2018–19 ANNUAL REPORT
uthsc.edu
Table of Contents Advancing The Mission..........................................................................................2 The Numbers.............................................................................................................4 Transforming The Memphis Campus................................................................6 CHIPS At A Glance..................................................................................................9 New Faces.................................................................................................................10 Education.................................................................................................................. 12 Research.................................................................................................................... 14 Clinical Care............................................................................................................. 18 Community Service.............................................................................................. 22 Student Spotlight.................................................................................................. 26 UTHSC Stands Against Hate............................................................................. 29 OUR LEADERSHIP
COLLEGE DEANS
Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD
Dentistry James C. Ragain, DDS, MS, PhD, FICD, FACD
Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE Vice Chancellor, Finance Anthony A. Ferrara, CPA, MAS Vice Chancellor Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs Lori Gonzalez, PhD Vice Chancellor, Research Steven R. Goodman, PhD Vice Chancellor, Development and Alumni Affairs Love Collins, III, MBA Chief Information Officer Dan Harder, MPM Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources Chandra Alston, EdD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Assistant Vice Chancellor, Equity and Diversity Michael Alston, EdD
Graduate Health Sciences Donald Thomason, PhD Health Professions Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM Medicine Robert Kaplan Executive Dean Scott E. Strome, MD Nursing Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC Pharmacy Marie Chisholm-Burns, PharmD, MPH, FCCP, FASHP, FAST
CREDITS Content Peggy Reisser Design Adam Gaines Photography Allen Gillespie Lisa Buser Brandon Dill
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Communications and Marketing Sally Badoud, MBA All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admissions without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status. Eligibility and other terms and conditions of employment benefits at The University of Tennessee are governed by laws and regulations of the State of Tennessee, and this non-discrimination statement is intended to be consistent with those laws and regulations. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, The University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the University. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), ADA (disability), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED), 920 Madison Avenue, Suite 825, Memphis, Tennessee 38163, telephone 901.448.7382 (V/TTY available). Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Office of Equity and Diversity. E070101001(001-191301)
ADVANCING THE MISSION When the doors of the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center opened in May 2018, a new era for health care education in Tennessee began. Every day in this $39.7 million building, we are equipping future health care professionals to work as a team to deliver the best care possible. With hightech equipment and a collaborative training model, our graduates will be ready to meet the demands ahead. The simulation center is a major point of pride, but it is by no means the university’s only recent accomplishment. Leaders and administrators at UTHSC cut the ribbon on the new $39.7 million Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation on the Memphis campus.
UTHSC HAS: • Contributed a record $4 billion to the Tennessee economy in FY 2017
• Attracted preeminent faculty and nationally funded researchers
• Completed construction on the Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Solutions, a $20 million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility that advances the university’s role in the global pharmaceutical marketplace
• Continued to raise our research profile, securing $90 million in grant awards in 2018
• Increased enrollment, graduation rates, and first-time board pass rates
• Supported our community with tens of thousands of dollars in volunteer hours and pro bono care
• Strengthened clinical and research partnerships with the state’s top-tier health care enterprises, including Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, UT Medical Center, Erlanger Health System, Saint Thomas Health, and others
Beyond all accomplishments, our outstanding students continue to inspire with their dedication to better health care and health for all.
• Begun renovation of our home campus’ Historic Quadrangle. When complete, this will bring students back to the center of campus for the first time in decades and give the College of Nursing a home of its own for the first time.
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• Been named among the Top Workplaces in Greater Memphis for the fifth year in a row
We proudly present this annual report as an up-close and personal look at the accomplishment and aspirations that continue to propel the University of Tennessee Health Science Center toward its bright future.
MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to improve the health and well-being of Tennesseans and the global community by fostering integrated, collaborative, and inclusive education, research, scientific discovery, clinical care, and public service.
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HEALTH CARE COLLEGES Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy
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FULL CLINICAL CAMPUSES
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MISSION Transform Health Care
Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville
ECONOMIC IMPACT The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is an economic engine for Tennessee. In Fiscal Year 2017, UTHSC and its affiliates pumped approximately $4 billion into the state’s economy, according to the latest economic impact report released in August 2018. This includes not just the impact or market value of total sales and jobs supported by the main Memphis campus and its campuses in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville, but the affiliate organizations and community-based social service organizations and foundations that affect the people of Tennessee, the inpatient care revenues earned by local hospitals as a result of the services provided by UTHSC’s clinical faculty, as well as federal, state, and local taxes. “As a major employer and purchaser of goods and services, UTHSC contributes substantively to the economic well-being of the communities it serves by creating jobs, stimulating economic activities, and supporting public programs through tax revenues generated directly and indirectly by the economic benefits derived from the presence of UTHSC.” Source: The Economic Impact of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Fiscal Year 2017, Cyril F. Chang, PhD, professor of economics at The University of Memphis.
