Thumbs Up!
These UTHSC faculty, staff, and students have helped or inspired someone in a positive
way.
Thank you for your positivity!
Veronica Reliford-Thomas
Veronica has gone above and beyond to support us in the transition to learning remotely. She handles numerous emails and calls daily on everything from workshops to Blackboard to Zoom. She promptly responds to requests by connecting people with the right resources. She has been a “can-do” team player who ensures that the office continues to run smoothly by making sure that we have all we need to support UTHSC's teaching and learning community.
-Nikki House, TLC
COVID-19 fighting heroes
Thank you!
Nephrology Fellows and Faculty
Thank you for the excellent job that you always perform with dedication and determination!
Human Resources Orientation Group
To those in HR that had to quickly figure out how to present all the information give at orientation without being face-to-face, kudos to you! You all have done a great job for our new hires.
-Chris Madeksho, Office of Cybersecurity, ITS
Dr. Susan Jacob and all CON Faculty/Staff
While this is certainly not the easiest time to start a new job, the onboarding process is going well because of the tremendous support of everyone on campus, especially in the College of Nursing!
-Missy Robinson, College of Nursing
UTHSC Graduates
Congratulations for all your dedicated hard work!!!
GME Office
GME office and my coordinator have been around to help with issues and provide masks when everyone else is away. Really appreciate them taking care of the residents.
Jon McCullers
I commend Jon's calm leadership during this time of uncertainty and for maintaining his "open door" policy despite severe constraints on his time.
- Amali Samarasinghe, Pediatrics
Alexis Bailey, Sarah Dunnavant, Heather Juzeszyn, and Sandra Mackey.
Thank you "Team Admin" for everything you're doing during this challenging time to keep things running smoothly for SASSI and for our students. Tutoring, programming and outreach, administrative management, and student support would have fallen through the cracks without your commitment and care. Fab Four, we appreciate you all!
- Tia Kofahl
David Hamilton and Animal Resource and Care Personnel at Trimetis
My biggest concern was my research animals when UT set its COVID-19 restrictions. I want to thank David and his staff for keeping the ARC open and for their effort in caring for animals during this SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. No compromises were made to animal care - thank you!
- Amali Samarasinghe, Pediatrics
Dr. David Schwartz and all involved in fighting COVID-19 in our community
This is very inspiring in how through these hard times, we can come together to serve others. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to fighting COVID-19.
- Jordan Taylor, Department of Preventive Medicine
Dr. Alisa Haushalter
Thank you for your expert guidance and information provided to our city (Memphis, TN) and the surrounding areas through the Shelby County Health Department and UTHSC, especially during this current Covid-19 pandemic.
- Karen Wilson, Psychiatric DNP student
SASSI Team and AFSA
You all have done such an amazing job taking care of students and keeping the team engaged and feeling supported! Thank you for making this a great place to work.
- Heather Juzeszyn, Student Academic Support Services and Inclusion
Ammar Ammar & Robert Mitchell
This two have comabted major phishing attacks on our University over the last couple of weekends on Sundays. This effort reduced the headache our staff and students face in dealing with these in our inboxes or when we fall victim to them. Thanks for the silent and behind the scenes efforts that keep us safe.
- Dennis E Leber, Office of Cybersecurity
Libby Pelham, Tonya Brown, Markia Hilliard, Sarah Cheon and John Bozeman
Thank you to the ITS Business Productivity Solutions Team for all of the behind the scenes work you have done to keep UTHSC running smoothly! From Zoom to Blackboard, from creating new Remote Work & Student Resources websites to telling the campus about these resources & so many more! Making sure folks can learn, work & teach from home using SharePoint, OnBase, O365, and more! Taking care of business today and planning for the future! You ROCK!
- Lisa Hall, ITS Business Productivity Solutions
The entire LACU staff: (animal care, cage wash, facility support, service assistant, operations and veterinary support)
LACU staff are essential personnel providing support for UT PI's and research staff as well as the animal entrusted in their care. LACU have been working on site, seven days a week to provide this support since the COVID-19 pandemic first started.
- Stan Latocha, Laboratory Animal Care Unit
Dr. Lori Gonzalez
Is sending out encouraging emails & hand written notes to keep the staff feeling connected & appreciated. Her Friday team meetings are done in a way where everyone feels connected to our UTHSC community without physically being there.
Dr. Charlie Snyder
Dr. Snyder answers our calls about every student need under the sun! He always finds time to help and truly cares about students.
Cory Wilbanks
Cory has served faithfully at the UT created Covid testing and call centers and supervised students at Tiger Lane and Christ Community. He advocates for other volunteers to join. Cory is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at UTHSC.
- Paula Odom, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
OBGYN Residents
Special thanks to the OBGYN Residents for their dedication and the outstanding care that they continue to provide to our community during this difficult time.
- Paula Odom, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dr. Catherine Womack
Dean Womack has put in countless hours to make sure COM students have the resources, information and support they need to succeed through this extremely challenging time. Her dedication to our students is truly selfless.
Peggy Reisser, Jackie Denton, Natalie Brewer, Adam Gaines and Daniel Cox
You're the most amazing coworkers. Your help with the webinars has made my job much easier and more fun. I really appreciate your time and effort. We are lucky to have you.
