UTHSC College of Health Professions Magazine - Spring 2023

HEALTH PROFESSIONS

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER SPRING

The 2023 Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center Art Show and Sale HONOR THE MEMORY, CONTINUE THE LEGACY

August 25–27

The 7th-annual Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center Art Show and Auction will take place online August 25-27. The event benefits the student-run, pediatric, pro-bono occupational therapy clinic at UTHSC that serves the uninsured and underinsured in the Mid-South. Named for Rachel Kay Stevens, a student who died shortly after beginning her OT program at UTHSC, the art show honors her memory and her passion for pediatric occupational therapy and the arts.

Bid on pieces of art created and donated by children who receive OT services, as well as by local artists, and others. Check out the art and place your bids through the RKSTC Art Show and Auction website.

YOUR WALLS WILL THANK YOU!

For more information, visit www.32auctions.com/rkstc2023.

UTHSC Chancellor

Peter F. Buckley, MD

Dean, College of Health Professions

Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM

Senior Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies

James A. Carson, PhD, FACSM

Executive Associate Dean for Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs

Neale R. Chumbler, PhD

Assistant Dean, Finance and Administration

Chermale Casem, MBA, PHR

Assistant Dean, Faculty Affairs

Patrick N. Plyler, PhD

Chair, Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology

Ashley Harkrider, PhD

Chair, Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences

Neale R. Chumbler, PhD

Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy

Anne H. Zachry, PhD, OTR/L

Chair, Department of Physical Therapy

R. Barry Dale, DPT, PhD, OCS, SCS, MBA, ATC, CSCS

Vice Chancellor for Advancement

Brigitte Grant

Associate Vice Chancellor for Development and Planned Giving

Bethany Goolsby, JD

Senior Director, Advancement Services & Annual Giving

Cherisa Lewis

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni and Constituent Engagement

Chandra Tuggle

Associate Director of Development, College of Health Professions

Ariel O’Brien

Director of Alumni Programs

Bettye Durham

Assistant Director of Alumni Programs

Blair Duke

A New Path Pathologists’ Assistant Program Trains First Cohort

< A New Home Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center has new space

Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing

Sally Badoud, MBA

Editor

Chris Green

Contributing Writers

Peggy Reisser

Janay Jeans

Chris Green

Designer

Adam Gaines

Photographer

Caleb Jia

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Making a Difference

PT Alumna Grateful for Lifetime of Caring

< Volunteering to Help PT Students Assist at Clinica Esperanza

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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), 910 Madison Avenue, Suite 826, 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. E073701(022-231250)

From the Dean

This past year has been a banner year in many ways for the College of Health Professions. We are privileged every day to work with outstanding students who have come to train with our outstanding faculty, who are supported by our outstanding staff. However, our success is built on the backs of those who came before us and the alumni who continue to give back to our college, so that our college can train the next generation of health providers who are clinicians, educators, and scientists.

Our graduates have continued to achieve excellent first-time pass rates for licensure (from 93%-100%), and we are proud of each of our graduates and our alumni.

We were excited to launch in January our brand-new Pathologists’ Assistant Program in the Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences. Under the direction of Michael Weitzel, this is one of only 12 such programs in the country.

Our college has made great strides in research funding, and for the first time, our college faculty have obtained more than $2.1 million in research grants and contracts. Some of our faculty have obtained national awards for their research efforts.

We opened after-hours study space for our students in the 930 Madison Building on the Memphis campus. Additionally, we have obtained new teaching space that is being renovated in the General Education Building for Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Medical Laboratory Sciences programs. We expect that these programs will be moving into their new space before summer.

The Occupational Therapy Rachel Kay Stevens Clinic has obtained new expanded space in the 920 Madison Building. Finally, part of the faculty and staff in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology have moved into beautifully renovated Phase 1 space in the UT Conference Center building on the campus of UT Knoxville. Phase 2 is being planned with renovations on the first floor of this building to hopefully begin later this year. This will finish the new office, clinic, and classroom space and allow the remainder of the faculty and staff for the Audiology and Speech and Language Pathology programs to join their colleagues in this building.

In November, we celebrated our 50th year as a college. The Medical Laboratory Sciences program also celebrated its 100th year of instruction. At our anniversary event, we were honored to recognize some of our outstanding alumni who have contributed so much to their professions and communities. We will be making our Alumni Awards an annual event, with the next planned for November 10.

In February 2022, we welcomed our new chancellor, Peter Buckley, MD, to UTHSC. Dr. Buckley will be leading us into the next chapter in our outstanding institution.

We have accomplished much and are proud of our accomplishments and want to share those celebrations with you. However, there is much more work to do. We appreciate and value your support, as we work together to continue our strides forward. The College of Health Professions will continue to strive to recruit and train a wider and more diverse workforce of health care leaders, clinicians, and researchers, who are representative of our state’s population and who will allow us to better impact our communities, our state, and our world.

Be healthy and stay safe!

Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM Dean of the College of Health Professions

From the Chancellor

The new Pathologists’ Assistant Program that launched in January is an excellent example of how the College of Health Professions and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center are meeting the health care needs of the citizens of Tennessee. One of a handful of such programs in the country, it will train professionals to assist pathologists to make diagnoses on everything from laboratory specimens from cancer surgery to post-mortem examinations. The graduates will increase the ranks of health care professionals and help fill gaps in health care across Tennessee.

I am proud to tell you that with all six colleges, UTHSC is working to improve health care in Tennessee by training the highest-quality professionals, meeting current needs, and addressing unmet needs.

This is our legacy. This is our daily duty. This is our commitment to the future. For more than half a century, the College of Health Professions has done an outstanding job filling the ranks of health providers in varied professions from occupational therapy to physical therapy, to audiology and speech pathology, to laboratory and diagnostic health sciences. Our graduates take what they learned at UTHSC and use it to improve lives from one end of the state to the other.

In my time at UTHSC, I have been so impressed by our alumni, who are always ready to give of their time, talent, and funds to support those who come behind them. That speaks volumes for the education they received at UTHSC and the regard to which they hold their alma mater. It also speaks to their dedication to a brighter tomorrow instilled in them during their time at UTHSC.

As chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, I want to thank you for all you do for your university and for the wider world. We are grateful for the part you play in ensuring that our students and trainees are ready to face their future.

Sincerely,

Peter Buckley, MD Chancellor

The University of Tennessee Heath Science Center

BY THE NUMBERS

Bright New Future for Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center

By Peggy Reisser

The Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center (RKSTC) at UTHSC has a new home in which to continue the caring legacy of its namesake.

The clinic is named for Rachel Kay Stevens, an OT student who died shortly after beginning her training in the College of Health Professions. She dreamed of working with children to help them live better lives. The pro-bono, pediatric occupational therapy clinic is staffed by OT students with faculty supervision and provides occupational therapy services at no cost to children of families that are uninsured or underinsured.

The clinic opened at UTHSC in 2016 in the old Boling Center, which also formerly housed the UTHSC Center on Developmental Disabilities. That building has since been demolished.

The RKSTC recently moved into more spacious quarters on the 5th floor of the 920 Madison Building on the Memphis campus. It shares the space with the Center on Developmental Disabilities, which has two observation and testing rooms in the suite. The main offices for the Center on Developmental Disabilities are located on the 9th floor of the 920 Madison Building.

The new RKSTC space includes a large observation room, where two students can be giving therapy, while supervised by a licensed OT therapist. There is adjoining space for 12 students to observe from behind a large window.

In setting up the clinic initially, OT students, many of them Rachel’s friends and classmates, painted and decorated the walls. A centerpiece of the décor in the old location was a large tree painted on one wall. Handprints of Rachel’s classmates formed the leaves on the tree.

For the new space, the students copied the tree and used a projector to show it on one wall so the old image could be authentically reproduced. That tree of love and friendship is now the focal point of the clinic, decorating one of its primary walls. New students also added their handprints.

Rachel’s parents, Randy and Katrina Stevens of Batesville, Arkansas, sent her signature, which was also projected on

the wall and copied. Additional artwork from the original space was copied and painted on the walls of the new space.

Near the friendship tree, a photo of Rachel Kay is displayed on a commemorative plaque that hung in the original clinic, and now, the new one. The walls of the new space are also adorned with brightly colored artwork from the show and sale held annually to raise money for the clinic. Purchasers have bought the art, done by students receiving OT treatment, and have donated it back to the clinic.

The clinic is in operation on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 3 to 6 p.m. In addition to working with children on fine motor skills and behavioral issues, the center provides education for families and teachers on how to help children with special needs.

Through this work, the center offers OT students realworld experience and educational opportunities they otherwise would not have.

“I am just excited to be able to carry on Rachel’s dream for pediatric OT therapy in this new space,” said Anne Zachry, PhD/OTR/L, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy. “I am thankful for UTHSC being interested in the clinic and providing the space.” She said recently retired Executive Vice Chancellor Ken Brown was very supportive of the clinic and worked to secure the new space.

The RKSTC recently received a $25,000 commitment to help with its operation. The center also received a $25,000 grant from the Urban Child Institute to do outreach and training in underserved schools in the Memphis community.

Since it opened, the RKSTC has cared for 501 pediatric patients. Additionally, 317 OT students have been trained, 488 teachers have been trained, and 240 parents have been served for a total of 1,546 individuals reached by the center.

Speech-Language Pathology Student Extends Family Legacy into Third Generation

By Chris Green

For Izzy Freeman, taking care of people comes naturally. Her love for helping others is one thing that drew her to a career in speech-language pathology, but her family history in the field provided the initial inspiration.

“Being surrounded by the profession my whole life was definitely a contributing factor,” she says.