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The Numbers
$4 BILLION
$368 MILLION
$3 BILLION
$1.8 MILLION
CONTRIBUTED TO TENNESSEE ECONOMY FY2017
GENERATED BY MAIN MEMPHIS CAMPUS (74% OF TOTAL)
$668 MILLION GENERATED BY KNOXVILLE CAMPUS (16.8% OF TOTAL)
GENERATED BY CHATTANOOGA CAMPUS (9.2% OF TOTAL)
GENERATED BY NASHVILLE CAMPUS
32,333
$146.8 MILLION
NUMBER OF JOBS SUPPORTED BY UTHSC AND ITS AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS
RECEIVED IN STATE APPROPRIATIONS (28.6% OF THE UNIVERSITY’S OPERATING BUDGET FOR FY 2017)
23,914
$358.7 MILLION
5,420
COLLECTED IN FEDERAL TAXES FROM ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY AND ITS AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS
$148 MILLION COLLECTED IN STATE TAXES
JOBS GENERATED IN MEMPHIS
JOBS GENERATED IN KNOXVILLE
2,984
JOBS GENERATED IN CHATTANOOGA
15
JOBS GENERATED IN NASHVILLE
27 TO 1
FACTOR BY WHICH UTHSC EXCEEDED STATE APPROPRIATIONS FOR UNIVERSITY OPERATION
TOP 10
INDUSTRIES MOST AFFECTED BY UTHSC AND ITS AFFILIATES: OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, REAL ESTATE OWNERS AND FIRMS, HOSPITALS, PHYSICIAN OFFICES, FULLSERVICE AND LIMITEDSERVICE RESTAURANTS, WHOLESALE TRADE ESTABLISHMENTS, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISES. From 2018 Economic Impact Report 5
TRANSFORMING THE MEMPHIS CAMPUS
$5 MILLION
DEMOLITION OF OBSOLETE BUILDINGS
$60 MILLION
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY BUILDING
$6 MILLION
RENOVATION OF THE LAMAR ALEXANDER BUILDING
$25.2 MILLION
CANCER RESEARCH BUILDING
In October 2014, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer Ken Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, unveiled an ambitious Campus Master Plan for Growth. The first major blueprint for growth of the university since the 1990s, the plan outlined new buildings to meet expanding academic, research, and clinical care needs. It also called for improved pedestrian and bicycle routes; better traffic flow; more parking; well-designed green spaces and landscaping; prominent signage; renovations of many existing buildings; and demolition of obsolete structures. “In five years, we’re going to all be talking about what a wonderful job we did, patting ourselves on the back about what we did to take this community into the next millennium, or we could all be looking at each other ashamed of ourselves for squandering the opportunity that we had,” Dr. Brown said at the time. “We are looking to the former, as opposed to the latter.” More than four years later, thanks in large part to generous funding from the state and supporters, anyone who visits UTHSC’s main campus in Memphis will notice the transformation. Nearly $400 million in construction and improvements have changed the face of the campus. “We’re in an evolutionary phase we haven’t seen in the university’s 100-year history,” Dr. Brown said.
