The UTHSC Advisory Board met September 30 for its final meeting of 2019 at the Student-Alumni Center on the Memphis campus.
The agenda included a report from Chancellor Steve Schwab, MD. “It has been a challenging, but very successful year,” he said.
The chancellor cited that the university had record numbers of students, graduates, residents, and fellows. “We continue to aggressively look at new programs,” said Dr. Schwab, while noting the newly accredited Anesthesiology Residency program in the College of Medicine and the expansion of the dental programs in the College of Dentistry across the state to unserved and underserved areas.
The chancellor also highlighted several programs and colleges at the university which are ranked by U.S. News & World Report including the College of Pharmacy which ranks number 17th nationally among pharmacy schools and the College of Nursing DNP program which is ranked 24th in the country.
College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, ARNP-BC, FAANP, presented accomplishments from the college which included being the number one school in Tennessee for the most DNP graduates, being number one for colleges of nursing in the state of Tennessee for grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, the development of the Center for Community and Global Partnerships, and the transition of its accelerated BSN program to a 12-month program. “We’re really proud of this particular program, we actually doubled our applicant pool,” Dean Likes said.
Lori S. Gonzalez, PhD, vice chancellor of Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs presented the strategic plan and schedule which she described as a “living document” that is continuously updated. Priorities include education, research, clinical care, visibility and recognition, and resource alignment. “We also have cross-cutting priorities which we wanted our campus to always keep in mind,” she said. “Those were recruiting, maintaining and retaining faculty and staff, developing a diverse and inclusive culture, expanding and strengthening partnerships, and focusing on a culture of excellence.”
New wellness initiatives for students and residents and the Quality Enhancement Plan topic on social determinants of health was mentioned.
Michael Alston, EdD, CCDP/AP, assistant vice chancellor for Equity and Diversity, Title IX coordinator, and chief diversity officer, provided a training session on Title IX.
Peg Hartig, PhD, APN-BC, FAANP, professor in the UTHSC College of Nursing, was introduced as the new president of the Faculty Senate.
Public members of the UTHSC board include U.S. District Court Judge Mark Norris; Michael Ugwueke, president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare; Natalie Tate, PharmD, MBA, Chattanooga, vice president, Pharmacy, Blue Cross/Blue Shield; Lynn Massingale, MD, Knoxville, co-founder of TeamHealth; and Phil Wenk, DDS, Brentwood, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Tennessee. Dr. Wenk chairs the board. Terrance Cooper, PhD, Harriet S. Van Vleet Professor of Microbiology & Immunology in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Biochemistry, is the faculty member for the board and fourth-year medical student Andrew McBride serves as student representative.
The next UTHSC Advisory Board meeting will be January 16th 2020, followed by May 21, Aug. 19, and Nov. 12.