People: Faculty News


UT Health Science Center Celebrates Nearly 150 Newly Minted Graduates This Winter

|
A graduate getting ready to receive her diploma in the auditorium

“You’re not just entering a profession. You’re joining a mission to make Tennesseans and beyond, healthier and stronger.” With those words, Executive Dean for the College of Medicine Michael Hocker, MD, captured the essence of what 146 new health care professionals entered into Dec. 8 as the University of Tennessee Health Science Center celebrated winter… Read More


New Chair of UT-Campbell Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering Continues Legacy, Looks Toward Future

|
Headshot of Dr. Frederick Azar

Frederick M. Azar, MD, a longtime Memphis orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, has been named the new Harold Boyd Chair of the UT Health Science Center-Campbell Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The chief of staff at Campbell Clinic… Read More


Director Selected to Lead Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence

|
Photo of Matt McDaniel

Matt McDaniel, MPH, MPA, has been named the director of the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence. McDaniel brings strong experience in public health and public service to his leadership role in the new, statewide initiative housed at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He joined the Center of Excellence as director on… Read More


Fall 2025 Pharmacy Magazine Highlights College’s Legacy of Drug Discovery

|
College of Pharmacy Magazine Cover

As one of the nation’s top pharmacy schools, the College of Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is leading the way in advancing pharmaceutical research while training the next generation of pharmacy professionals. The fall 2025 issue of Pharmacy Magazine demonstrates how the college continues to transform lives through excellence in pharmacy… Read More


Brain-on-a-Chip Revolutionizes Fight Against Deadly Encephalitis Viruses

|
Photo of a brain-on-a-chip

Inside a lab at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, a transparent chip no bigger than a stick of gum could be changing the way scientists study the human brain and how they fight some of the world’s most dangerous viruses. Colleen Jonsson, PhD, Harriet S. Van Vleet Chair of Excellence in Virology and… Read More


Vision and Heart: UT Health Science Center Faculty Co-Lead Le Bonheur Heart Institute

|
Portrait of Dr. Jason Johnson and Dr. Bret Mettler

Dr. Bret Mettler Strives to Make a Lasting Difference for Children and Families Long before he became a leader in pediatric cardiac surgery, Bret Mettler, MD, entered medicine through a love of science and discovery. But it was the moments at the bedside, where he saw the difference his care made in the lives of… Read More


Pioneering Breakthroughs in Epilepsy and Cancer Treatment Research

|
Portrait of Dr. Wei Lei in the lab

When Wei Li, PhD moved to Memphis in 1999, drug discovery was not necessarily what he thought he would be doing for a career. Growing up in China, Dr. Li has always been passionate about chemistry, conducting home experiments after being introduced to the topic in middle school. He won the first-place prize in the… Read More


UT Health Science Center Leads Inaugural Tennessee Statewide Cancer Collaborative Scientific Meeting

|
Photo of Dr. Jessica Snowden at the Cancer Collaborative

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center convened the first Tennessee Statewide Cancer Collaborative Scientific Meeting in Nashville on October 29-30, bringing together researchers, clinicians, and institutional partners from across the state to chart a unified course in the fight against cancer. With the theme “Advancing Cancer Research Across Tennessee,” the inaugural two-day conference highlighted… Read More