$49 MILLION
TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE RESEARCH BUILDING
$20 MILLION
(RENOVATION AND EQUIPPING) OF THE PLOUGH CENTER FOR STERILE DRUG DELIVERY SOLUTIONS
$20 MILLION
SECURITY UPGRADES (INCLUDES $2 MILLION RENOVATION OF CAMPUS POLICE DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS)
$39.7 MILLION
CENTER FOR HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT AND PATIENT SIMULATION
$70 MILLION
RENOVATION OF HISTORIC QUADRANGLE (UNDERWAY, INCLUDES FIRST HOME FOR COLLEGE OF NURSING)
$46 MILLION
COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY BUILDING ($39 MILLION FROM STATE, $7 MILLION FROM DELTA DENTAL OF TENNESSEE)
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State-of-the-Art Simulation Center Revolutionizes Health Care Education The University of Tennessee Health Science Center raised the profile of health care education in Tennessee and beyond on May 11, 2018, when the ribbon was cut on its new $39.7 million Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS). The 45,000-square-foot, world-class building on the Memphis campus is dedicated to education and professional development of enhanced clinical skills using standardized patients (actors trained to portray patients), high-fidelity patient simulators (manikins costing from $15,000 to $220,000), and virtual reality technology. The simulation center is the only one of its kind in Tennessee and one of only a handful in the country built for and totally dedicated to simulation training. It allows students from the six colleges at UTHSC – Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions, Nursing, Medicine, and Pharmacy – to train together in simulation settings to develop their skills in delivering team-based health care, which is the proven model for the highest-quality care today. Each floor of the three-story building is dedicated to a different aspect of simulation training. The lobby is dedicated to Ken Brown, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer for UTHSC, who had the vision for the building and was the primary force in its development.
CHIPS At A Glance World-Class Facility, 26 South Dunlap, Memphis, Opened May 11, 2018 • 45,000 square feet • 3 floors • $6 million in simulation equipment •$ 4.5 million in audio-visual equipment and technology •L ow-fidelity and high-fidelity manikins ranging from $15,000 to $220,000 (crying, sweating, breathing, and birthing simulation capabilities) SIMULATION SETTINGS: • 24 outpatient clinical rooms • 12 individual patient-care areas • 4 dentistry suites • 1 operating room • 1 labor/delivery suite • 1 bariatric and rehabilitation suite • 1,200 square-foot simulated community pharmacy • 1 functional home environment OTHER FEATURES: • 6 control rooms (13 control stations) • 10 debriefing rooms • 5 multipurpose classrooms • 14 full-time employees • 100 standardized patients •6 colleges training together (Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy) •M ain lobby dedicated to Dr. Kennard Brown, UTHSC executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer Architect: brg3s – Received a 2018 Award of Excellence from American Institute of Architects (AIA) Memphis chapter for CHIPS. General contractor: Flintco Simulation design, training, and program development consultant: SimHealth Group 9
NEW FACES
Scott Strome, MD, FACS Internationally recognized head and neck surgeon, Scott Strome, MD, FACS, is the new Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the College of Medicine and vice chancellor for Health Affairs at UTHSC. Dr. Strome comes to UTHSC from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he served as professor and chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery for 13 years. A respected cancer surgeon and investigator, he brings both research and clinical expertise to UTHSC. Dr. Strome said he plans to focus on all the university’s missions. In education, he plans to develop new ways to help students learn the vast amount of knowledge they must obtain during medical school and to teach them in ways that will be useful in their career. He said he is passionate about finding ways to reduce the cost of medical education.
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James C. Ragain, Jr., DDS, MS, PhD, FICD, FACD James C. Ragain, Jr., DDS, MS, PhD, FICD, FACD, has been named dean of the College of Dentistry. Dr. Ragain most recently has served as an associate professor in Restorative Dentistry and interim chair of the Department of General Practice Dentistry. He is a two-time alumnus of institutions in the UT System, having received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the UTHSC College of Dentistry. He is the first alumnus of the UTHSC College of Dentistry to become dean. Dr. Ragain was commissioned into the Navy Dental Corps after graduating from the UTHSC College of Dentistry. While in the service, he directed the largest Operative Dentistry Department in the Navy at the Naval Recruit Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, and commanded the Naval Dental Research Institute/ Naval Institute for Dental and Biomedical Research for four years. Dr. Ragain retired from the Navy.
Stephen E. Alway, PhD
Paul J. Hauptman, MD
Stephen E. Alway, PhD, is the new dean of the College of Health Professions. Dr. Alway previously served as chair of the Division of Exercise Physiology, executive chairperson of the Department of Human Performance and Applied Exercise Science, and senior assistant dean for Research and Graduate Studies at West Virginia University School of Medicine. Dr. Alway will provide leadership and guidance for the College of Health Professions, which has a long and distinguished record of offering nationally recognized programs and preparing students for practice in the fields of health, diagnosis, and rehabilitation and treatment of disease and disabilities.