- Hassan Aziz, College of Health Professions
Luisa Ramirez de Lynch
Luisa is one of the BEST physical therapists I know. She cares about her clients beyond the job aspect and treats us all like family!
- Amber Carter, Communications and Marketing
Cyndi Starke-Cordero
Cyndi is an absolute joy to work with! She is not afraid to ask for help and is extremely professional and courteous.
- Amber Carter, Communications and Marketing
Markia Hilliard
Markia has done a beautiful job making sure that we as a campus are informed on the latest technology tips.
- Amber Carter, Communications and Marketing
Adam Gaines
Adam is one of the best managers around. He is patient, professional and always has a kind word to say. He is appreciated!
- Amber Carter, Communications and Marketing
Associate Deans and Directors: Lyndsay Pittman, Ann Salina-Tucker, Ed DeSchepper, Susan Jacob, Dawn Havrda, Jennifer Schoelles, Lynn Russell, Mike Whitt, Hassan Azziz, John Cox
On a very short notice, our academic affairs and enrollment management team stepped up with data that will be aggregated for a response to System office. I am your forever cheerleader!
- MaryAnn Clark, Academic Affairs
Liz Hall
Liz developed and implemented a brand new remote proctoring process for the College of Pharmacy. She did an incredible job of communicating the new process to the proctors, students, and IT team. Her step by step documentation makes it very easy for the proctors to follow. Great job!
- Lee Weaver, ITS - Instructional Technology Services
Jennifer Stewart
Big thumbs up to Jen Stewart! She does so much for the College of Pharmacy and the current challenges have done nothing to slow her down! Thanks Ms. Jen!
- Lee Weaver, ITS - Instructional Technology Services
Andria White and Nathan Handley
Andria and Nathan have done an amazing job preparing the social media materials to recognize our graduates receiving awards as we countdown the days to graduation day for our Class of 2020 PharmDs!
- Chasity Shelton, College of Pharmacy
Amaya Hamilton
Kudos to Amaya for making what would have been the COP's P1 White Coat Ceremony still a special day for the Class of 2023. She has also been a tremendous help in moving Pharmacy Weekend to a virtual event for our incoming Class of 2024!
- Chasity Shelton, College of Pharmacy
IT Administration
I want to express my appreciation to the IT Business and Administrative Team (Laura, Antonese, Catrina and Valerie) for continuously giving the ITS Teams the tools to do their jobs.
- Rene' Smira, Information Technology Services
Edwin Jeffries and the Housekeeping Staff
A sincere thanks to our front line housekeeping staff who have gone above and beyond to create a clean and safe environment. Your dedication is appreciated and you have made such a difference here! Thank you for your care of our campus!
- Lori Gonzalez, AFSA
Mallory Morgan
Thanks to Mallory for quickly building this site so we can express our appreciation for those who have gone the extra mile. She certainly has. Kudos, Mal!
The ITS Team
Dan and his team have been extraordinary during this crisis. Calm, helpful, customer focused, quick to respond..... I could add many more superlatives! Thanks to the whole team. You rock!
Kim Carter
She continually checks up on our class during our Zoom lectures to make sure we are all handling the quarantine ok and to make sure we don't need anything. She is very thoughtful in how she is planning classes/labs for us.
Mallory Morgan
Mallory has done an excellent job at keeping the Academic Continuity site updated for students, faculty, and staff. She is also going above and beyond to make departmental website updates very quickly as changes occur. She's a team-player and has been beyond amazing during this time!
- Lyndsay Pittman, Office of the Registrar
Dr. Lori Gonzalez, VC, AFSA
Dr. Gonzalez has exhibited exceptional leadership in our transition to working remotely. She has been at the helm consistently guiding AFSA to ensure that university academic and student services are optimized to support our UTHSC educators and learners. Dr. Gonzalez regularly shows appreciation and her authenticity is a stabilizing force in the midst of change.
- Nikki House, Teaching and Learning Center
Dr. Bellflower and Dr. Burchum
Being the best teachers and helpers of students during this difficult times. Thanks a million to Dr. Bellflower and Dr. Burchum.
Network Services
Thanks to ITS Network Staff for maintaining the campus Network & keeping everything connected for campus functionality. You may not always see the Network Services staff, but be assured everything happening on campus today, from business, to teaching, to clinical services, happens over the UTHSC Campus Network.
- William Hatcher, Information Technology Services
Facitities and Custodial Dept.
When the COVID-19 started the staff was very quick with getting all the much needed supplies need. Such as masks and gloves and ect.
Paul Gahn
Paul has worked to identify critical resources for our students with a focus on providing resources for test preparation. Thanks for your good work!
- Lori Gonzalez, Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs
Travis Turner, UT GSM Helpdesk
Travis has been great helping iron out my technical glitches with Teams and Remote Desktop!
- Cynthia Langley, GSM IRB Office
Facilities Department
We have essential employees that go beyond to make sure UTHSC continues to have a healthy and safe environment for employees. The Facilities Departments has committed to ensure building operations and essential functions continue to be operational in this event. Kuddos to the Facility Department!