Izzy, from Hendersonville, Tennessee, is on her way to becoming a third-generation speech-language pathologist (SLP), with her mother, grandmother, and grandfather preceding her in the profession. She describes her grandmother, Wanda Freeman, as the instigator. Gran, as Izzy calls her, received a degree in SLP in the 1950s and worked in the school setting for 30 years and in home health for another 20 years.

Izzy’s grandfather, Bill Freeman, received a master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1959. He went on to work as a speech professor at Cumberland College in Kentucky. “He was made for that job,” Izzy says. “If anyone loved to talk, it was Gramps.”

According to Izzy, her grandparents saw a knack for speech pathology in their daughter-in-law, Izzy’s mother, Robbi Freeman. After receiving an undergraduate degree in education, Robbi’s mother-in-law took her to the UT Hearing and Speech Center to enroll in the SLP program. She studied under Bernard Silverstein, PhD, founding director of the center, and Harold Luper, PhD, who followed Dr. Silverstein as director and headed the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology for decades.

“Dr. Silverstein and Dr. Luper are SLP icons who taught me everything I know about articulation and stuttering to this day,” Robbi says. “We studied in every area of the clinic, and our professors, who wrote the textbooks, were there with open doors to educate, motivate, and challenge us to be the best in our profession. I was completely humbled by the experience and pray I have made them proud.”

Robbi started her career in home health and in the nursing home setting but has worked in schools since 1999, specializing in the preschool population. Watching her daughter continue her family’s legacy as an SLP makes her “extremely ecstatic.”

“It gives me much joy to see my girl follow the footsteps of her grandmother and myself into a profession that challenges you intellectually and allows you to touch the lives of others,” Robbi says.

The glimpses into the profession Izzy received throughout her childhood solidified her plans for her future. In addition to seeing her mother and grandparents work in the field, she was also inspired to pursue a health care career by her father’s work as a home-health physical therapist. Her high school senior project involving an SLP specializing in reading and cognitive intervention, along with her family’s own health experiences, provided additional inspiration.

“I think it became more apparent that this was what I wanted to do when my grandparents got older, and we started to take care of them. It was something that came naturally and comfortably for me,” Izzy says. “Generally, I love helping people and I felt this profession would help me pursue that.”

Izzy is now in her final months in the UTHSC MS-SLP program and has made some fond memories. “My clinical placement with Angie Orr was one of my favorites,” she says. “Each week we went to a rehabilitation center and led ‘Bingo-cise’ for the residents, where we would call out the Bingo numbers along with adaptive exercises. They loved when we came, and I thought it was such a fun and exciting approach to connect with the population.”

After she graduates in August, Izzy plans on returning to the area where she grew up and working with adults in an inpatient/outpatient setting. “I have always connected well with older adults and love listening to their stories,” she says. “I want to work with stroke patients or patients with progressive diseases because I have loved my experiences working with adults using compensatory speech strategies or augmentative and alternative communication devices to support their communication and participation in their world.”

As she prepares for her career, Izzy is thankful for the opportunity to not only make a difference in people’s lives, but to also make her family proud. “I am so proud of the work Izzy has put forth to become the next SLP in our family,” Robbi says, “and I cannot wait to watch her grow in a field that constantly provides others hope.”

“It gives me much joy to see my girl follow the footsteps of her grandmother and myself into a profession that challenges you intellectually and allows you to touch the lives of others.”

- Robbi Freeman Speech Pathologist and ASP student’s mother

Pathologists’ Assistant Program Provides New Path for CoHP Students

By Chris Green

In January, the College of Health Professions at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center began offering one of 12 master’s degree programs for pathologists’ assistants in the country. It was a yearslong effort for the college, and it came at the perfect time for student Jasmine Becton, a Memphis native.

“There were no programs nearby, and I didn’t want to move because it wasn’t cost-efficient,” Becton said. “I found out a pathologists’ assistant program was starting here, and I was like, ‘as soon as the application goes up, I’m applying.’”

The program’s mission is to train highly skilled, entrylevel pathologists’ assistants who are prepared to assume positions in the gross room and autopsy suite, including laboratory management, research, and education. The college worked diligently to develop the program, beginning in 2018 and receiving final approval from Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) in July 2022.

The program aims to prepare students like Becton for the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) board of certification exam and awards them with a degree of Master of Health Science (MHS) in Pathologists’ Assistant. After completing her bachelor’s degree in biology from Mississippi University for Women and receiving her Medical Laboratory Science certification from North Mississippi Medical Center, Becton began working in a lab at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and developed an interest in anatomical science. “Currently, I work on the clinical pathology side, but I got to shadow an autopsy and I was hooked,” Becton said.

Becoming a pathologists’ assistant, Becton said, would allow her to pursue both her lifelong interest in science and her newfound appreciation for interacting directly with the parts of the human body. “I’m used to seeing different lab results, and that’s it. Actually being able to touch the organs,

Pathologists’ Assistant Program Director Michael Weitzeil, back left, and Clinical Director Samantha Etters, back right, are shown with the six students in the program’s inaugural class.

- Jasmine Becton,

Assistant Student

look at them grossly, and dissect them is very interesting to me,” she said.

The more Becton learns about being a pathologists’ assistant, the more she seems to like it. One thing she enjoys is that every day is different, she said. “You might get the same type of specimens, but every case and patient are different. It’s like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.”

She also appreciates the difference she will be able to make through her future career. “Most people think you have to have patient contact to have an impact on patients and their care, but you don’t,” she said. “Pathologists’ assistants perform autopsies that give families the closure they need about their loved ones. They perform duties such as grossing, which is vital in cancer diagnosis and treatment. The many duties that PAs perform allow the pathologist to focus on other duties, which speeds up the time it takes for a patient to receive a diagnosis and start treatment.”

Since joining the College of Health Professions’ inaugural pathologists’ assistant class, Becton has nothing but positive reviews. Not only are the classes meeting the standard, but Becton said the professors are going beyond her expectations to provide her and her classmates with the best education possible.

“It’s very rigorous and time-consuming, but I love it,” she said. “Professor Michael Weitzeil, the program director, and Professor Samantha Etters, the clinical director, are wonderful. They’re very encouraging and they’re great teachers. They explain things in a way that we get, and even if we don’t get it on the first try, they’ve given us their contact information, so we can contact them with any questions we’re struggling with. They just have open arms.”

The Department of Diagnostic Health and Sciences in the College of Health Professions hired Weitzeil in 2021 to help develop the program and guide it through the THEC approval process. Before joining UTHSC, he spent six years as the clinical coordinator in the pathologists’ assistant program at Loma Linda University in California. There he taught courses, worked clinically, and assisted the program through its National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) accreditation, something UTHSC’s pathologists’ assistant program is currently seeking.

As an instructor, Weitzeil aims to engage and sharpen his students’ critical thinking skills to help them apply what they learn in the classroom to their practice in the lab. In describing his personal teaching philosophy, Weitzeil said, “Often, the challenge that awaits preemptive students is not the amount of didactic material to learn or the fast pace at which it is introduced, but the transition from theory to practice. It is easy to memorize the different segments of colon and the diseases that affect them but being able to critically think one’s way through the gross dissection of those tissues requires very specific psychomotor skills, mentorship, critical thinking, and knowledge.

“It is my goal in everything I do to set the standard of using independent critical thinking to work through a complex question and arrive at an evidence-based conclusion,” he said. “This learned skill makes for an excellent pathologists’ assistant, and I hope to instill it in (the students) in our classroom and laboratory interactions.”

In addition to the dedication from her instructors, Becton said her experience is made better by the program’s five other students, describing the class as a family who are learning together. “We all have things in common. There aren’t that many people you can discuss autopsies and those types of things with, and know that they understand you,” she said.

After completing the two-year program, Becton hopes to remain at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, taking a position as a pathologists’ assistant. Her goal is to become a vital member of a laboratory team who plays an integral role in ensuring the highest quality of patient treatment and care. Eventually, she hopes to enter higher education and teach the pathologists’ assistants of the future.

“Teaching the next generation of pathologists’ assistants to become experts in the field and mentoring them will be a way I can give back,” she said. “I want to cultivate highly skilled individuals with the ability to critically assess and believe in their own capacity to make positive contributions to patient care.”

“Most people think you have to have patient contact to have an impact on patients and their care, but you don’t. Pathologists’ assistants perform autopsies that give families the closure they need about their loved ones.”

Pathologists’

DPT Student Leads as Student Representative on UTHSC Advisory Board

By Janay Jeans

Elizabeth Evans, SPT, BS, has wanted to become a physical therapist since witnessing therapists caring for her youngest sister, who was born with cerebral palsy and autism. Now, she is pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy, while becoming a prominent student leader at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Evans, a second-year physical therapy student in the College of Health Professions, is the student representative on the UTHSC Advisory Board.

“It’s a huge honor and responsibility,” she said. “I have already worked with the different college representatives in addition to the representatives for the Black Student Association and UTHSC Unite, and I may be the liaison, but it really is working within a team and trying to get as many student voices heard as possible. While it is a lot of work, I am thrilled to have the opportunities to work with people across the entire university.”

Evans was introduced during the board’s summer meeting in August 2022 and will serve in this position for one year.

“Having the voice of the students represented on the UTHSC Advisory Board is essential, and I believe Elizabeth Evans will do a terrific job in that role,” said Advisory Board Chairman Phil Wenk, DDS, CEO of Delta Dental of Tennessee. “Ultimately, we are here for the students and to ensure that our future generation of practitioners are prepared to work with their patients once they graduate. It’s also important for Elizabeth to help communicate back to her fellow students the importance of giving back to UTHSC as professionals in their fields.”

Evans grew up in Memphis and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in movement science from Texas Christian University in 2020.

