People: Staff News


UT President’s Awards Honor 2 from UT Health Science Center

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Side-by-side headshots of Judith Nyabando and Dr. Natascha Thompson

Two outstanding employees from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center are among the 17 winners of the 2025 UT President’s Awards announced this week by UT System President Randy Boyd during the annual UT Board of Trustees meeting in Chattanooga. The honorees from UT Health Science Center are Judith Nyabando, chief data officer and… Read More


2024-25 Annual Report: Realizing Our Vision

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Cover art of the 2024-25 Annual Report

In the two years since the 2023-28 Strategic Plan launched, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has worked to make our vision – Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities. – a reality. By training the future of health care, delivering exceptional care in hospitals and clinics across Tennessee, conducting top-tier research, and engaging communities statewide, our… Read More


‘I Just Love Helping People,’ New Executive Dean of the College of Medicine Says

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Photo of Dr. Mike Hocker

The new executive dean for the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center got his start in health care while in high school, helping out at his uncle’s ambulance company in his hometown of Littleton, Colorado, near Denver. “When I was still in high school, I got my EMT (emergency medical… Read More


Chancellor Buckley Honored to Join Alliance of Academic Health Centers International Steering Committee

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Photo of Chancellor Peter Buckley.

Peter Buckley, MD, chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been appointed to the steering committee of the Alliance of Academic Health Centers International (AAHCI). AAHCI is a global network of academic health centers and systems with a mission to advance health, education, and research through collaboration. Chancellor Buckley, a psychiatrist who emigrated from Ireland… Read More


UT Health Science Center Physicians in Memphis Have Strong Presence on 2025 Top Doctors List

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Photo of Dr. David Shibata in consultation with a patient

Sixty-four percent of the Memphis physicians named in the 2025 Top Doctors list from national health care research firm Castle Connolly are affiliated with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Of the 452 Memphis physicians on the annual Top Doctors list, 291 are affiliated with UT Health Science Center. The list for Memphis is published in… Read More


UT Health Science Center Communicators Win Three Awards at Statewide Conference

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Photo of plaques

The Office of Communications and Marketing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center earned three awards, including a first-place honor and a Best in Show nomination, at the 2025 Tennessee College Public Relations Association (TCPRA) conference. Held May 21–23 in Chattanooga, the annual event brought together communications professionals from public and private colleges and… Read More


College of Nursing Dean to Lead Statewide Rural Health Initiative

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Portrait of Dean Wendy Likes

Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc APRN-Bc, FAAN, FAANP, dean of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing, will fill a new role as executive director and special advisor on rural health for the university. Dean Likes will continue her role as the College of Nursing’s dean. Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, made the announcement… Read More


Outstanding Higher Education Leader Named Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications and Marketing

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Portrait of Karla Leeper

After an extensive nationwide search, Karla Leeper, PhD, MBA, MA, a highly accomplished communicator with decades of leadership experience in higher education and health care, has been named the new vice chancellor for Strategic Communications and Marketing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She will join the university July 7. Dr. Leeper has… Read More