- Kimberly Moore, Facilities
Horace Mincey
Horace is my HERO and was able to set up call forwarding on my office phone when I was unable to come in and do it manually. Thank you so much Horace, for all that you do, you are the BEST!!
- Kate Menke Cummings, Institutional Review Board
All Police Department Personnel
Great Place!!! Equally committed to keeping our Campus and its Employees safe. We're all working together as a team in uncertain times.
- Gloria Otuagoma, Campus Police Department
UTHSC Pediatrics Department
Special thanks to Dr. Jon McCullers and all Peds Faculty working non-stop to limit the negative impact Covid-19 has on our society. Special thanks to our directors Holly Rounds and Dorothea Owens for ensuring a smooth transition for all faculty and staff working remotely! UTHSC one team one goal we will get through this together!!
- Charles D. Hicks Jr., Pediatrics
Physical Plant Custodial Department
Thanking all of our department for going above and beyond. It truly is an honor to work with such dedicated people. I cannot leave out Dr Schwab for your kindness and support. Dr Brown,thank you for keeping us working and your trust in us.Dr Chaundra Alston for helping us when we need it. Ms Kimberly Moore for your faith and guidance. Mr Edwin Jeffres for day to day operations.Our supervisors ,foremans and last but never least the lead custodians of UTHSC. Always know our work does not go unrecognized. So thank all of you. And know we are going to make it through this the only way we know how. TOGETHER!
- Venita Harrell, CHIPS
Telecom Services
A big Thanks to Telecom Staff who are creating a multitude of solutions to assist UTHSC staff working from home. While a campus VoIP solution is coming in the near future, the Telecom staff are finding ways to make our old system work in ways likely never intended.
- William Hatcher, Information Technology Services
Donna Stallings
Donna has undertaken a very large influx of study modifications in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and goes above and beyond to ensure there is little to no interruption in research activities. She has always gone above and beyond for our investigators so this comes as no surprise but she deserves a giant thumbs up!
- Kate Menke Cummings, Institutional Review Board
Lee Weaver
Lee continues to go above and beyond during the challenging times. He has exceeded all expectations and more! Our transition to remote classes would absolutely not have been possible without his support and leadership. A big Thank You from the entire department!
- Chris Finch, Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Science
Dr. Liz Hall
Dr. Hall organized an effort with faculty and staff of the College of Pharmacy to make masks to donate to local hospitals. She worked with a student organization APhA-ASP to support students in this effort as well.
- Amaya Hamilton, Pharmacy Student Affairs
UTHSC Helpdesk
This is the most patient group of people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. They have been so kind in helping with any IT issue I have had in my virtual office. Since I have not worked on a laptop in several years, I had some difficulty in making the transition. They are the next best thing to having a desktop and a computer mouse.
- Susan Coffill, GME
Shannetta Alexander
Shannetta has gone over and beyond to make sure that our in office training has transferred to virtual training sessions smoothly and efficient. With a smile on her face and an open virtual door she is always available if the team needs her guidance. She is beyond knowledgeable in her duties as well as others and communicates everything efficiently and at a timely manner. This pandemic hit while I was transitioning into the department as a new hire. Since then, Shannetta has not missed a beat by making sure I had everything I needed to be successful in my job duties.
- Brandi Lewis, AFSA
Aaron Haynes and Bran Upchurch
Both have done an amazing job in keeping GME employees safe and still working. They are always available to assist with any issues as we navigate through out workload outside of our physical offices.
- Susan Coffill, GME
The ENTIRE ITS Department
The ITS Department has 7 to 8 different Divisions that has served the UTHSC Campus in numerous capacities. Big thanks to our fearless leader, Dan Harder,Vice Chancellor/CIO of ITS.
- Valerie D. Wheeler, ITS-Business Office
Melissa Smith, Coordinator, Student Affairs, College of Pharmacy - Knoxville
Melissa is amazing! She sends emails just to let us know that she is thinking of us, to give us encouragement during this difficult time, and to let us know that she is always available for anything we need. She is an amazing asset to both the College of Pharmacy and UTHSC as a whole!
- Elizabeth Dickson, College of Pharmacy - Student
Tim Hodge
Above and beyond commitment for 35 plus days working 15 hrs without a break, even on weekend to help bring COVID19 testing.
- Mahul Amin, Lab
Internal Medicine Physicians
We appreciate their dedication to patients during this pandemic.
- Bernice Fenner, Medicine
Amanda Miller, MD
Worked diligently and on short notice to develop the Crisis Medicine elective for students so they could continue getting credit once rotations were suspended.
- Sarah Tiggelaar, Family Medicine
Dr. Mark Miller and Dr. Michael Whitt
Drs. Miller & Whitt are hosting daily workout sessions over Zoom, which gives students a chance not only to stay active, but to briefly connect with other students and faculty across the College of Medicine.
- Ace Madjlesi, UTHSC-COM, M2 student
Marie Hatten
Marie has gone above and beyond to help us as we try to continue classes remotely. She has modified her class extensively to work with the new format and has provided us with numerous resources to keep us on track all while keeping a positive and encouraging attitude. We have some sort of contact with her essentially every day, via Marco Polo, email, supplemental YouTube videos she provides, etc. Her presence and dedication have been such a help in this difficult time.