She is also the 2022-2023 president of the Student Government Association Executive Council (SGAEC), representing the student body as a liaison between the administration and students. “It was a really great honor when I was appointed president of SGAEC, because I can not only look at what is impacting my class, but

As the student representative on the UTHSC Advisory Board, Elizabeth Evans serves as a liaison between the board and the student body, making the students’ needs known to the board and keeping the students informed of the board’s actions.

also look at such a larger scale to what’s impacting all of the students at UTHSC,” she said.

In her service as SGAEC president, Evans is also the student representative on the strategic planning steering committee, helping construct UTHSC’s upcoming 20232028 strategic plan.

“It is an incredible honor. Throughout the process of developing and refining the strategic plan, Chancellor Buckley and Dr. Cindy Russell, vice chancellor for Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs and chief academic officer, have been intentional about including student perspectives,” she said. “The strategic plan is all-encompassing and sets tangible objectives with corresponding metrics, ensuring that we, as a university, stay on target for meeting our respective goals.”

This past year, the SGAEC has met its targets and enhanced student experiences with efforts including assisting with planning and implementation of student events and expanding study and relaxation areas across campus. The SGAEC aims to continue facilitating interprofessional activities, inside and outside the classroom, and assisting with the establishment of university-wide guidelines regarding funding and planning of formal student academic ceremonies. Evans became interested in studying physical therapy at age 6. “As a young girl, I was able to see the life-changing impacts that quality medical care can elicit,” she said.

Evans credits Missy Brown, an occupational therapy graduate from UTHSC, for igniting her passion for therapy. “She kind of sparked a love for physical therapy in me, even though she was an occupational therapist. To engage my sister during therapy, she would encourage me to ‘play’ therapist with my sister or show me games I could play with her that would strengthen her,” Evans said. “Since then, I have never wavered from my desire to be a physical therapist.”

A native Memphian, Evans was inspired by her sister’s doctors and therapists, who were UTHSC alumni, to return to the city permanently and attend the university.

“My entire family lives here, and I really do love this city and want to serve this city,” she said. “Also, considering the quality care my sister was given, I wanted to learn from the same community that produced those medical professionals I view so highly.”

In recognition of her leadership and service, Evans is a member of the Imhotep Society, a campus organization that rewards and recognizes student leaders for their contribution to the UTHSC student community. Student leaders are nominated to be inducted into the society after being awarded value points for their leadership from their college’s student government.

Evans said UTHSC and the Department of Physical Therapy have provided many opportunities and are committed to supporting and valuing students’ voices.

“From my exciting clinical experiences to interacting and working with fellow students, faculty, and staff, UTHSC and the Department of Physical Therapy have brought me opportunities way beyond in-class learning,” she said. “I have been especially encouraged by the extent to which the Department of PT is student-centered. I feel the faculty and staff are not just devoted to educating us but are also devoted to listening to us and supporting us.”

After she graduates in the spring of 2024, Evans plans to practice physical therapy in Memphis and eventually pursue a PhD to work in research or academia.

“From my exciting clinical experiences to interacting and working with fellow students, faculty, and staff, UTHSC and the Department of Physical Therapy have brought me opportunities way beyond in-class learning.”

- Elizabeth Evans, DPT student

Clínica Esperanza Provides Student-Driven Health Care for the Underserved

By Janay Jeans

Part of the Department of Physical Therapy’s mission is to meet the physical therapy needs of society by advancing the profession through education, research, service, and patient care. This is made apparent through many areas of the program, including its public service within Clínica Esperanza, also known as the Clinic of Hope.

Clínica Esperanza, with the support of Christ Community Health Services, is a primary care clinic serving uninsured and underserved, Hispanic or Latinx patients in Memphis. Launched by the UTHSC College of Medicine in 2005, the clinic aims to enhance care to those who are often experiencing obstacles with language and communication, transportation, access to affordable health care, and other barriers. Student volunteers operate the clinic and provide hands-on services, under the supervision of faculty, every Tuesday at Christ Community’s facility.

The services students provide include updating patient records, interviewing and examining patients, and translating Spanish. From its inception with the College of Medicine, to bringing on the College of Pharmacy, this

past year the clinic has grown through a partnership with the Physical Therapy program.

Third-year DPT student Chance Arnold, president of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2023, led the proposal for the program to support Clínica Esperanza and expand physical therapy services to the clinic’s patients.

“When I came to UTHSC, after being involved through high school and college, I looked for service opportunities,” Arnold said. “In 2020, I read about Clínica Esperanza and saw that it was written out for medical students, and knowing about physical therapy’s impact on patient life, I was curious why physical therapy wasn’t mainstream in the clinic.”

At that time, Arnold connected with the student president for the College of Medicine and began shadowing at the clinic to see if patients would benefit from physical therapy. In 2022, Arnold saw an opportunity within the program’s service-learning project and gathered interested patients, physical therapy students, and faculty to discuss the vision for providing physical therapy care in the clinic. After submitting their proposal, student volunteers and faculty have been consistently providing care in the clinic.

“The faculty and staff in the PT department have been nothing but supportive and helpful in the entire process,” he said. “And seeing how eager and engaged the second-year and first-year classes are in this process with continuing this on, it builds what the PT program has to offer for its incoming students, as well as the collaboration experience we receive working alongside medical and pharmacy students and seeing the growth in patients’ quality of life. It’s a wonderful experience and one of the most interprofessional experiences you could get while studying at UTHSC.”

In the clinic, physical therapy students provide care including examining, giving treatment plans, and providing rehabilitation, preventative, and wellness initiatives to patients. Medical, pharmacy, and physical therapy students also participate in educational sessions at the clinic, amplifying collaboration and clinical education across the various fields.

“Seeing how eager and engaged the second-year and first-year classes are in this process with continuing this on, it builds what the PT program has to offer for its incoming students, as well as the collaboration experience we receive working alongside medical and pharmacy students and seeing the growth in patients’ quality of life. It’s a wonderful experience and one of the most interprofessional experiences you could get while studying at UTHSC.”

- Chance Arnold, third-year DPT student

“What the students gain here is extremely valuable. They gain more experience in doing evaluation and treatment of real patients,” said Richard Kasser, PT, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. “It is also valuable that we’re on an interprofessional situation where students can learn from one another.”

“As faculty and licensed therapists, we’re considered supervised therapists, and it’s an incredible experience to work with patients, provide a treatment plan, and follow up weeks later and hear ‘we’re free of pain,’” said Carlos Clardy, PT, DPT, instructor in the Department of Physical Therapy. “We really want to thank our students because they have been very instrumental in ensuring we’re a part of this, and seeing how they truly care about their patients, I absolutely love it, and it’s a part of that calling of physical therapy.”

Clínica Esperanza is open on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Christ Community Health Services Broad Avenue Health Center at 2861 Broad Ave. in Memphis. The program seeks to increase the number of clinic volunteers, including interpreters, to help with translating at the clinic. To volunteer with the clinic, contact clinicaesperanza@uthsc.edu.

Physical therapy students, supervised by faculty, learn valuable lessons in patient care at Clinica Esperanza.

High School to Health Care, Forging Pathways into Lab and Data Sciences

By Janay Jeans

The laboratory and data sciences fields have experienced a severe shortage of professionals and face challenges with recruiting prospective students into lab and data sciences programs. Now, faculty within the College of Health Professions have created a new program to enhance recruitment and introduce high school students to lab and data science careers.

“There is a large gap in rural areas of Tennessee regarding interest and awareness of these professions, especially in high schools, when many students are beginning their educational training for careers,” said Jacen Moore, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences. “Many training programs have closed due to the difficulty of recruiting students, and we need a way to not only increase the knowledge about the professions, but also fill vacancies in the professional environment.”

Currently operating in the University of Tennessee at Martin’s Ripley Center, the High School to Health Care program offers free educational opportunities for high school students, including a dual enrollment course and a lab and data science summer camp. In addition, the program will provide free professional development training for high school teachers and offers educational resources such as curricula and materials for teachers to use in their courses.

“In this way, we’re not only creating the materials to educate teachers and students, but also creating pipelines for those students to pursue these careers as they progress through high school and college,” Dr. Moore said.

High School to Health Care received support through the National Institute of Health’s Science Education Partnership Award, and last fall, the program was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The funding will be used to purchase lab equipment, virtual reality headsets, and additional materials to assist the program’s operations and outreach.

The Introduction to Laboratory and Data Sciences dual enrollment course educates students about lab and data sciences and offers college credit for successful completion of the course. It is a 16-week course exposing students to the various fields in lab science – such as hematology, immunohematology, microbiology, cytology, and clinical chemistry – and data science, which studies the importance of health record data, data safety, and the analyses of human medical data. In this course, students will also hear from specialists in the lab and data science professions, learn more about professional ethics, and analyze data on health issues that are present within their communities.

The lab and data science camp, launching next year, is a week-long summer program that aims to educate high school students with an interactive experience with various forms of lab testing and working with molecular and lab science equipment, learning lab techniques, and studying authentic health data.

“Our goal is to nurture that exposure with those students who may be interested in pursuing these fields as a career and creating a pathway for them,” Dr. Moore said.

Members of Dr. Moore’s team include Rebecca Reynolds, EdD, professor and program director of Health Informatics and Information Management, and Keisha Brooks Burnett, EdD, associate professor and program director of Cytotechnology and Histotechnology. The program also collaborates with a team from the University of Tennessee at Martin, led by Simpfronia Taylor, EdD, director of UT Martin’s Ripley Center, and a team from the University of Memphis Center for Research and Educational Policy, led by Carolyn Kaldon, PhD.

