UTHSC News


Be One UT in Action: Three UT Nursing Programs Collaborate for Rural Health Access

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Group photo of rural nursing students and faculty

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing and the nursing programs at UT Martin and UT Southern are working to increase access to health care and expand the nursing workforce in rural West Tennessee. A $300,000, 17-month grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development will fund the Tennessee Rural… Read More


Dr. Mary Patton Awarded $747K Grant to Study Why Motivation Fades in Mental Illness

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Headshot of Dr. Mary Patton

Mary Patton, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has received a $747,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study why people with certain mental illnesses lose motivation and how that can be treated. The project focuses on a common… Read More


College of Dentistry’s 2025 Give Kids A Smile Offers Service, Inspiration to Local Youth

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Photo from Give Kids a Smile

The annual Give Kids A Smile event, hosted earlier this month by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry, delivered more than $19,000 worth of free dental care to almost 90 middle- and high-school students from across the Memphis area. Give Kids A Smile 2025 provided a welcoming space where access to… Read More


Thriving in the Face of Time: Dr. Stephen Alway’s Pursuit of Healthier Aging

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Portrait of Dr. Stephen Alway

Stephen Alway, PhD, has dedicated his career to unraveling the mysteries of sarcopenia, the age-related degeneration of muscle mass and strength. A professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and the Department of Physiology, and the director of the Center for Muscle, Metabolism, and Neuropathology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, his work… Read More


UT Health Science Center Communicators Win Three Awards at Statewide Conference

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Photo of plaques

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


New Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program Approved

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Photo of OT students in class

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center now offers an Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) degree in addition to the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degree it has traditionally offered. The OTD program was recently approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The first cohort is set to start in August. “The launch of our new… Read More


College of Nursing Dean to Lead Statewide Rural Health Initiative

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Portrait of Dean Wendy Likes

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


PhD Candidate Receives Major Grant from National Cancer Institute for Gut Microbiome-Breast Cancer Research

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Portrait of Margaret Bohm

Margaret S. Bohm, a doctoral candidate from the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has received a $130,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute to fund her research on how manipulating the gut microbiome might delay the onset and improve treatment of breast cancer, particularly in the… Read More