- Rebekah Lockhart, Physical Therapy
Kimberly Moore
Kimberly Moore, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities, has provided outstanding leadership in securing a well-executed plane for facilities employees to keep our campus buildings functioning during these unprecedented times. Thanks, Kimberly, for your guidance!
- Edwin Jeffres, Facilities
Dr. Ken Brown
- Marilyn Knolls, Parking Services
Chris Madeksho
Providing awareness to Cybersecurity threats, tips on how to mitigate them, and working diligently to reduce the risk from Cybersecurity Attacks.
- Dennis E Leber, Cybersecurity Office
Dr. Martin A. Croce
Dr. Martin A. Croce is the Professor of Surgery at UTHSC and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Regional One Health (ROH). I have seen him work late into the night almost seven days a week to keep all of us safe and educated here at ROH during the COVID19 crisis. He makes sure everyone in this hospital is safe and updated daily on PPE precautions and COVID19 awareness. He is not your typical CMO. Dr. Croce goes above and beyond to make sure everyone who walks in the doors of ROH is safe.
- Stephanie Baggett, Office of Clinical Research and Regional One Health
Customer Technology Support
The CTS team; help desk, software and hardware technicians have made telecommuting possible for the UTHSC campus. Much of the success of telecommuting can be attributed to this team of professionals, who have helped us connect to our computers at our office, use the VPN and using Office applications online. This team worked consistently, professionally and with the upmost kindness to assist everyone they came in contact with. A BIG Thumbs Up to an amazing team!
- Lisa, Information Technology Services
Yhazmyne Hawkins (PGSA President, 3rd year Pharmacy Student)
Thumbs up to Pharmacy Student Government President Yhazmyne Hawkins for turning Pharmacy Weekend, an event where incoming students come to Memphis for a preview weekend about what life is like in pharmacy school, to a digital event! Through Yhazmyne's hard work the incoming class of 2024 will be able to meet other classmates, interact with faculty and learn what pharmacy school is all about, all using digital technology. Also, thumbs up to all the student committee members who assisted with this event!
- Amaya Hamilton, Pharmacy Student Affairs
UTHSC Physical Plant
- Venita Harrell, CHIPS
Wil Irby
Diligently managing and addressing threats and vulnerabilities from Cybersecurity attacks at UTHSC.
- Dennis E Leber, Cybersecurity Office
Colleen Jonsson and her team
Working tireless hours on a number of public health and research efforts around COVID-19. Very easy to work with as we build together collaborative and funding partnerships to support their work.
- Greg Harris, DAA
Dr. Chasity Shelton
Dr. Shelton has been kind enough to reach out during a chaotic period in life. Despite a busy schedule and other obligations, she made the time to check on me from the other side of the state.
- Ashley Riner, Pharmacy Student
Sarah Johnsen-Self
Diligently managing and addressing threats and vulnerabilities from Cybersecurity attacks at UTHSC.
- Dennis E Leber, Cybersecurity Office
Custodian One
Thanks to all custodian staff for keeping Uthsc clean and sanitize and ready for our students return. Stay safe and Healthy.
- Loraine Marr, Physical Plant Facilities
Tim and Jamie and all the folks who work in CHIPS full time
The always work hard for us part-timers to get as much work as possible, and they were able to get us much needed pay for the one week a lot of us were supposed to work, and didn't get to because of the shut-down. It was so much needed and will be so much appreciated coming at the end of April.
- Jo Lynne and Jim Palmer, CHIPS
Dr. David Schwartz
Dr. Schwartz has continually insightful and compassionate in leading our testing center at Tiger Lane! We couldn't do it without him.
- Emily Miller, College of Medicine
Justin Self
Diligently managing and addressing threats and vulnerabilities from Cybersecurity attacks at UTHSC.
- Dennis E Leber, Cybersecurity Office
RCP staff
In spite of working from the home, the RCP Staff was able to provide food & additional services to the families who is not able to get any help during these uncertain times.
- Rodney A. Johnson, UTHSC PEDIATRIC Relative Caregivers Program
Andrew McBride, Lydia Makepeace, Hannah Allen, Chloe Hundman, Austin O'Connor
These medical students founded and run the COVID-19 testing site at Tiger Lane. Each of these students has volunteered countless hours of their time to create and oversee the success of the busiest testing site in Memphis. They are truly great role models for the College of Medicine!
Mukta Panda MD, Assistant Dean for Well-Being & Medical Student Education
Check out her blog posts for encouragement on during this stressful time: Resilient Reflections (https://muktapandamd.substack.com).
- Jeanne Jemison, Student Affairs, College of Medicine
All Health Care Workers who Continue to Be at Work Each Day
I appreciate your continued dedication to your work, even when risking your own health. Thank you for caring for others during this difficult time.
- Julie Beeler, Audiology and Speech
Group making N95 masks using 3D printer
Very proud of the ingenuity this team came up with!! Awesome job!!
- Pam Albin, College of Dentistry
Dr. Lisa Duncan, Chair, Pathology
Dr. Duncan has played a pivotal role in organizing the response of the UT Medical Center and the greater GSM community, finding creative ways to improve access to testing and ensuring that local testing is accurate and timely. She has approached her work with focus, deep concern for all the people who work on the COM-Knoxville campus and an equanimity of spirit that can serve as a model for us all. Well done, Dr. Duncan!