“Once the program moves forward, we are hoping to expand, collaborate with other institutions, and establish centers in neighboring counties and states,” said Dr. Moore. “Our main focus with this program is to promote knowledge of our professions, to get students excited about lab and data sciences, and provide tools for them to pursue valuable careers that support the health and well-being of the residents in Tennessee and beyond.”

“We’re not only creating the materials to educate teachers and students, but also creating pipelines for those students to pursue these careers as they progress through high school and college.”

- Jacen Moore, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences

CoHP Research Accomplishments

BY THE NUMBERS*

CENTER FOR MUSCLE METABOLISM AND NEUROPATHOLOGY

The Center for Muscle Metabolism and Neuropathology (CM2N), created by Dean Stephen Alway in 2019 and located within the CoHP Division of Regenerative and Rehabilitation Sciences, focuses on research that impacts human muscle function and movement. CM2N’s overarching goal is to provide the fundamental basis for novel strategies that enhance independence across the age spectrum, with current research programs comprising muscle regeneration from damage, sarcopenia and aging, cancer therapeutics and survivorship, and the impact of stroke on mobility and movement.

CM2N ACCOMPLISHMENTS

James Carson, PhD, division chief of Regenerative and Rehabilitation Sciences and senior associate dean of Research and Graduate Studies, is conducting an NIH NIAMS-funded study to determine mechanisms of bone muscle crosstalk that can accelerate muscle mass recovery after periods of forced disuse.

• The four faculty members currently associated with CM2N have secured four federally funded grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense as principal investigators.

• CM2N faculty have published over 38 referred research papers since 2019.

• Currently, Dean Alway is leading a Department of Defense-funded project examining mechanisms to improve muscle regeneration from injury.

• Dr. Alway and Dr. Carson also collaborate on NIH-funded studies in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and the Department of Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, examining genetic factors contributing to functional deficits with aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

A LOOK AT THE PROJECTS

Neale Chumbler, PhD, chair of the Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences and executive associate dean of Academic Development and Accreditation, received U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs funds for a project to use health information technology and telehealth technologies to improve access to quality care and rehabilitation outcomes. Dr. Chumbler was also the corresponding author of “Racial and Socioeconomic Characteristics Associated with the use of Telehealth Services Among Adults with Ambulatory Sensitive Conditions” published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology, in collaboration with UTHSC’s Ming Cheng and Satya Surbhi, PhD, and Rhodes College’s Austin Harrison, PhD.

Kathleen Kenwright, EdD (left), program director for Medical Laboratory Science, and Sheila Criswell, PhD, Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences, received grants from the American Society for Clinical Pathology related to the UTHSC Histopathology and Medical Laboratory Sciences programs.

• Charisse Madlock-Brown, PhD, Department of Diagnostics and Health Sciences, is heading up a project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine data-driven identification of costly multi-morbidity groupings and their progression.

• Eun Jin Paek, PhD, Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, is leading an NIH-funded study to investigate the social communication abilities of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

• Jacen Moore, PhD, Department of Diagnostics and Health Sciences, is leading an NIH-funded project to create an educational program in rural West Tennessee promoting lab and data science careers.

• Ilsa Schwarz, PhD, and Julian McCarthy, PhD, in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, are working on two projects funded through the Department of Education to examine the improvement of early language and pre-literacy outcomes with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and develop early language and literacy education to support young children with complex communication needs.

• Anne Zachry, PhD, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, received a grant from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation to examine the use of medical record analysis to determine inequities in access to home occupational therapy of post-stroke patients in Tennessee’s statewide Medicaid population.

Student Recognized at 2022

UTHSC Impact Awards

Tiana Bridges, a first-year occupational therapy student, was honored in December at the UTHSC Impact Awards. Ten students from all six UTHSC colleges were nominated for the Student Social Justice and Diversity Healthcare Leadership Award, and Bridges was one of three winners. The award recognizes students whose actions demonstrate the importance of social justice activism, equity, and diversity while positively impacting UTHSC and the community.

Volunteer Your Voice Summer Camp Returns

After a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology’s (ASP) Volunteer Your Voice Summer Camp returned last summer. The week-long camp, designed specifically for children ages 7-12 who have speechlanguage and/or hearing challenges, was held at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville and staffed by ASP faculty, graduate students, and Ijams staffers. It was a wonderful, wild week with great adventures, muddy shoes, soaking wet clothes, unexpected friendships, and meaningful conversations.

Madlock-Brown Highlighted in Nature Article

Charisse Madlock-Brown, PhD, professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences, was recently featured in an online article published by the journal Nature. The article, titled “Unlocking the Potential of Health Data to Help Research and Treatments,” examines how doctors and researchers could utilize data-sharing methods to better treat patients and conduct studies without compromising patient privacy. In the article, Dr. Madlock-Brown, who serves as co-director of the Tennessee Clinical and Translational Science Institute, spoke about using patient-level data in her studies of the social determinants of health.

Pause, Protect, Play

ASP students collaborated with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, School of Music for a project that aims to increase students’ awareness of noise exposure risks and the importance of using hearing protection. The program provides educational resources, including videos titled “Pause, Protect, Play,” that educate on hearing protection options, noise-induced hearing loss, and Tinnitus. According to their videos, approximately 26 million people suffer from preventable noise-induced hearing loss. Visit uthsc.edu/asp/pause-protect-play to view the project and receive more resources on hearing protection.

Reynolds and Woods Receive 2022 Excellence in Teaching Awards

Rebecca Reynolds, EdD, professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences

(left), and Lauren Woods, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, were among the recipients of the 2022 Excellence in Teaching Awards. Each year, the Student Government Association Executive Council selects two faculty members from each UTHSC college, nominated by the students in the respective colleges, to receive the award, which comes with a plaque, a $2,500 stipend, and public recognition at the SGAEC Banquet, College Convocations, and Commencement Ceremonies.

Students Promote Hearing Safety at Volapalooza

In observance of Better Hearing and Speech

Month members of the UTHSC National Student Speech Language Hearing Association handed out approximately 150 pairs of earplugs at Volapalooza before a Wiz Khalifa concert. Volapalooza is an annual student event hosted by UT Knoxville to celebrate the end of the academic year. The earplugs were branded with “Pause, Protect, Play.”

Physical Therapy Faculty Present at National APTA Meeting

Several faculty members from the Department of Physical Therapy recently attended the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego, California, including three faculty members who delivered presentations. Jacque Bradford, PT, DPT, presented “Simulation-Based Education in Physical Therapy Education and Research.” Kim Carter, PT, ScDPT, and Myra Meekins, PT, DPT, PhD, presented the poster “The Use of Original Frenkel’s Exercises to Improve Functional Performance in Late-Stage Friedreich’s Ataxia.”

Pediatric Occupational Therapy Tips Blog Lauded

Anne Zachry, PhD, OTR/L, professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, was honored by Blogspot for her blog “Pediatric Occupational Therapy Tips” (drzachryspedsottips.blogspot.com). Blogspot ranked Dr. Zachry’s blog 14th in the top 70 Occupational Therapy blogs and websites to follow in 2022, and 12th in the top 50 Pediatric Occupational Therapy blogs and websites to follow in 2022.

Two CoHP Students Honored at 2023 BSA Awards

The Black Student Association (BSA) Awards Ceremony honors student leaders from each of the UTHSC colleges as they move toward graduation. Two CoHP students were recognized at the ceremony in February: Siham Sherif and Bianca Jackson.

Siham Sherif

Siham Sherif, a third-year Master of Occupational Therapy student, is known across her department for her academic excellence, professionalism, and commitment to the community. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the program, while also participating in many leadership and volunteer activities.

Prior to becoming a student at UTHSC, she founded and was president of the Eritrean-Ethiopian Student Association (2019) at the University of North Carolina, was a tutor in a Gross Anatomy lab, and was a supervisor of facilities and operations at the UNC Campus Recreation Center.

Sherif has demonstrated excellence in scholarship. She and several classmates presented a poster at the 2022 Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference titled, “Effects of Sensory Intervention on Neurological Development in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Critically Appraised Topic.”

She is a board member of the Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center, a student-run pro-bono pediatric clinic for uninsured or underinsured Tennesseans. She served as the secretary of the Delta Zeta Chapter of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s honor society, Pi Theta Epsilon. She also served as a gross anatomy teaching assistant, providing support to occupational therapy and physical therapy students. She volunteers at the Memphis Islamic Center, where she has helped set up and run community health fairs, COVID vaccination events, and dinners for families in need during Ramadan. She is also a youth head soccer coach.

Bianca Jackson

After studying biology during her undergraduate years, Bianca Jackson, MPH, discovered her interest in improving health outcomes on a large scale.

“I learned about how we can use data to improve health outcomes, as well as doing a grounded approach of talking to people within the community to understand the social determinants in order to get to the core of how these chronic diseases and morbidities are impacting them,” Jackson said. “I arrived at UTHSC because the professors in this specific program are interested in improving health outcomes by utilizing their various research skills, and there is a large focus on helping the community around us.”

Jackson, from Memphis, is pursuing a PhD in health outcomes and policy research with an emphasis in health informatics and information management. Before joining UTHSC, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in health systems management from the University of Memphis.

Her research experience includes qualitative and quantitative research, clinical research, health technology assessment development, and evidence evaluation, analysis, and synthesis. Her dissertation focuses on the use of machine learning to predict lung cancer risk using electronic health record data.

“We see that lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers and that it is most prevalent within the southern region. I am diving into how we can improve the outcomes of those with lung cancer, identify the risks, and prevent the incidence of lung cancer within our community and in our region,” she said. “Using that data, we can understand what is causing this, specifically within individuals in Tennessee, who are at greater risk, how it is impacting patients in Memphis compared to Nashville or Knoxville, and how we can apply the knowledge of health informatics to improving the outcomes of people within my community and across the state.”

