing a budget to help it recognize and build… Read More


UT Health Science Center Celebrates Nearly 150 Newly Minted Graduates This Winter

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A graduate getting ready to receive her diploma in the auditorium

“You’re not just entering a profession. You’re joining a mission to make Tennesseans and beyond, healthier and stronger.” With those words, Executive Dean for the College of Medicine Michael Hocker, MD, captured the essence of what 146 new health care professionals entered into Dec. 8 as the University of Tennessee Health Science Center celebrated winter… Read More