- Paul Hauptman, Dean UTGSM
Sarah Shore (COM class of 2023 President)
Sarah has been such a support and amazing advocate for students during these difficult times. On top of academic support, she has been volunteering around the community and helping students find a way to do the same! Sarah’s hard-work and selfless stewardship is inspiring and has not gone unnoticed.
- Monica O., College of Medicine
Dr. Mark Rasnake
Dr. Rasnake has been at the helm of efforts at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and Graduate School of Medicine to devise policies and procedures that maximize protection of patients, staff, faculty and residents. An ID expert and program director of Internal Medicine, Mark has tirelessly taken on a leadership role, remaining responsive to any and all questions about exposures (both potential and real), testing and social distancing and more. A remarkable 24/7 effort worthy of recognition.
- Paul Hauptman, Dean UTGSM
Dr. Anne Zachry and the MOT students
For Project Mask, creating, and delivering masks for the community.
- Elaine Robinson, Occupational Therapy
Thank you to Residents & Fellows across all specialties
- Ralph Lorenz, GME
All of UTHSC
I don't know your name, I probably wouldn't recognize your face passing in the hall... But what you do is important to the health and safety of everyone I love, so thank you.
- Kat Gilland, Sign Shop
PA Faculty and Drs. Callaway, Cantrell, and Taylor
Every faculty member, from our director Kris Maday to our adjunct Pharmacology and Anatomy professors; every one of them have been above and beyond responsive to our class needs as we tackle distance learning. Each one of them have been a constant source of encouragement and are all working their hardest to give us stability in these unexpected times. I’m so grateful to be in a program with such a dedicated team.
- Samantha Diaz, COM, PA Program
Dr. Rich Walker, all of our colleagues in the ED, Critical Care and ID
Thanks for all you are doing during this difficult time.You make us all proud.
- Dr. Jim Beaty, Dept of Orthopaedics and Biomedical Engineering
Dr. David Schwartz
AMAZING physician. Running the Covid testing center like a pro. Setting examples, making important decisions, making everyone else feel at ease, and ensuring the safety of others are a few of the major things he is doing to help our city in this crisis.
- Surabhi Rao, Medical Student
Janitorial Dept and Police
Just wanted to recognize the janitorial and the police department on campus. A lot of us don’t see the everyday hurdles they have to overcome. I’m in the plumbing department and have hurdles as well, but I believe these two professions are in the front lines with us as well. Just wanted to let everyone know that we our blessed to have the police and janitors that we have. I pray for all of my co workers every day that we all stay safe and healthy.
- Daniel Avanzi, Plumbing
Ammar Ammar
His leadership and diligence in protecting the data and Computers of UTHSC.
- Dennis E Leber, Cybersecurity Office
Occupational Therapy Faculty and Staff
Online classes can be more stressful than face-to-face lecture. Thank you for openly communicating with the student body during this period. I hope all of you are staying healthy!
- Tedrin Elion, Occupational Therapy
Dr. Charles Fraga
Excellent physician, always stepping up, cares about everyone, and sets a great example for all students, especially in such critical times. Right before students were removed from rotations, he was supposed to go on a well-deserved vacation. Instead, he took over responsibilities related to Covid.
- Surabhi Rao, Medical Student
Kristen Fitzpatrick and Amber Gordon
Kristen and Amber both are on the frontlines in NYC selflessly lending a hand against the fight against COVID-19!
- Alisia Hindman, DNP-AGACNP
Leah Murray — Occupational Therapy
Thank you Leah and other occupational therapy students for giving back to the community in such a difficult time. Making masks for healthcare providers working directly with infected patients is a simple way to have such a positive impact.
- Callie McIntire, UTHSC Dentistry c/o 2024
Information Technology and the Administrators and Staff in the College of Dentistry
First, what would I do with out the support that I am receiving from IT. Thank you so much! Also, a big thank you to Dean Ragain, Deans, Chairs and Staff of the College of Dentistry for keeping us informed and encouraged!
- Nancy Wilson, Department of Prosthodontics and Postgraduate Affairs
Pediatric Dentistry Faculty and Staff! College of Dentistry Faculty and Staff! UT Security Department
Faithful and willing to be there for those in pain!
- Glenda Rhea, Pediatric Dentistry, UT College of Dentistry
Matt Ramsey and Dano Fulks
Stepped up as new chief residents and did a great job in leadership during this difficult time with frequent changes. They make a great team!
- Joanna Shechtel, Radiology at UTMCK
Chief Anthony Berryhill and all of our Police Officers and Security Guard Officers
Thank each of you who tirelessly put your lives on the line daily to make sure that our students, faculty, staff, and community are safe. They keep everyone updated about the COVID-19 virus. I am proud of UT Campus Police and Parking Services for their selfless service, excellence, and professionalism during this pandemic. I salute each and everyone of our team members.
- Yvonne Thomas-Harris, Parking Services
Lee Weaver
Great IT support!