Jackson served as a student representative on the Graduate Student Executive Council. She is praised in her college for the energy she brings to her work that inspires colleagues, faculty, and staff. About being honored at the BSA Awards, Jackson said, “It was awesome to be in a room of people that look like and share the same interest as me. Although we are in different fields, our ultimate goal is to help others and improve the health of others.”

After graduating, Jackson will pursue consulting in the field of health economics and outcomes research and plans to apply the research and analytical skills she received from the program to improve health outcomes in many therapeutic areas.

Honoring Outstanding Alumni

The College of Health Professions gave out its inaugural alumni awards during its 50th anniversary celebration in November. The awards will become an annual event.

The 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award Winners are:

Lisa Cunningham

Outstanding Alumna

Lisa Cunningham, PhD, is the scientific director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Born and raised in East Tennessee, she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in audiology from the University of Tennessee and completed a clinical fellowship in audiology at Indiana University. She obtained a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Virginia and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in auditory neuroscience at the University of Washington. Dr. Cunningham’s lab at NIDCD conducts basic, translational, and clinical studies on hearing loss and develops therapeutic strategies to safeguard hearing. Of particular interest is the development of therapies to protect the hearing of patients undergoing treatment with therapeutic drugs that treat life-threatening diseases but that also damage the cells of the inner ear and result in hearing loss.

Dr. Cunningham was voted among the Top 10 teachers in the Medical University of South Carolina College of Graduate Studies three times between 2004 and 2007. She received the National Organization for Hearing Research Burt Evans Young Investigator Award in 2008, and she was honored with NIDCD Director’s Awards in 2016 and 2020.

In 2018, she received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Graduate Partnerships Program Outstanding Mentor Award. Highlighting her innovation in bridging basic and clinical research, in 2020 Dr. Cunningham received an NIH Bench-toBedside Award in support of a Phase 3 study designed to protect the hearing of cancer patients being treated with cisplatin, a drug that is known to cause hearing loss.

Dr. Cunningham was appointed as NIDCD scientific director in April 2021. In this role she oversees the NIDCD intramural research program, which includes over 160 scientists, clinicians, and administrators in 17 research labs, research core facilities, and research clinics.

Lynn Ingram

Outstanding Alumna

Lynn Ingram is a 1973 graduate of UTHSC, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology. In 1981, she received her Master of Science degree from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). Her commitment to quality education has been demonstrated through her service as a full-time faculty member at UTHSC. Several years after her retirement, she continued to teach as an adjunct professor. Throughout her career, she mentored countless new laboratory students.

Ingram has diligently promoted her profession, serving in multiple capacities with the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), the Memphis Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (MSCLS), and the Tennessee Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (TSCLS). She has made numerous presentations at local, regional, and national conferences and meetings. She has more than 30 publications to her career and authored a chapter in a chemistry book.

David W. Mensi Outstanding Alumnus

David W Mensi, BS SCT (ASCP), is a 1984 graduate from the cytotechnology program at UTHSC. He began his career at the Duke University Medical Center. After two years, Mensi moved back to Memphis to enhance his knowledge, first at UTHSC as a cytotechnologist in the laboratory and a clinical instructor, then later as senior cytotechnologist at Baptist Memorial Hospital. In 1998, he began a new role at Trumbull Laboratory, where he serves as the supervisor of the Cytopathology Department.

Mensi’s primary areas of focus are gynecological cytology, body cavity fluid cytology, and fine-needle aspiration of bone and soft tissue sarcomas. He has provided diagnoses to over 400,000 patients, helping with the detection of cancer in its early stages. He has also conducted research and authored articles on salivary gland duct carcinoma and dermoid cysts with malignant transformations.

Mensi continues to give his time and expertise back to UTHSC. Over the last 30 years, he has assisted the UTHSC cytotechnology program by teaching over 150 students. He has delivered numerous lectures to students each year on special topics and selects interesting diagnostic cases for the student presentations. For years, he has been supplying the program with valuable cytologic and histologic slides for study and testing purposes. This essential teaching material is the backbone of the program. In addition, Mensi serves as a clinical instructor overseeing students assigned to Trumbull Laboratory.

Anne Zachry Outstanding Alumna

Anne Zachry, PhD, OTR/L, is a graduate of UTHSC and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received a PhD in educational psychology and research from the University of Memphis in 2010. Prior to joining the UTHSC Occupational Therapy (OT) faculty in 2013, she practiced as a pediatric occupational therapist for more than 20 years in a variety of pediatric settings, including early intervention settings and the local public school system.

Dr. Zachry’s research interests include enhancing infant and child development through the provision of OT services. Her blog, “Pediatric OT Tips” has been ranked as a top occupational therapy blog for the past five years. In 2015, Dr. Zachry led the initiative to develop the UTHSC Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center, a studentrun, pro-bono, pediatric OT clinic. In 2016, she received the Student Government Association Executive Council Excellence in Teaching Award and was a finalist for the Memphis Business Journal’s Health Care Heroes Award. She received the UTHSC Alumni Association Public Service Award in 2016 and participated in the University of Tennessee Leadership Institute in 2017. In 2019, Dr. Zachry was a nominee for the University of Tennessee Educate President’s Award. Her books, “Retro Baby: Cut Back on all the Gear and Boost Your Baby’s Development with over 100 Time-Tested Activities” and “Retro Toddler: More Than 100 Old-School Activities to Boost Development,” were published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Retro Baby” won the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award in 2013. Dr. Zachry currently serves as the chair of the UTHSC Department of Occupational Therapy.

Karen R. Smith

Outstanding Alumna

Karen R. Smith, PT, DPT, NCS, CWS, WCC, FACCWS, C/NDT, CSRS, is a 1986 UTHSC graduate with a BS in physical therapy and a 2006 UTHSC graduate with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She has a 2017 graduate certificate in pediatrics from the University of Indianapolis. She is a board-certified neurologic clinical specialist with the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), a certified wound specialist with the American Board of Wound Management, wound care certified with the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy, and a Fellow of The American College of Clinical Wound Specialists.

Dr. Smith is certified in the Neurodevelopmental Treatment Approach for the management of adults with stroke and brain injury with the Neuro-Developmental Treatment Association and is a certified stroke rehabilitation specialist with the National Stroke Association. She is an advanced credentialed clinical instructor with the APTA. She is a Vanderbilt grant faculty member for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program (Vanderbilt Consortium LEND) and a Tennessee State University grant faculty member for the Connecting Faculty Learning to Student Learning program.

Dr. Smith is a tenured assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences, at Tennessee State University (TSU). She has 36 years of experience as a physical therapist in multiple clinical settings and currently sees patients at the pro bono TSU Tiger Community Rehabilitation Clinic. Her clinical focus and specialty are neurologic PT and advanced wound management. She was the secretary of the PT Class of 1986 and has organized class reunions, social media pages, and newsletters. At TSU, she is active in committees at the department, college, and university levels. She is the assessment coordinator and service chair for the Department of Physical Therapy. Dr. Smith organizes and volunteers at several community events each year for TSU PT faculty/student participation. She received a Frist Humanitarian Award in 2011.

Dr. Smith is currently the APTA-TN Nashville District Chair, on the APTA-TN Board, and is a delegate to the APTA House of Delegates. She is a Specialization Academy of Content Experts item writer and case report reviewer in wound management for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists and is an item writer for the National Physical Therapy Exam (NTPE) for the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. She is a consultant to the Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy. Dr. Smith received the 2022 Outstanding District Award, APTA-TN.

PT Alumnus Proud of Profession that Makes a Difference in People’s Lives

Laura Lee (Dolly) Swisher, PT, MDiv, PhD, FAPTA, was going into the ministry, working on a PhD in religious ethics at Vanderbilt University years ago, until she felt called to go in a different direction.

She remembered how her father took excellent care of her mother, who had multiple sclerosis. A forklift truck driver, he also had an artistic side, and later in life repaired violins and cellos. She worked with him then, and recalled how she loved the hands-on work.

An internship as a hospital chaplain before studying at Vanderbilt contributed to what she calls an “aha moment” that set her on a different career path. She decided she wanted to be a physical therapist, a field that combined caring for people, just like her father had done with her mother, and hands-on work to improve people’s lives. Already in Tennessee, she applied to the University of

Tennessee Health Science Center, was admitted, and graduated in 1986 as a physical therapist, a career she has loved for almost 40 years.

“Physical therapy is a wonderful profession in terms of being able to work closely with your patient, which you don’t get to do in all health care professions,” Dr. Swisher said.

Dr. Swisher, who lives in Prosper, Texas, is Professor Emerita and the former director of the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of South Florida (USF) in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

She credits UTHSC with giving her an excellent education from instructors who cared about their students and the patients they would serve.

“I think that the faculty were just so caring about students,” she said. “They were very much oriented towards being a great practitioner, but at the same time building a foundation for you to be successful in your professional life.”

After graduating from UTHSC, she returned to Vanderbilt, working in outpatient physical therapy and became a certified hand therapist. An opportunity to teach at Tennessee State University came her way, and she eventually became the interim program director and head of the Department of Physical Therapy. Realizing she had some unfinished business to attend to, she earned a PhD in public administration at Tennessee State University and wrote her dissertation on ethics.

She joined USF in 1998 as an assistant professor, rising to become the director of the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences in 2018.

Dr. Swisher said her education at UTHSC trained her not only to be a caring and good physical therapist, but a leader in advancing her profession.

