Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has received statewide and local honors recently for his work to improve the university and the health and well-being of the citizens of Tennessee.
Dr. Brown was honored Monday night by the Tennessee Legislature with a resolution commending his achievements as a health care executive.
Earlier this month, Dr. Brown was named to the Memphis Business Journal’s Power 100, the magazine’s annual list of the most influential people in Memphis. This is the third consecutive year he has received this honor.
“The General Assembly takes pride in honoring those esteemed individuals who have dedicated their professional careers and personal excellence to improving the quality of life for their fellow citizens,” the resolution presented to Dr. Brown by Representative Antonio Parkinson said.
“Throughout his estimable career, Dr. Kennard Brown has demonstrated the utmost professionalism, ability, and integrity,” the resolution continued, citing specifically his leadership in the operation of UTHSC’s Memphis campus, his guidance in drafting and carrying out the Campus Master Plan that has changed the face of the inner-city campus, his support in the development of institutional international collaborations for academic and research partnerships, as well as his outstanding administration of the Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Solutions and the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center.
“We honor and commend Dr. Kennard D. Brown for his manifold achievements as a health care executive, salute his professional expertise and personal excellence, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” the resolution concluded.
As a member of the Memphis Business Journal’s 2022 Power 100, Dr. Brown was recognized for his leadership in the development of the Memphis campus, which has contributed greatly to the vitality of the Memphis Medical District.
“When I came here over 20 years ago, there wasn’t a strategic plan. There wasn’t a master plan. There wasn’t any kind of a plan,” Dr. Brown said in response to the recognition from the publication. “I started to formulate a plan. I laid out an evolutionary vision, and that vision has survived three or four chancellors.”
“Dr. Brown’s efforts focus on the importance health care plays in the state, its economy, and its workforce, and his impact at UTHSC has been, and continues to be, substantial and enduring,” UTHSC Chancellor Peter Buckley said.
Dr. Brown believes UTHSC represents the future of the state of Tennessee. “The workforce that’s going to take care of the people of this state trains here,” he said. This applies not only at the Memphis campus, but across the state at UTHSC’s clinical campuses.
“We hold ourselves out to be a Tennessee treasure,” he said. “We don’t need a health care workforce for today, we need one for three years from now, five years from now, 10, 20 years from now. It’s one of those things you don’t get to work on 10 years from now. You’ve got to work on it right now to be able to have that sustainability long term.”