- Bradley Boucher, College of Pharmacy
Terri Fought
Terri kept our students a top priority and handled all financial aid, registration, admission and recruitment in a professional and efficient way.
- Hassan Aziz, College of Health Professions
Mr. Kristopher Maday
Mr. Maday, our PA program director, has been working very hard for the faculty and students to keep things running as smoothly as possible. The students appreciate all of his efforts, and we cannot thank him enough!
- Autumn Glenn, PA Program
Dean Scott Strome, MD
Under the inspired leadership of Dean Strome, our COM has become truly integrated into the Memphis community. Kudos to Dr. Strome for leading a thoughtful merger of 'TOWN AND GOWN" at this difficult time for our city.
- Rajendra Raghow, Department of Pharmacology
Sofia Kim and Meenakshi Tiwary
I'm running some N95 mask re-use tests for Le Bonheur infection control team. Sofia (res. assistant) has come in to run the autoclave many times so that I may have sterilized tubes for these assays. Meenakshi (postdoc) came in to run the flow cytometer on all the collected samples. They are assets to my research team. Kudos to them.
- Amali Samarasinghe, Pediatrics
Everyone at the CoD handling the dental emergencies that arise: Faculty, Assistants, Residents and Staff
In light of this crisis, these professionals risk exposure to the coronavirus every time the encounter a patient. They do this on a volunteer basis, and their heroism needs to be recognized. Although my time in the Emergency Rotation hasn't come up yet, I am proud of their selfless service. They deserve an "atta boy (or girl) everyday!
- Mark Lackey, DMD, College of Dentistry, Department of Restorative Dentistry
Cardiology & Interventional Cardiology staff and fellows along with all of the front-line workers!
They show up everyday with a smile and a determination to help others!!
- Brenda Coleman, Medicine-Cardiology
Victor Carrozza
Victor goes above and beyond to address the needs of the department and staff. His excellent work ethic inspires others, & his positive attitude is much needed during this time.
- April Thompson, GME
Dr. Diana Dedmon
Excellent coordination of CON COVID-19 Volunteer activities!
- Susan Jacob, College of Nursing
Cameron Barclay and Kimberly Prachniak
Thank you for directing the IRB Team, Board Members, and the research community during this difficult time.
- Kimberly Guy, Institutional Review Board
Front Line Emergency Employees
- Susan Daniel, Periodontology
Benita Williams
She works hard to keep our department running.
- Kelsey North, Pharmacology Toxicology and Addiction Science
Dr. Nick Hysmith
Dr. Hysmith has been tireless and always responsive to the multitude of emails, texts and curbside questions about COVID policies, rules and ideas. He has done an enormous amount to keep Le Bonheur patients and staff safe.
- Melody Cunningham, Pediatrics
Dr. Nikhlesh Singh
Workings on cardiovascular diseases and retinopathy.
- Shailendra Verma, Physiology and Ophthalmology Department
Communications & Marketing and Campus Police
C&M for keeping us informed and repping UTHSC positively. CP keeping us safe at a personal risk.
- J. Lee Taylor, Campus Recreation
Colleen Jonsson and everyone in the RBL
Dr. Jonsson and her team are working round the clock to identify anti-virals and develop assays for the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Mike Whitt, Medical Education and MIB
Anne Zachry, Stephanie Lancaster, Kendal Booker, Jami Flick
I want to give a thumbs-up to these individuals because they have been amazing at mentoring and supporting me as a new faculty member in this time of great transition while also working through their own trials.
- Lauren Woods, Occupational Therapy
All Medical Professionals
Without them Shelby Country would be in terrible shape.
- Patricia Goedecke, Orthopaedic Surgery & BME
Emergency Medicine, medical ICU, and Neurocritical Care
- Yasser Khorchid, Neurology
Dr. Lori Gonzalez
I thank you and applaud you. I know your job is extremely stressful but your expertise and calm leadership will get us through this together.
- Hassan Aziz, College of Health Professions
IM residents
Great group of people who have been on the frontlines since day one. These are the people who are running the COVID units at our affiliate hospitals. So proud to work with them!
- Bayoumi, Internal Medicine
Drs. J. Sharp, A. Bruce, and B. Bellfower
Thank you to these instructors and advisers for helping to allay student fears regarding classes and just in general during these uncertain times and looming Coronavirus pandemic. Thank you for checking on us and making sure we are okay and not in immediate need. Thank you for being there to talk if we students need a reassuring word. Thank you again for all your help now and going forward!
- Karen Wilson, Psychiatric DNP Student
Ms. Alencia Randolf
Ms. Randolf goes above and beyond to ensure that the RBL is kept spotless.
- David Thornhill, UTHSC Campus Police
Doctors
They are doing amazing work to help people.
- Indira Neeli, Microbiology Immunology and Biochemistry
Hassan Aziz
During this time of social distancing and everyone working remotely, I appreciate that he continues to have frequent Zoom meetings with departmental faculty and staff so that we feel connected and have a chance to share ideas. He constantly provides encouragement and appreciation for our work.
- Sheila Criswell, College of Health Professions, Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences
Medical students Andrew McBride, Lydia Makepeace, Chloe Hundman, Hannah Allen, and Richard Moran
These medical students are the Student Chiefs helping to supervise UTHSC's COVID-19 testing site at Tiger Lane. They have worked tirelessly to ensure safety and efficiency at the site, and as a fellow student volunteer I'm grateful for their hard work!
