Chancellor's Update
October 19, 2020
Faculty, Staff, and Students,
We are moving forward on all missions in this "new normal" during the pandemic. This update is designed to keep everyone informed. A more detailed discussion of our progress and plans will be provided at the virtual State of the University report on Monday, November 2.
Campus Operations
- UTHSC will continue to operate in our current "new normal" format for the foreseeable future, as it has been working well. We monitor our COVID-19 new positive rate for faculty, staff, residents, and students and keep this updated on our UTHSC Coronavirus website. Enrollment, student success, clinical and in-person lab classes are working well. Lectures remain virtual. The spring semester will also begin in this format. We will move from this format as the situation allows. Detailed information will be provided by the Deans and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
- We are on track for our December graduation, which will be virtual. Details will be provided.
- Flu vaccination is essential to our health plan and is required for all faculty, staff, and students.
- Construction is scheduled to begin next month on the new Delta Dental Building on the Memphis campus. Renovation of the UT Conference Center in Knoxville as the new home for Audiology and Speech Pathology is underway.
- We expect to have completed renovation of the historic quad and move to occupy these buildings in the first quarter of 2021. Detailed information on this and other construction projects will be provided by the Executive Vice Chancellor when plans are complete.
- We have completed a very successful SACSOC accreditation visit.
Relationship with Partner Teaching Hospitals
- UTHSC’s relationship with our partner teaching hospitals throughout the state in education, clinical care, and research is defined by joint affiliation agreements. These agreements are renegotiated at intervals and reflect the interest and commitment of our partners to our joint education, research, and clinical missions.
- Currently, we are renegotiating several of these agreements and creating new agreements with new partners. We are confident that the net overall teaching, clinical, and education capacity will increase as we go forward. The details of these agreements will made public when complete and will be discussed in more detail at the State of the University report.
- Similarly, there will be changes in Graduate Medical Education (GME), as we expect the net GME positions and programs at UTHSC to continue to increase. As an example, we expect decreased GME positions at Methodist University Hospital with increased positions at Regional One Health, Memphis VA Medical Center, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, Ascension St. Thomas, and the UT Medical Center. Detailed information will be provided when complete by the Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs.
Recent Items in the News
- A lawsuit and allegations of impropriety have been advanced involving two of our collaborators (Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare and West Cancer Center) in regard to their previous cancer care collaboration. The University supports our education partners, but is not a party to this lawsuit and therefore will not be commenting publicly.
I want to again thank our faculty, staff, and students for your cooperation and outstanding performance during this pandemic.
Steve J. Schwab, MD
Chancellor