Paul J. Hauptman, MD, a nationally recognized clinical investigator, was named dean of the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (UTGSM) in Knoxville. He also serves as senior vice president and chief academic officer of the University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) in Knoxville. Dr. Hauptman comes to UTGSM and UTMC after 20 years with Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine. Prior to SLU, Dr. Hauptman held faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School. He was director of the Clinical Trials Office of the SLU School of Medicine, the regulatory authority for contracting, budgeting and invoicing of clinical trials for the university. His research interests include outcomes assessment in cardiovascular disease and advanced heart failure, evaluation of care delivery, and clinical research and trials in congestive heart failure.
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EDUCATION
RAISING THE BAR IN ACADEMICS New leadership has brought a fresh perspective to three of UTHSC’s colleges. New faculty and staff hires, as well as new facilities and equipment, are moving UTHSC into the national spotlight. Our College of Pharmacy consistently ranks in the top 20 (No. 17) in the nation among 140 colleges of pharmacy, according to U.S. News & World Report. In 2018, the College of Nursing moved into the Number 23 spot among colleges of nursing DNP programs, according to U.S. News & World Report. That places it in the top 8 percent in the country. In September, UTHSC launched a new #takecare campaign designed to support the physical and emotional health and well-being of its students.
# 17
UTHSC COLLEGE OF PHARMACY NATIONAL RANK AMONG PHARMACY SCHOOLS, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT)
# 23
The campaign is a key component of a campus-wide initiative begun earlier in the year focusing on the mental health and resilience of students. Adopted after consultation and recommendations from national student mental health organizations, the initiative centers on preventive care and early intervention to help students successfully cope with the demands of pursuing an advanced health science degree. The university added counseling personnel and a care navigator, improved student access to mental health services, and aims to destigmatize mental health care by marrying academic assistance with mental health support. Student mental health services were expanded and moved out of the traditional health clinic setting and into the Office of Student Academic Support Services and Inclusion.
# 20
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY RANK IN NIH FUNDING
95.2%
UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING NATIONAL RANK AMONG U.S. DNP PROGRAMS (TOP 8 PERCENT) U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
GRADUATION RATE GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE COMBINED
95.2%
149
FIRST-TIME BOARD PASS RATE
MEDICAL STUDENTS MATCHED 2018 13
RESEARCH
$90.4 MILLION IN RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACT AWARDS
# 20
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY RANK IN NIH FUNDING
RAISING THE RESEARCH PROFILE Research grants and contract awards reached $90.4 million in fiscal year 2018, an increase over the previous year. Steven R. Goodman, PhD, joined UTHSC in 2015 with a goal of raising the research presence of the university. To that end, a number of initiatives have been launched, all flowing from his Operational Strategic Plan for Research. The plan identified Areas of Excellence, which represent current and emerging areas of research strength at UTHSC. They are cancer, obesity, diabetes and vascular disease, disorders of the nervous system, respiratory disorders, precision medicine, and health outcomes and health sciences research. As these Areas of Excellence are broad in scope, three focus areas for each have been determined, as well as eight crosscutting-platforms to support them. There is also increased focus on improving the university’s research infrastructure, as well as promoting entrepreneurship and marketing of research developments.
RECENT MAJOR GRANT AWARDS
$3.4 MILLION TO THE UTHSC PANCREATIC CANCER RESEARCH TEAM FOR DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE PANCREATIC CANCER THERAPIES. AN ADDITIONAL $300,000 FROM THE HERB KOSTEN FOUNDATION FOR PANCREATIC CANCER SUPPORTS UTHSC PANCREATIC CANCER RESEARCH EFFORTS
$2.3 MILLION FOR RESEARCH OFFERING INSIGHTS INTO THE LINK BETWEEN TASTE AND BEHAVIOR
$1.9 MILLION TO DEVELOP MATHEMATICAL MODELS TO UNDERSTAND INFLUENZA AND SECONDARY INFECTIONS
$1.9 MILLION FOR SEPSIS THERAPY RESEARCH
$3.3 MILLION TO TEST WEIGHT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO HELP PARTICIPANTS STOP SMOKING AND MANAGE THEIR WEIGHT
$1.9 MILLION TO STUDY EFFECTIVENESS OF A NEW ROBOTIC EXOSKELETAL TECHNOLOGY FOR USE BY VETERANS WITH LIMITED MOBILITY FROM NEUROLOGIC INJURY
$3.9 MILLION TO DEVELOP A UNIVERSAL GROUP A STREPTOCOCCAL INFECTION VACCINE 15
HIGHLIGHTS • The Collaborative Research Network (CORNET) Awards program was established to create research partnerships across disciplines, colleges, universities, and countries. CORNET Awards, which support new collaborative efforts, have provided approximately $10.7 million in extramural funding to UTHSC researchers. • The Clinical Trials Network of Tennessee (CTN2) was formed to aid clinical research faculty in designing, soliciting, and conducting robust statewide clinical
trials with the goal of providing new therapeutics and medical devices to improve the health of all Tennesseans. CTN2 is a 501 c (3) subsidiary of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation. • New institutes put focus on specific research, including the Institute for the Study of Host Pathogen Systems, the Institute for Biomarker and Molecular Therapeutics, the Tennessee Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the Memphis Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
CLINICAL CARE
A MODEL OF CLINICAL SUCCESS Revenues from clinical partnerships continue at record level. Our partner teaching hospitals provide outstanding patient care across the state, and offer our students, residents, and fellows the opportunity to see and learn from the best.