- Conner Nix, College of Medicine
All the Department of Surgery Residents!!!!
In a show of true professionalism, the residents have been maintaining a calm sense of responsibility and attention in caring for our surgical patients. They have gone with the flow with all the changes, without the chaos and stress of the situation affecting the quality and seriousness of their care.
- Nia Zalamea, Surgery
Our entire college of pharmacy faculty and staff - Dean Chisholm-Burns, Dr. Schoelles, Dr. Havrda, Dr. Hagemann, Dr. Hall, Lee Weaver, Christy Gewin, Jennifer Stewart and all of our other faculty/staff!!
This transition has been scary, thank you for working with us to make this as easy as it could be. I am so grateful for the hours you all spend working to better our program even while we're away - we truly have the best faculty and staff!
- Alex Wallace, College of Pharmacy
Dr. Ken Brown and the Plough Center
A huge thank you to Dr. Ken Brown and the great folks at the Plough Center for providing the RBL with some desperately needed hand sanitizer.
- Jennifer Stabenow, RBL
Occupational Therapy Students
The OT students are working hard making masks for local healthcare workers through Project PrOTect! Over 200 masks have been made and delivered.
- Anne Zachry, Occupational Therapy
Dr. Ken Brown
- Lawrence Pfeffer, Pathology
The Plough Center, COP and UT Academic Affairs
I thank the Plough center for their incredible work on much needed sanitizer and RBL for starting a new are of research on Covid-19. They are doing incredible job. Finally Academic Affairs of the UTHSC and COP for coming up with exciting way to teach, continuing the business smartly online, and running the business online. Finally, the Chancellor and Executive VC group.
- Santosh Kumar, Pharmaceutical Science
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department
The Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department has organized and staffed the emergency dental clinic - to reduce the number of ER visits and exposure to Covid-19 in the hospitals. In addition, through Dr. Brooks, they have developed 3D printing of N95 masks and face shields and much more! Our dental heros!
- Wanda Claro, DDS, MS, Orthodontics in College of Dentistry
Kinjal Shah, MD
Dr. Shah gracefully kept medical education going, in spite of all teaching plans changing in the middle of her medical student module. Her devotion to the students and her co-faculty was greatly appreciated. She’s also kept pathology faculty and resident wellness as a continued goal.
- Lauren King, Pathology
Dr. Stephanie Lancaster
Dr. Lancaster has reached out not only to me personal through email and text message, but also other students to check in to see how we are doing and coping with these educational changes. She has organized departmental Zoom hangouts to keep everyone connected during this time. She always ends her emails with “let me know if there is anything I can do to help or support you along the way.” She puts her students first and is nothing but a quick call, text, email, or Zoom meeting away! .
- Zach Harrington, Occupational Therapy
Lee Weaver
Lee has made it easy for us faculty to utilize technology to lecture and virtually meet with our students in this new transition to online learning.
- Nancy Hart, College of Pharmacy - Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Translational Science
COHP Faculty and Staff
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to every faculty and staff member in the College for their selfless service to navigate the daily challenges we faced. As we continued to strive for the best ways to respond to the unprecedented impact of this historic pandemic, I was sincerely grateful to everyone ensuring the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff at our campuses in Memphis and Knoxville and keeping our core educational mission intact by making the transition to online classes. We continued with online support and counseling to students, virtual open houses/recruitment activities, and departmental and committee meetings.
- Hassan Aziz, College of Health Professions
College of Dentistry
The faculty and staff are awesome. They have stepped up and offer emergency services to anyone in the mid-south. When the local dentists have closed they have stepped out and are still open and offering these vital services. Kudos to the wonderful team at the College of Dentistry, led by Dean Ragain.
- Sherry Henson, College of Dentistry-Endodontics
Dr. Kennard Brown
He has been focused on keeping our employees safe, including having most work from home. He has empowered our employees with a variety of remote workplace access and communication tools, enabling employees to work remotely. He has always been dedicated to supporting our team during these uncertain times.
- Shenika Thomas, Executive Vice Chancellor’s Business Office
Dr. Elam, Dr. Cantrell, Dr. Sweatman
COM M1 Cardiovascular module faculty leadership for guiding our teaching team in the transition to online learning - and “rolling with the punches” in schedule changes. I’m proud to be working with them!
- Lauren King, Pathology
Stephanie Lancaster
She is working very hard to make this transition smooth for us, and she really cares about our mental health and well-being.
- Eliza Barton, Occupational Therapy
Lee Weaver
Lee has gone above and beyond in terms of helping provide tech support and live lectures to us in the college of pharmacy. Lee is always there to solve our technical issues and we can always count of him to be super helpful. Pharmacy school online would not be happening if it weren’t for Lee and all his help. We are soooo thankful!!
- Lindsey Fields, UTHSC College of Pharmacy
Human Resources
I've had a lot of business with HR lately, and every question I had was answered within minutes, and many times late in the evening. Big thumbs up, thank you.