Dr. Swisher served as the vice president of the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association and served as a member and chair of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Ethics and Judicial Committee, and the Commission on Accreditation. One of the things she is most proud of is serving as cochair of the task force to revise the code of ethics for physical therapists.

She has been on several editorial boards and is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the recipient of the APTA Lucy Blair Service Award, the Polly Cerasoli Lectureship Award, and Mary McMillan Lecture Award, the most prestigious award given by the APTA.

Dr. Swisher is retired now, but she continues to contribute to research in her field. Decades after that aha moment, she is certain she followed the right path.

“We talk a lot in physical therapy about the significance of movement,” she said. “Well, you are empowering people to have more out of their lives. Physical therapy allows you to be involved in helping people to maximally enjoy their daily life, whether it’s in walking more, biking more, but also when you get down to the family things, they are some of the things that turn out to be most meaningful as a physical therapist. Can you help somebody walk down the aisle for a child’s wedding? Can you help someone to travel somewhere to see someone graduate? And are you able to help somebody get down on the floor maybe and play with their toddler?”

Congratulations to Our 2022 Graduates!

Commencement ceremonies for the College of Health Professions were held in Memphis on May 10 at the Renasant Convention Center for spring graduates, and December 12 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts for fall graduates. The Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology’s commencement was May 18 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Graduates who received a Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science had their degrees conferred in August.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN

MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

Marian Ivy

Diem V. Mai

Ahlam Murshed

Somartha Prak

Quentila Taylor

Kalene Farley

Kyle Weber Furlow

Jeffery Thomas Givens

William Trey Johnson III

John Morgan Knight

Kristina Ly Leav

Elizabeth McEwen McCanless

Erika Jeanne Panek

Bhavi Dhansukhbhai Patel

Michelle Lynn Stoutenburg

Amy Lynn Patton

Madison Renee Payne

Mallori Lynn Rodrigue

Clare Elizabeth Sauser

Rachel Elizabeth Schwam

Olivia Camille Smith

Steffani Takahashi

Mikayla Beverly Taylor

Kathryn Suzanne Tenner

Shelby Terry

MASTER

OF SCIENCE IN CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

Yazan Salem Akel

Courtney Danielle Grant

Jeffry Greenlee

Puja Mistry

Jessica Renae Parks

Carter Pruett

Shawn A. Rennison

Lauren Yvonne Shine

Cameran Taylor

Katelyn B. Wright

MASTER OF CYTOPATHOLOGY PRACTICE

Amberly C. Baker

Chelsea Mo’ney Sandrill Bridges

Christie Lyndell Fumbah

MaKalea Cathryn Kirkland

Caitlin Ryanne Richmond

MASTER OF HEALTH INFORMATICS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Eseosa T. Amenaghawon

Tiffany Elaine Camp

Dominique Sheree Crutchfield

Miriam A. Sward

Joshua Wilkinson

Rose Zeng

MASTER OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Elizabeth Grace Barton

Allison Elizabeth Rebecca Brewer

Mary Elizabeth Burton

Lauren Elizabeth Camenzind

Amy Michelle Carver

Lucy Dalton DiAngelo

Kylie Blair Dunavan

Tedrin Elion

Caleb Josiah Harbor

Megan Denise Henley

Lindie Elizabeth Hill

Sydney Dawn Inman

Molly Jean Kafader

Alexandria Marie Keathley

Kyla Mychelle Key

Molly Grace King

Carolyn Knight

Samuel Allen Lopez

Katy Elizabeth Lowry

Carley Jo Mahaffey

Brittney Rae Malone

Kayla Marie McDaniel

Allison Elaine Nance

Rachel Lynn Walker

Hailey Nicole Warrington

Zoie Jane Wilkes

Erin Denise Healy Williams

Madison Faith Williams

Alexis Rivers Williamson

Megan Elizabeth Wilson

James Trevor Wright

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Robert Gerald Balducci

Rachel Taylor Halford Bolton

Alexis Marie Burton

Kristina Annalice Caller

Caroline Campbell

Dalton Chase Campbell

Ian Rhoan Campbell

Sloane Nicole Cline

Alexandra Claire Collier

Hailey James Daugherty

Andrew Thomas Davis

Kali Jo Decker

Tasha Denton

Sydney Pearson Duncan

Thomas Layne Ellis

Rebecca Leigh English

John Phillip Epperson

Thomas Roy Ewing

Maria Farag

Samuel Joseph Farmer

Ross Kaelund Granderson

Gabrielle AnneMarie Grant

Kody Groves

Madeline Ruth Hamblen

Victoria Marie Hamby

Joel Gregory Harbolt

Haley Grace Hathcock

Chandler Elizabeth Hawkins

Annika Leigh Hedlund

Summer Amanda Hedrick

Rebecca Hidalgo

Christopher Matthew Huff

Courtney Lynn Isom

Kadarius Eugene Jack

Hannah Gale James

Venkatasushma Kalava

Emily Cunningham Kyle

Glenn Jackson Lamar Jr.

Rachel Georganna Lawhorn

Rebekah Cheyenne Lockhart

Rebecca Morgan Luther

Stephanie Elizabeth McClanahan

Abbey Walden McCrory

Clare Lynn Morris

Leigh Taylor Moss

Rahul R. Patel

Shivani Mukesh Patel

Brooke Kay Patton

James Cole Patton

Halle Elizabeth Perryman

Mitchell Anthony Quigley

Emily Anne Rice

Kaitlyn Ross

Kenan Sakic

Ashton Gail Smith

Mason Cain Stephens

Jordan Phillip Walsh

Alexander K. Williams

Katelyn Elise Wilson

William Hayes Wright

DOCTOR OF AUDIOLOGY

Caitlyn Dora Adams

Tessie Blanchard

Ashton Boyd

Kelsey Brittingham

McKenna Wellborn Brown

Larissa Conolly

Caelan Pacelli Cordova

Harlee Elizabeth Daniel

Jesús D. Gomez

Heather Martin Harris

Nancy France Hawkins

Janelle Lynn Heinks

Malina E. Kinnard

Erin Kinney

Dora Leigh Klink

Molly McCormick

Ashton Moss

Sarah Grace Norris

Lindsay Nicole Taylor

Patricia White

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

Madeline Rae Anasiewicz

Jannai Arellano

Rachel Baird

Nicole Catherine Block

Melissa Brooks

Emily Carter

Marissa Danielle Chappell

Marklee Cook

Julia Desmedt

Madison Fisher

Linnea Gaetjens

Rachel Idem

Margaret Jennings

Grace Jepson

Annalee Elizabeth Johnson

Lauren Elizabeth Judd

Skylar M. Kelley

Kayla Ketron

Alison Kilgore

Mckenzie Yarboro Krebs

Brianna Kreiger

Megan Elizabeth Lane

Katherine Lingle

Alyssa Catherine Llewelyn

Mckayla Locke

Carley Mayer

Macy Maynard

Kaitlyn McGruther

Abby Milillo

Carlie Morgan

Abigail G. Mynatt

Abigail Grace Norman

Maribel Del Carmen Pardes

Mary Parliament

Ashley Patton

Meagan Kalei Phillips

Kelly Ann Quirion

Lauryn Rees

Madeline Rietschel

Addie Rose Ringenberg

Ragan Rushing

Bayleigh Scoggins

Nitya Subbanna

Angela Elysabeth Tate

Madeline Weih

Robinson White

Addison Kate Willard

Kaelyn Wilson

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN AUDIOLOGY AND SPEECH PATHOLOGY

Kaelei Madison Adams

Sarah Jessica Amador

Alexis E. Arnize

Abigail Marie Baricevich

Sydney Ann Bhandari

Elizabeth Wright Brandon

Katherine Faith Burton

Callie Mae Canfield

Brooke Elizabeth Choate

Lily R. Cooze

Allison Michele Costello

Lauren Dianna Courtney

Addison Claire Crawford

Carter Crenshaw

Lauren Elizabeth Day

Eliza Rose Dean

Lily Catherine Deinhart

Macy Lauren Diehl

Anna E. Duhon

Brooke Lashae Farrow

Zareeya Nichole Folds

Holly Leann Fussell

Taylor Gonzalez

Grace E. Goodacre

Carmen Lynlea Griffith

Grace Catherine Hall

Justine Emily Happe

Joshalyn H. Harmon

Riley Dane Harris

Madison Lee Henry

Leah Price Horner

Catherine Marie Hughes

Emma C. Hunt

Sara Glen Hutchinson

Katherine Dale Kaminsky

Megan Rose Kane

Megan Kirk

Nicole Lynn Kubica

Ashley Elizabeth Latiff

Hannah Rebekah Maner

Caroline Anne Manning

Elizabeth Neely Marshall

Selecia M. Mathis

Sadie R. Mcabee

Caroline Frances McCarthy

Sydney Nicole McCubbins

Grace Ellen Mennen

Ragan Elise Middleton

Hayley Grace Moffatt

Alisha Noel Montgomery

Elizabeth Anne Norton

Kaitlyn Elise Ozdych

Lainey Faith Parker

Sela Olivia Peterson

Kristen Nicole Roberts

Bailey Scott Rose

Zach Rose

Sydney A. Rule

Gabrielle Renee Rysdon

Student Leaders Honored

Natalie Lynne Elise Schaad

Radel Elizabeth Smithers

Anna Elisabeth Street

Tyler Elizabeth Sullivan

Sarah Emmaline Talley

Madison Michelle Theken

Mary Blair Threlkeld

John Robert Tucker

Christina Jean Villers

Kylie Diane Vogel

Katherine Murphy Weisenmiller

Abigail Catherine Whirley

Eli Shannon Williams

Rachel Rochelle Wiser

Rachel Sierra Wolfe

The College of Health Professions is proud to recognize the following students honored during the 2022 Commencement ceremonies..