$424 MILLION
REVENUE FROM CORE AFFILIATED PRACTICE PLANS
UTHSC PRIMARY PARTNER TEACHING HOSPITALS
PARTNER HOSPITAL RANKINGS
• Methodist University Hospital
ranked nationally among children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, 2017-2018
• Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital • Regional One Health • Memphis Veteran’s Medical Center
# 17 Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis
# 8 Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital ranked nationally in pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report 2017-2018
• UT Medical Center in Knoxville • Erlanger Health System, Chattanooga
RANKED SPECIALTIES
• Saint Thomas Health, Nashville
• Neonatology • Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery
UTHSC AFFILIATED PRACTICES
• Pediatric Gastroenterology and GI Surgery • Pediatric Nephrology
• UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
• Pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery
• UT Methodist Physicians
• Pediatric Orthopedics
• UT Methodist Pathology
• Pediatric Pulmonology
• UT Regional One Physicians
• Pediatric Urology
• University Clinical Health
#2 The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, ranked among hospitals in Tennessee by U.S.
News & World Report, 2017-2018
#4 Methodist Hospitals of Memphis ranked among hospitals in Tennessee by U.S. News & World Report, 2017-2018
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HIGHLIGHTS • John L. Jefferies, MD, MPH, has been appointed the Jay M. Sullivan Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and Chief of Cardiology at UTHSC. He has also been named co-director for a new joint UTHSC and Methodist cardiovascular institute. “Our goal is to be a Top 50 Cardiology Program in the U.S. News & World Report rankings within the next few years,” he said. • The UTHSC Mobile Stroke Unit received the first-of-its kind accreditation from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) for ensuring patient safety, radiation safety, a commitment to quality, and dedication to continuous improvement. The prestigious three-year accreditation is in the areas of neurological CT (computed tomography)/Acute Stroke and vascular CTA (computed tomography angiography), both diagnostic imaging tools used on the unit to determine stroke treatment. It is the first time the IAC has awarded this accreditation to a mobile CT unit. Launched in 2016, the UTHSC Mobile Stroke Unit is designed so diagnosis and treatment can begin in the field, instead of being delayed until arrival at the hospital. • The UT/Methodist Transplant Institute recruited two internationally known transplant experts. Surgeon and researcher Daniel G. Maluf, MD, is a professor of surgery, surgical director of liver transplantation, and director of live donor transplantation. He also holds the Transplant Institute Endowed Professorship in Liver Transplantation at UTHSC. Valeria Raquel Mas, PhD, is the director of Transplant Research for the institute. She holds the Transplant Institute Endowed Professorship in Translational
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Research at UTHSC. “This is a transformational change in the direction and future of the transplant institute, clinically by expanding live donor liver transplantation, as well as being able to perform groundbreaking transplant research,” said James D. Eason, MD, founder and program director of the institute and professor and chief of the Transplant Division in the College of Medicine at UTHSC. • Kenneth Ataga, MD, is the director of UTHSC’s new Center for Sickle Cell Disease in the College of Medicine. The center is a collaborative effort among UTHSC, Methodist University Hospital, and Regional One Health. In addition, Dr. Ataga serves as a professor of internal medicine, director of the section of Non Malignant Hematology in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, and the director of the Memphis Consortium for Sickle Cell Disease and Non Malignant Hematology Research. He is also the Methodist Endowed Chair in Sickle Cell Anemia. • The College of Nursing in collaboration with Regional One Health received a $16,000 grant to train area nurses to defuse crisis situations in hospitals and other health care settings. The Tennessee Promise of Nursing grant was awarded to the College of Nursing’s new Center for Community Partnerships and Nursing Innovation, which was launched in 2017 to develop sustainable partnerships with area institutions to advance health care, foster innovative nursing strategies, reduce health disparities, and improve patient outcomes.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
UTHSC GIVES BACK From health fairs, to community events, to free clinics, to fund-raising drives, UTHSC’s faculty, staff, and students offered their services to improve health care and health locally, nationally and globally.
