People: Faculty News


College of Nursing Honors Nurse Heroes for Nurses Week

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In its ninth year, the NightinGala and Nurse Hero Awards will honor nurses from leading health care institutions in Memphis and the University of Tennessee Southern during the sold-out gala on May 2. The celebration of nursing will also welcome Nurse Blake, a nurse and touring comedian who has performed for more than 250,000 nurses… Read More


College of Graduate Health Sciences Celebrates Research and Achievement at Annual Graduate Research Day

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Photo of Dean Thomason and Margaret Bohm

On Friday, April 25, the College of Graduate Health Sciences hosted its annual Graduate Research Day and Awards Ceremony, celebrating a year of outstanding research and academic achievement. The event featured morning and afternoon platform presentations, poster sessions, and an awards ceremony recognizing excellence across the college. During the poster competition, students presented and discussed… Read More


The Fight of Our Lives: Advancing Cancer Research in Tennessee

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As a pediatrician, I’ve been at the bedside of countless families whose lives changed in a moment when they learned their child had cancer. As a daughter and patient, myself, I’ve scrambled to learn as much as I could about new diagnoses, treatments, and testing for adult cancers, all while wondering if this was the… Read More


Raising Funds to Renovate Dunn Dental Building, Continuing a Legacy

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College of Dentistry alumnus Phil Wenk, DDS, smiles when he remembers driving across the state in the mid-2000s with another alumnus, former Tennessee Gov. Winfield Dunn, to meet with potential donors and raise funds to renovate the Dunn Dental Building, which had not been updated since it opened in 1977. “Gov. Dunn had a heart… Read More


Unlocking the Brain’s Gatekeeper: A New Hope for Autism Treatment

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Portrait of Dr. Il Hwan Kim

Il Hwan Kim, PhD, a researcher at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has witnessed firsthand the challenges and heartaches faced by parents raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States. “It’s always so moving when I hear their stories,” said Dr. Kim, an associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology in… Read More


UT Health Science Center Giving Day April 29 Enables More Investment in Cancer Research

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Photo of researcher

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center will hold its fifth-annual Giving Day on Tuesday, April 29, inviting the community to join the university in supporting the mission to make Tennessee healthier. This year, each dollar raised during the 24-hour campaign will have an even bigger impact because all gifts, no matter the area they… Read More


Jon Ryder, DDS, Named Executive Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry

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Headshot of Dr. Jon Ryder

Earlier this spring, Jon Ryder, DDS, MS, joined the College of Dentistry as the new executive associate dean. A leader with a wealth of experience, Dr. Ryder will provide day-to-day leadership of the college and support the vision and mission led by Dean Ken Tilashalski, DMD. “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Dr. Jon Ryder… Read More


Four UT Health Science Center Physicians in Chattanooga Honored by Erlanger for Distinguished Service

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Photo of Dr. James Haynes receiving an award

Erlanger hosted the 21st annual Dinner of Distinction recently at the Westin Chattanooga. The dinner honored four outstanding physicians and community leaders, all a part of the UT Health Science Center College of Medicine in Chattanooga, who have contributed to health care in the greater Chattanooga community. The 2025 honorees included: In addition to honoring… Read More