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World-Renowned Leader in Academic Medicine is UTHSC Commencement Speaker

Memphis, Tenn. (May 24, 2006) -- On Friday, May 26, 478 students will graduate from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Graduates will represent six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.

            Ralph Snyderman, MD, chancellor emeritus at Duke University and the James B. Duke Professor of Medicine in the Duke University School of Medicine, will deliver the charge to graduates: "The Next Transformation in Medicine—It’s All Up To You." 

As chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine from 1989 to July 2004, Dr. Snyderman oversaw the development of the Duke University Health System and led its transition from an excellent medical center into an internationally recognized model for academic medicine.  Nationally known for its leading-edge care, the Duke system also is recognized for developing tomorrow’s models of healthcare delivery.  Dr. Snyderman has played a pivotal role in the conception and development of Prospective Care, a novel approach to personalized health and an evolving model of national healthcare delivery.

            Prior to serving as chancellor at Duke, Dr. Snyderman was senior vice president for medical research and development at Genentech Inc., the pioneering biomedical technology firm.  Before that he was chief of the Rheumatology and Immunology Division at Duke and during that tenure held two chaired positions: the Howard Hughes Medical Investigator and the Frederic M. Hanes Professor of Medicine and Immunology.

            Often called upon by Congress, the Institute of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and national policy makers, he is an astute and prolific participant in the debate on healthcare reform. Dr. Snyderman has also led the Association of American Medical College (AAMC) as chair from 2001 to 2002. The AAMC represents accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada, as well as hospitals and academic societies. World renowned for his contributions in inflammation research, Dr. Snyderman has published more than 350 manuscripts, as well as numerous books.

            Both Dr. Snyderman’s undergraduate and graduate alma maters, Washington College, Chestertown, Md., and Downstate Medical Center of the State University of New York, respectively, have honored him with Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards and Honorary Doctor of Science degrees. Additionally, he has received numerous honors from a variety of medical and academic organizations, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2003. Each year the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, Inc., presents Ellis Island Medals of Honor to American citizens of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their own ethnic groups, their ancestral countries and to the United States.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is focused on a four-pronged mission of education, research, patient care and community service, all in support of a single goal: to improve the health of Tennesseans. Offering a broad range of post-graduate training opportunities, the main campus, with its seven colleges, is in Memphis.  The UT Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville and the UT College of Medicine in Chattanooga also serve as major educational sites. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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