$22,188
COST OF FREE DENTAL SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY’S GIVE KIDS A SMILE DAY
625
600
WOMEN ATTEND THE FOURTH LIVE! MEMPHIS BREAST CANCER SUMMIT FOUNDED BY UTHSC
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CHILDREN AND FAMILIES RECEIVED FREE HEALTH SERVICES AT THE 30TH ANNUAL BACKTO-SCHOOL FAMILY AFFAIR HEALTH FAIR
MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE MENTORED AT THE STUDENT NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION’S DREAM BIG CONFERENCE
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$6,300
SPECIAL-NEEDS CHILDREN RECEIVED FREE CUSTOMIZED RIDE-ON TOY CARS TO AID MOBILITY AT GOBABYGO! MEMPHIS SPONSORED BY THE PHYSICAL THERAPY DEPARTMENT.
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PATIENTS RECEIVED FREE CATARACT SURGERY WORTH $150,000 DURING THE SECOND IVAN MARAIS CATARACT-A-THON AT HAMILTON EYE INSTITUTE
100
PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED FREE PRIMARY CARE AT THE WELLNESS & STRESS CLINIC OF MEMPHIS FOUNDED BY UTHSC AND AREA ACADEMIC, GOVERNMENT, AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS.
RAISED FOR THE MID-SOUTH FOOD BANK THROUGH THE ANNUAL CAMPUS FOOD DRIVE
2,154
PATIENTS RECEIVED $1.1 MILLION WORTH OF FREE DENTAL SERVICES FROM VOLUNTEERS ACROSS THE CITY, INCLUDING UTHSC DENTISTRY, NURSING, AND PHARMACY STUDENTS, AT THE MID-SOUTH MISSION OF MERCY
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PEDIATRIC PATIENTS SERVED AND 91 PARENTS AND TEACHERS TRAINED AT THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY DEPARTMENT’S RACHEL KAY STEVENS THERAPY CENTER, THE ONLY PRO BONO, PEDIATRIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY CENTER IN THE AREA
HIGHLIGHTS • The 30th annual Back to School Family Affair was held at UTHSC in July, providing free health services to 625 children and their families in the Memphis community. In addition to medical services, screenings and immunizations, participants also received backpacks filled with school supplies. UTHSC donated 500 free backpacks and the supplies. The event was hosted by Omega Ministries/Omega Healthy Practices and the Healthcare Organizations of Greater Memphis Coalition. • Volunteers from academic, government, and religious institutions came together to launch a community health and wellness clinic at a church in the Oakhaven neighborhood in South Memphis. The Healing Center Wellness & Stress Clinic of Memphis is on the campus of The Healing Center Baptist Church. The clinic stems from a unique partnership that includes the church and volunteer support from UTHSC, the University of Memphis, Rhodes College, Memphis City Government, Memphis Area Legal Services, and West Cancer Center. The clinic offers free primary care, medication management, substance abuse and mental health counseling, as well as resources to assist with housing, employment, stress management, and legal issues. It is open twice a month. Nursing, medical, and physician assistant students, under the direction of physicians, contribute their services. • UTHSC hosted the second-annual GoBabyGo! Memphis in July. The event, put on by the Physical Therapy Department, gives children with little mobility the ability to move with toy ride-in cars adapted for their special needs. Volunteer faculty, staff, and PT students began in January to partner with engineering students from the University of Memphis to work with eight children and their families on customizing and retrofitting the cars. The children were referred from community therapists. During the GoBabyGo! Memphis Rodeo, the finished cars were unveiled and the children had the opportunity to take them for a spin and take them home.
