The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has named Scott Howard, MD, professor and associate dean for Research for the College of Nursing. In this role, he will work with faculty members in the college to improve and increase nursing research initiatives. He will report to Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-Bc, FAANP, dean, professor, and Ruth Neil Murry Endowed Chair of the College of Nursing.
Dr. Howard was born in Dallas, Texas, but was raised in Virginia and Alabama, where he went to college and medical school. He came to Memphis in 1994 for an internal medicine and pediatrics residency. He then secured a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and later received a master’s in epidemiology from UTHSC in 2001.
Dr. Howard’s personal research focuses on implementation of advanced practice nursing in low- and middle-income countries to increase the workforce available for patient care and patient-centered research to address local needs. “Progress in childhood cancer care in many low-income countries is impeded by critical shortages of health care personnel,” he said.
Prior to joining UTHSC, Dr. Howard served as the medical information officer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he oversaw the transition to an all-electronic system, and developed integrated tools to enhance clinical care and research. A key part of his work included developing cancer programs in low-income and middle-income countries, especially in Latin America and North Africa. This led to his interest in bioinformatics and data management, which are essential tools for progress in all countries. He left the organization in 2014 to work full time on bioinformatics and global health by founding Resonance, a company whose mission is to amplify health everywhere.
Dr. Howard wants to globally expand the College of Nursing’s research efforts. “I want to help all of our researchers continue to be productive, facilitate their work, promote national and international collaboration, and expand our vision to help in low- and middle-income countries,” he said.