ALPHA ETA SOCIETY

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

Diem V. Mai

Ahlam Murshed

Bachelor of Science in Audiology and Speech Pathology

Callie Mae Canfield

Lily Catherine Deinhart

Brooke LaShae Farrow

Holly Leann Fussell

Taylor Gonzalez

Riley Dane Harris

Emma C. Hunt

Elizabeth Neely Marshall

Selica M. Mathis

Caroline Frances McCarthy

Ragan Elise Middleton

Somartha Prak

Natalie Lynne Elise Schaad

Anna Elisabeth Street

Sarah Emmaline Talley

Kylie Diane Vogel

Eli Shannon Williams

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

Courtney Danielle Grant

Katelyn B. Wright

MASTER OF CYTOPATHOLOGY PRACTICE

Chelsea Mo’ney Sandrill Bridges

MASTER OF HEALTH

INFORMATICS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Tiffany Elaine Camp

Dominique Sheree Crutchfield

MASTER OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Allison Elizabeth Rebecca Brewer

Amy Michelle Carver

Lucy Dalton DiAngelo

Megan Denise Henley

Molly Jean Kafader

Kayla Mychelle Key

Carley Jo Mahaffey

Kathryn Suzanne Tenner

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN SPEECH

LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

Rachel Baird

Marissa Danielle Chappell

Marklee K. Cook

Madison Noel Fisher

Linnea Gaetjens

Rachel Catherine Idem

Margaret Jennings

Grace Daly Jepson

Annalee Elizabeth Johnson

Alison Catherine Kilgore

Alyssa Catherine Llewelyn

Kaitlyn S. McGruther

Ashley A. Patton

Meagan Kalei Phillips

Kaelyn Wilson

DOCTOR OF AUDIOLOGY

Caitlyn Dora Adams

McKenna Wellborn Brown

Larissa Gale Conolly

Harlee Elizabeth Daniel

Nancy France Hawkins

Malina Emma-Lyn Kinnard

Erin Elizabeth Kinney

Sarah Grace Norris

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Hailey James Daugherty

Rebecca Leigh English

Victoria Marie Hamby

Haley Grace Hathcock

Summer Amanda Hedrick

Venkatasushma Kalava

Emily Cunningham Kyle

Rebekah Cheyenne Lockhart

Clare Lynn Morris

Shivani Mukesh Patel

Mitchell Anthony Quigley

Emily Anne Rice

FACULTY NOMINEES

Mark Hedrick

Jacen Moore

Chelsea Peeler

Teresa Vaughn

Lee Williams

HONORS GRADUATES

AUDIOLOGY AND SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

HIGHEST HONORS

Abigail Marie Baricevich

Callie Mae Canfield

Lily R. Cooze

Addison Claire Crawford

Lauren Elizsbeth Day

Lily Catherine Deinhart

Brooke Lashae Farrow

Zareeya Nicole Folds

Holly Leann Fussell

Justine Emily Happe

Riley Dane Harris

Emma C. Hunt

Sara Glen Hutchinson

Selica M. Mathis

Grace Ellen Mennen

Gabrielle Renee Rysdon

Anna Elisabeth Street

Sarah Emmaline Talley

Mary Blair Threlkeld

Eli Shannon Williams

HIGH HONORS

Allison Michelle Costello

Macy Lauren Diehl

Anna E. Duhon

Taylor Gonzalez

Grace E. Goodacre

Megan Rose Kane

Megan Kirk

Elizabeth Neely Marshall

Caroline Frances McCarthy

Ragan Elise Middleton

Hayley Grace Moffatt

Elizabeth Anne Norton

Sela Olivia Petersen

Kristen Nicole Roberts

Bailey Scott Rose

Madison Michelle Theken

Kylie Diane Vogel

HONORS

Kaelei Madison Adams

Sydney Ann Bhandari

Katherine Faith Burton

Grace Catherine Hall

Joshalyn H. Harmon

Catherine Marie Hughes

Katherine Dale Kaminsky

Ashley Elizabeth Latiff

Caroline Anne Manning

Sadie R. Mcabee

Sydney A. Rule

Tyler Elizabeth Sullivan

John Robert Tucker

Abigail Catherine Whirley

Rachel Rochelle Wiser

MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

HIGH HONORS

Ahlam Murshed

HONORS

Diem V. Mai

CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

HIGHEST HONORS

Katelyn B. Wright

HIGH HONORS

Courtney Danielle Grant

HONORS

Cameran Taylor

CYTOPATHOLOGY PRACTICE

HIGHEST HONORS

Chelsea Mo’ney Sandrill Bridges

HIGH HONORS

Christie Fumbah

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

HIGHEST HONORS

Amy Michelle Carver

Lucy Dalton DiAngelo

Megan Denise Henley

Molly Jean Kafader

Kyla Mycahelle Key

Carley Jo Mahaffey

Kathryn Suzanne Tenner

Alpha Eta Society

HIGH HONORS

Kylie Blair Dunavan

Carolyn Knight

Mikayla Beverly Taylor

Zoie Jane Wilkes

James Trevor Wright

PHYSICAL THERAPY

HIGHEST HONORS

Rebecca Leigh English

Victoria Marie Hamby

Haley Grace Hathcock

Venkatasushma Kalava

Rebekah Cheyenne Lockhart

Shivani Mukesh Patel

Mitchell Anthony Quigley

Emily Anne Rice

HIGH HONORS

Hailey James Daugherty

Maria Farag

Summer Amanda Hedrick

Emily Cunningham Kyle

Clare Lynn Morris

Halle Elizabeth Perryman

COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AWARD

MASTER OF HEALTH INFORMATICS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Kristina Ly Leav

THE IMHOTEP SOCIETY GRADUATING MEMBERS

Lucy Dalton DiAngelo

John Phillip Epperson

Carley Jo Mahaffey

Madison Renee Payne

Jordan Phillip Walsh

Megan Elizabeth Wilson

PROGRAM AWARDS

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

Frances Guthrie Outstanding Student Award in Medical Laboratory Science

Diem V. Mai

Somartha Prak

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

Brenta G. Davis Outstanding Clinical Laboratory Science Graduate Student Award

Jessica Renae Parks

Katelyn B. Wright

Alice Scott Hitt Faculty Award in Medical Laboratory Science

Courtney Danielle Grant

MASTER OF CYTOPATHOLOGY PRACTICE

Cyrus C. Erickson Award in Cytotechnology

Chelsea Mo’ney Sandrill Bridges

Gerre Wells Gourley Award in Histotechnology

MaKalea Cathryn Kirkland

MASTER OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Achievement Award in Occupational Therapy

Kylie Blair Dunavan

Leadership Award in Occupational Therapy

Carly Jo Mahaffey

The Rosemary Batorski

Community Service Award in Occupational Therapy

Rachel Lynn Walker and Tedrin Elion

President’s Award for Service in Occupational Therapy

Megan Elizabeth Wilson

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

The Outstanding Physical Therapy Student Award

Dr. Victoria Marie Hamby

Dr. Hayley Grace Hathcock

Ayers Award

Dr. Ian Rhoan Campbell

Physical Therapy Faculty Award

Dr. Summer Amanda Hedrick

Physical Therapy Class President Recognition

Dr. John Phillip Epperson

Thank You for Your Membership in the 1911 Society

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s 1911 Society recognizes philanthropic support, which is critical to our mission of educating students, conducting innovative research, and improving health outcomes. Named for the year the Health Science Center was founded, the 1911 Society celebrates the generosity of our community. Membership in the 1911 Society is granted across multiple levels: Annual Giving Partners who make a donation of $100 or more in any given fiscal year; Sustaining Partners who give annually at any amount

We are grateful to the following donors for their gifts through June 30, 2022.

ANNUAL PARTNERS

Peggy D. Adams

Rhonda K. Allen

Michael L. and Chandra D. Alston

Stephen E. and Michelle Alway

Pamela Denise Anderson

Kristopher Arheart

David and Amanda Armstrong

Margaret Ayers

Jeffrey M. and Sally E. Badoud

Jeffrey and Sally Jo Baerman

Laura Bain-Selbo and Eric Walter Selbo

Vickie D. and Robert C. Barnes, Jr.

Janice E. Beard

Julie A. and George Beeler

Mary Sue Bennett

Carol Sue Bloomquist

Sandra and Michael E. Bogard

Candice L. Bolin

Janie M. Bowles

Elizabeth Bowman

Michael and Susan Boyd

Ashley Nations and David C. Bradford

Jacque Lynn Bradford and Jeremy Lynn Bradford

Jack W. and Lillian G. Bray

Deborah and McNeal Brockington III

Fred S. Buchanan, Jr.

Loretta L. Bunn

William H. and Sybil A. Byrd

James and Margaret Carson

for five or more consecutive years; and Lifetime Partners who make cumulative commitments of $25,000 or more during their lifetime.

The Office of Development and Alumni Affairs wishes to thank all donors for their commitment to the College of Health Professions and to the university. For details go to giving.uthsc.edu/1911. To make a gift, please visit giving.uthsc.edu/give or call 901.448.5516.

Frank and Brenda Carter

Randy and Johnna Cashon

Tamika D. Catchings

Austin Alexander and McKenna Childress

Walter E. and Delilah C. Clark

Tiffany Clay

Jeannine H. and Benjamin T. Cockrill Jr.

Neal W. Coke

Mark and Alicia Collins

Patrick D. and Heather L. Conley

Barbara H. and Michael J. Connolly

Brenda Conti

Susan P. and Jerry B. Cowgill

Peggy and Thad S. Cox Sr.