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• The annual Ivan Marais Cataract-a-thon is the vision of Brian Fowler, MD, ophthalmic surgeon and vice chair of Clinical Operations at the UTHSC Hamilton Eye Institute. He recruited Emily Taylor Graves, MD, an ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon from Duncan Eye, PLLC, to codirect the event. Approximately 50 patients from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and surrounding areas, received cataract surgery worth more than $150,000 during the event in June. The cataract-a-thon honors ophthalmologist and cataract surgery innovator Ivan Marais, MD, who died last year. Originally from South Africa, Dr. Marais was an ophthalmology instructor at UTHSC and HEI, where he trained many residents in cataract surgery. • UTHSC founded the Live! Breast Cancer Summit in Memphis in 2015 to unite, support, and empower AfricanAmerican women in the Mid-South to take charge of their breast health. Almost 600 women gathered in February for the fourth-annual summit now presented by the Memphis Breast Cancer Consortium, with key support from area organizations, including UTHSC. • UTHSC collected donations totaling $2,065 for relief efforts in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. “I am very touched by how many people have shown deep concerns and empathy for what is happening in Puerto Rico,” said Luisa Ramírez de Lynch, PT, DPT, C/NDT, of the Physical Therapy Department. • A group of students and faculty in the College of Medicine are working to promote surgical mission work around the world through a newly formed UTHSC Global Surgery Institute (GSI). The GSI will anchor surgical mission work across the department of surgery, assist surgical residents and students interested in mission work, and apply lessons learned around the globe to local delivery of clinical care. Nia Zalamea, MD, an assistant professor of surgery, and Martin Fleming, MD, division chief of surgical oncology and associate professor of surgery, are the organizers of the GSI. The group has worked in Tanzania, Cameroon, Philippines, Ecuador, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Russia and Honduras.
OUR STUDENTS INSPIRE US
Hannah Ashitey
Lee Pribyl
Sarah Caldwell
Fourth-year medical student, Hannah Ashitey was born in Chicago, but spent many of her early years in Ghana, before returning to the states. She said she chose the UTHSC College of Medicine because it is structured to provide quality education to aspiring physicians, while providing support to its students both academically and mentally. She has served as the president of the Student National Medical Association, where she led the Dream Big Conference to mentor local middle and high school students. She has a passion for women’s reproductive health, and plans to apply to an obstetrics and gynecology residency. “It’s important to find your passion and figure out how to use it to make a difference in others’ lives.,” she said.
Lee Pribyl came to UTHSC in 2014 to pursue a PhD in cancer and developmental biology in the College of Graduate Health Sciences. He grew up on a small, family-owned dairy farm in Maple Lake, Minnesota, about an hour west of Minneapolis-St. Paul. He did not know anyone from Memphis. “I actually found UTHSC online,” he said. “I came here for an interview, and from that point, I really felt like this was a good learning environment,” he said. “It seemed like I would fit in well with the program.” So well, in fact, he was elected president of the Student Government Association Executive Council, which represents the entire student body. After a stint in a lab at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Pribyl has set his sights on one day running his own lab, and perhaps, it will be in an academic setting. “We know (cancer) has a genetic basis, but it’s what aspects of that are actually driving the formation, and why is it only certain children who get it,” he said. “That’s really the passion for me.”
Occupational Therapy student Sarah Caldwell sets a priority on service to others. “I believe that we can learn so much about our world and others that are different than us by serving them,” she said. “I hope to be a servant leader as an occupational therapist in the future. If I can help when they need it most, that can make all the difference in the world.” Caldwell is the second UTHSC occupational therapy student in a row to be awarded a scholarship from the Professional Network on Aging. Caldwell, who graduates in 2019, is a member of the IMHOTEP Honor Society and served as vice president of the Student Occupational Therapy Association. On weekends, she and her husband, a UTHSC student in the Physician Assistant Program, work with a family friend who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Jamila Smith-Young
Andy Nishimoto
Julian Smith
A graduate of the College of Nursing’s DNP Pediatric Acute Care Program, Jamila Smith-Young advocates for those too young to speak for themselves. “I’m a big advocate in investing in our community and doing more to help the kids,” said the nurse, who works at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis. “We have children from all walks of life who come through our doors, and in order to understand how to treat them, you have to understand where they come from.” SmithYoung works in the pulmonary unit to assist parents to stop smoking in order to help their children with breathing issues. In December, Smith-Young became the first DNP graduate of Pediatric Acute Care Program. “UTHSC is a great program. I wanted to come to UTHSC, being that I worked for the university in the College of Nursing and it is ranked in the Top 25 in DNP programs in the country,” Smith-Young said. “It definitely sparked an interest in applying and getting a degree from here.”
Andy Nishimoto is an example of the high caliber of students an advanced research program attracts. Nishimoto is enrolled in the UTHSC College of Pharmacy’s joint PharmD/PhD program. At 33, he has completed his PharmD degree, is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist, has done a one-year clinical residency, and is now in his fifth and final year as a graduate student working with the UT Fungal Pathogens Group in the College of Pharmacy. He intends one day to teach and be a researcher. “I wanted to do research, but I also wanted it to be applicable and meaningful,” Nishimoto said. “I thought wouldn’t it be great to have the experience in the research laboratory, but also to have this clinical knowledge that could be very real and be very applicable to the health profession. I realized that UTHSC had the PharmD/PhD dual degree program and that was a big part in what led to me ultimately to apply.”
“The desire to help others has been deeply rooted, since I realized that others are not as blessed as I have been,” fourthyear College of Dentistry student Julian Brandt Smith said. “Luckily for me, I have had the opportunities to do for others, all the while gaining experience in the field I love. All it took was for me to watch an orthodontist smile at work to change my life.” Smith grew up in Pulaski, Tennessee. “UTHSC was always my first choice, mainly due to location and in-state tuition,” he said. “I also had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Covington while I was in my master’s program at MTSU. The fact that he had taken time out of his schedule to meet with me, to discuss my future as a potential student, meant a lot. After that, I knew UTHSC was the choice for me.” Smith hopes to secure an orthodontic residency, and he believes his career choice affords him a bright future. 27
UTHSC CAMPUS STANDS IN UNITY AGAINST HATE UTHSC student Kelcey Cooper stood in the crowded lobby of the General Education Building on November 8, 2018, as the campus community came together to take a public stand against hate. Cooper, a physician assistant student, said she is saddened by the hatred and violence in the world today, but proud that the university would stage a public observance against it. Those feelings were echoed during a two-hour anti-hate observance that drew students, faculty, and staff, and included speeches from campus leadership, a moment of silence for victims, and the opportunity to sign one of several banners with anti-hate messages to hang in buildings on campus. “It’s actually unfortunate that we have to have things like this to make a definitive stand against what seems like a wave of violence across this country as of late,” said Ken Brown, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer for UTHSC. “Everybody wants to do something. Just by virtue of your signature, just by virtue of your attendance, just by virtue of your willingness to treat each other with civility and support each other contrary to a lot of what is out there right now, is something that you all as individuals can be proud of. We’re proud to stand with you.”
“While all of these actions have merit, there is a more pernicious and insidious form of hate that is harder to eradicate,” he said. “This form of hate lurks in the corners of our society, manifesting itself in the form of a gunman who enters a synagogue, in the form of a person who targets a predominantly black church, in the form of an individual who sends pipe bombs to our political and social leaders, and in the form of a killer in a yoga studio. “Addressing this form of hate requires calling it out into the light and then striking at its roots, even if it sometimes means acting alone and in the face of people who harbor goodness within but fail to understand the impact of their intrinsic bias on the welfare of others,” he said. “Addressing this form of hate forces us to recognize that we bear such biases, and pledge to listen and to act upon feedback that paints a portrait of ourselves that we may be ashamed to acknowledge. Addressing this form of hate requires introspection, courage, and action.”
For a week before the observance, faculty, staff, and students signed the banners with messages of unity against hate. More than 400 students signed the first day they had the opportunity, and many hundreds more, along with faculty and staff, filled up three large banners. Exterior signage was placed in public spaces around campus with the messages that “Hate Has No Place at UTHSC,” “UTHSC is United Against Hate,” and “UTHSC is a Hate-Free Campus.” Chancellor Steve Schwab said the university represents all Tennesseans and is a place where only civility prevails. “Tennesseans are all sizes, all races, all religions, all genders, all ethnic persuasions. Among Tennesseans, which all of us are, there is no place for hate.” UTHSC College of Medicine Executive Dean Scott Strome encouraged all present to address the obvious instances of hate through civil discourse; support of leaders who refuse to allow hate to define social status, well-being, or the right to belong; and through acts of kindness.
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