Johnny R. and Andrea R. Crisler

Sheila L. Criswell

Judith Gayle Davis

Berniece Depue

Denise P. Descouzis

John W. and Sandra S. Downing

Barbara Lynn DuBray-Benstein

Saxon and Bettye Durham

Dennis C. and Patricia Wojciak Earl

Norman D. Estep

Carol Sue Eyer

Jerry J. and Margaret H. Faerber

C. Thomas Fennimore

Michael J. Fisher and Carolyn Sweeney-Fisher

Li Gao

David Gaunt

Mark S. and Nan McCammon Gaylord

Jeff Harrison Gill

Rosario L. and Karl A. Giulian

Jamie Lee Glenn

Michelle Elise Grzybowski

Cheryl D. Gunter and Mr. Paul A. Rabe

Mary A. Handel

Ashley Harkrider

Larry and Angela Harmon

Mark Stephen Hedrick

Bill and Peg Helms

Sheri Henderson

Scott and Jerri Henley

Steve Hoelscher

M. James and Joyce A. Howard

Craig and Elizabeth Humphrey

Stacey Hunt

Alexis and Ray Hurt

Dawn and Chris Hurt

Tonya and David Hurt III

Dianne Jones

Kalon Owens Jones and Kenneth Earl

Ann Scarlet Jordan

Richard J. and Christine L. Kasser

Michael and Elizabeth Kelly

William D. and Kathleen M. Kenwright

Terrell and Pete Kerr

Patricia Marie King

Christine M. and Edward L. Knuteson

Nikki Jean Koehler

Kazunari and Mary Archer Koike

Robert M. and Kayron D. Kraus

Julie Kuntzendorf

Stephanie B. Lancaster

Sara Ogilvie Leonard

Carol Likens

Tiffany Lindsey

John P. and Jennifer J. Little

Earnestine Logan

Steve and Carolyn Luper

Charisse Renee Madlock-Brown

Randy and Pamela Majerus

Bintu Marong

Gary and Susan Mays

Lynda and Ross McAllister, Jr.

Linda W. and Steve McCadams

Mary C. and Shellie G. McCain, Jr.

Jillian Heather McCarthy

Susan Lynn McConnell

Charles R. and Breanda L. McDaniel

Andrea S. McDuffie

Patrick W. and Tammy R. McEnerney

Lela Blanche McFerrin

Wanda McKnight

Myra M. Meekins

Curtis P. Meier

David and Jennifer Mensi

Carla Garcia Mercer

Amanda Ann Miller

Karen Leigh Miller

Pearlean and Edward Mohlke

Bill H. and Janice C. Murphy

Jason and Ariel O’Brien

Terri Flake O’Neill

Claire Lee Overmyer

Logan Clint Owens

Jill L. Passano and Kevin J. Reilly

Chelsea Nicole Peeler

Geneen Mary Phaneuf

Robert R. and Barbara A. Pickens

Stephen J. Pike and Orli Weisser-Pike

JoEtta Powell

Martin and Melinda Quinn

Jennifer Charlotte Randle

Matthew R. and Donna L. Reed

Charles Remaklus III

Kevin and Jaimie Reneau

Rebecca and Jeremy Reynolds

Lara Tarlan Reynolds

Charles Atlee Robbins, Jr.

Elaine Perry Robinson

James and Mary Rolfe

Marilyn Albright Roofner and Larry C. Roofner

Amir Saran

Michael K. and Cynthia F. Savage

Daniel R. and Renee B. Sechrist

James C. and Yvonne B. Sensenig

Joseph P. and Lisa K. Sessions

Darren and Marcia Sharp

Doris H. and Joseph R. Shelton

John J. and Carol C. Sheridan

Shelley Stapleton

Dion and Coleen Stevens

Randy and Katrina Stevens

Cheryl and William R. Stewart, Jr.

Melyne J. and James S. Strickland, Jr.

Julie Sutherland

Lori A. Thomas

Liese A. and Oswald H. Thomas III

Jane Diddle Thompson

Rebecca N. Tiller

Vanessa S. and M. James Torrence

Frances M. Tucker

Kristin Turnbow

Edward J. and Lori L. Venditti

Wendel M. and Beth A. Wainner

Richard and Kathleen Wallace

CraDale O’Brien Waller

Hal E. and Vera J. Watts

Allison Wegman

Billie Whitney

Dwight and Evit Willett

Destinee R Williams

Wendy L. and Jerry L. Williams, Jr.

Vicki Davidson Wiman

Chris and Jenny Withem

Melissa Wright

Kelly Rene Yeager

Anne H. and Michael S. Zachry

We are grateful to the following Sustaining Partners for their consecutive gifts through FY22.

FOUNDATION PARTNERS (20 YEARS+)

Richard J. and Christine L. Kasser

Kevin and Jaimie Reneau

CORNERTONE PARTNERS (10-19 YEARS)

Janice E. Beard

Carol Sue Bloomquist

Loretta L. Bunn

Walter E. and Delilah C. Clark

Barbara Lynn DuBray-Benstein

Gail P. and C. Thomas Fennimore

Cheryl D. Gunter and Mr. Paul A. Rabe

Steve Hoelscher

Sheila R. Littleton

Orgill, Inc.

Regina and Charles Remaklus III

Marilyn Albright Roofner and Larry C. Roofner

James C. and Yvonee B. Sensenig

Liese A. and Oswald H. Thomas III

Joe Wayne Walker, Jr.

Vicki Davidson Wiman

ARCHWAY PARTNERS (5 – 10 YEARS)

Rhonda K. Allen

Ashley Nations and David C. Bradford

Jacque Lynn Bradford and Jeremy Lynn Bradford

Tamika D. Catchings

Barbara H. and Michael J. Connolly

Sheila L. Criswell

Judith Gayle Davis

Jerry J. and Margaret H. Faerber

Jami E. Flick

Ren S. Hammer

Ashley Harkrider

Lee C. and Jamie L. Henwood

Kathleen McLoughlin and William Dell Kenwright

Knoxville Downtown Sertoma Club

Nikki Jean Koehler

Kazunari and Mary Archer Koike

Stephanie B. Lancaster

Sara Ogilvie Leonard

Carol Likens

Jillian Heather McCarthy

Myra M. Meekins

Curtis P. Meier

Terri Flake O’Neill

Kevin Joseph Reilly and Jill L. Passano

Stephen J. Pike and Dr. Orli Weisser-Pike

Rebecca and Jeremy Reynolds

Charles Atlee Robbins, Jr.

Elaine Perry Robinson

Gary D. and Debra W. Salansky

Darren and Marcia Sharp

Dion and Coleen Stevens

Randy and Katrina Stevens

Jane Diddle Thompson

Vanessa S. and James M. Torrence

Amber L. and Jeromey S. White

Kelly Rene Yeager

Anne H. and Michael S. Zachry

We are grateful to the following Lifetime Partners for their generous support through the years.

Jeffrey and Sally Jo Baerman

Tamika D. Catchings

Barbara H. and Michael J. Connolly

Denise P. Descouzis

Barbara Lynn DuBray-Benstein

Jerry J. and Margaret H. Faerber

Cheryl D. Gunter and Paul A. Rabe

Bill and Peg Helms

Michael W. and Michelle L. King

Knoxville Downtown Sertoma Club

Knoxville Scottish Rite Foundation

James Douglas Lewis

Memphis Health Information Management Association

Orgill, Inc.

Dr. Rebecca and Mr. Jeremy Reynolds

Sidekick

Anne H. and Michael S. Zachry

Thanks to the CoHP Advisory Board!

The College of Health Professions Advisory Board was launched in 2020 to assist Dean Alway in developing opportunities that are consistent with the missions of education, research, clinical care, and public service. This work ties directly into the dean’s priorities and strategic plan for the college. We are grateful for the time, talent, and financial support provided by our advisory board members.

• Ashley Nations Bradford (DPT, ’09)

• Kim Coffey (BS, ’77; BS Physical Therapy, ’78; MEd, ‘87) physical therapist and owner, Pediatric Physical Therapy Services

• Denise Higdon (BS, ’91) WorkSite Consultants

• Barbara DuBray-Benstein (PhD, ’03) professor emeritus, UTHSC

• Mary C. McCain (BA ’69, MPA ’82) professor emeritus, UTHSC

• Damaris F. Cook (BS, ’01, AUDD ’05)

• Logan C. Owens (DPT ’09) District Operations, Results Physiotherapy

Thank you to our Legacy Society Members!

Mr. Curtis and Mrs. Leigh Chesney Barnes

Ms. Linda A. Caldwell

Estate of Sharon Diane Carney

Dr. Brenta G. Davis

Dr. Denise P. Descouzis

Dr. Barbara Lynn DuBray-Benstein

Dr. William R. Frey

Miss Judy W. Griffin

Mrs. Denise F. Harvey

Estate of Judy Duane Haston

Estate of Mary L. Luper

Estate of Charles S. and Lucille H. Moon

Estate of Raymond Skinner

Estate of Dr. Tyler Young

Office of Development and Alumni Affairs

62 S. Dunlap, Suite 500 Memphis, TN 38163

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

SAVE THE DATES

COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS ALUMNI WEEKEND

November 10

Alumni Awards Dinner and Program | Hilton Memphis

November 11

Class Reunions for Classes of 1983, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2013 | Locations and Times TBD. Want to volunteer as a class reunion chair? Contact Blair Duke at bduke@utfi.org.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ALUMNI AND STUDENT MIXER

July 20 | 6:00–8:00 PM

Owen Brennan’s | Memphis, Tennessee Registration Details Coming Soon

2023 GOLDEN GRADUATE HOMECOMING

October 25-29

Honoring the 1973 College of Health Professions graduates.