- Jon Rawlinson, Facilities, Architecture and Planning
Internal medicine residents
The medicine residents have done an amazing job on the front lines of this pandemic. They have shown incredible resilience, flexibility, and determination. They have chosen to run into the fire instead of away from it, and I am proud to be affiliated with such a great group!
- Rob Bradsher, Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Hannah Allen, Andrew McBride, Lydia Makepeace, Chloe Hundman
Killing it on the frontlines- so proud of what they've accomplished with the Testing Tent!
- Marie Thompson, COM-M4
Ibrahim Ortanca, MD
Pathology resident who has jumped in to development of COVID testing and is actively sharing what he learns with his Co-residents.
- Lauren King, Pathology
PrOTect Mask Makers
Dr. Zachry initiated this project to help make and distribute masks to those who needed them.
- Anne Zachry, Occupational Therapy
Everyone in the TSRB Building
To all dedicated students, staff, and faculty. Thank You!
- Nehemiah Taylor, Physiology Lab
Dr. Vickie Baselski
Serving an a expert resource in development of COVID testing while still somehow emphasizing wellness for resident and ongoing education.
- Lauren King, Pathology
Dan Harder and the entire ITS Team
Dan and the ITS Team have gone above all expectations to support the academic mission as teaching was moved online. They have supplied critical information quickly, been ready to provide training and support, and have done all of this while offering fantastic customer service! Kudos to our ITS Colleagues!
- Lori Gonzalez, Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs
Drs. Gonzalez, Clark and Russell
My thumps up goes to 4th floor AFSA leadership (Drs Gonzalez, Clark, and Russell) for supporting AFSA to stay in good mental health by making sure we stay connected by having regular check in meetings and encouraging us to take a walk/run outside (without violating physical distancing guidelines).
- Judith Nyabando, Institutional Research
Brad Terhune, Information Technology
Brad helped me set up my remote access, in the midst of increased remote access request. Thank you Brad for being patient and helpful!
-Cierra Richmond, Human Resources
Natalie Brewer, Communications and Marketing
Natalie helped HR (in a short amount of time) with online new hire orientation. She was always available to answer our questions and make recommendations. Thanks Natalie!!
- Anesha Jones, Human Resources
UTHSC Information Technology Team
Thank you ITS for having computers, VPN, ZOOM and other technology ready and working during this COVID-19 crisis! You all ROCK!
- Chandra Alston, Human Resources
Dr. Ken Brown
Dr. Brown has provided outstanding leadership and guidance for COVID-19 operations. He is our UTHSC Hero!
- Chandra Alston, Human Resources
Daniel Bastardo Blanco, Venezuelan Alliance of Memphis, and Alan Burns
Daniel, as the leader of the Venezuelan Alliance of Memphis, reached out with a "crazy idea" to translate the COVID-19 website into Spanish when he became aware that there is a high level of disinformation and fear revolving around COVID-19. He realized there are very few local resources available, and I feel so proud and thankful that he and the Venezuelan Alliance of Memphis were able to translate our COVID-19 site for our Hispanic community to benefit from! Thank you so much, Daniel! And thank you to Alan Burns for working with Daniel to get those translations put up so quickly on the website!
- Sally Badoud, Communications and Marketing
Dr. Harry Kochat and the Plough Center Team
Thank you for working tirelessly in the lab to produce hand sanitizer and other items to help fight COVID-19.
- Chandra Alston, Human Resources
Alan Burns, College of Medicine
Alan has done an AMAZING job with the UTHSC coronavirus website! He has put in a ton of work behind the scenes to make sure our numbers are updated daily, our audience has easy access to credible resources, the online symposium site was maintained meticulously, and the "ask the expert" section continues to evolve in an amazing way as he filters questions and answers to and from Dr. McCullers! Thank you soooooo much Alan for all of your hard work! We are so lucky to have you on our campus!
- Sally Badoud, Communications and Marketing
Office of Communications and Marketing – Allen Gillespie, Adam Gaines, Peggy Reisser, Jackie Denton, Natalie Brewer, Jasmine Zust, Clarence Carver, David Meyer, Amber Carter
Best. Team. Ever!!! Seriously, this group of awesome humans adapted super easily (maybe too easily!) to working remotely, and have continued to knock out project after project to enable easier communication with the campus regarding all the changes that have been coming over the last month. They don't have much lead time on all the coronavirus messages, graphics, and web updates, and I sure do appreciate all the consistent hard work from them! You guys are totally awesome!
- Sally Badoud, Communications and Marketing
Clarence Carver, Communications and Marketing
Clarence did such an amazing job with the Facebook profile picture frame! It looks amazing!
- Natalie Brewer, Communications and Marketing
Valerie Wheeler
Valerie reached out to me via email to check in. That's it. She simply wanted to check in on how me and my family were doing. It was such a kind gesture! I appreciate when my co-workers turn into friends! Thanks for being so awesome, Valerie!
-Sally Badoud, Communications and Marketing
Steve Butler, Daniel Cox, Dan Young, and the ITS Instructional Technology team!
Steve and his team are so dedicated to providing the best customer service EVER! Steve called me a couple times prior to the week of the online UTHSC Coronavirus Symposium to discuss measures they were putting in place to expand the number of virtual seats for our audience. Daniel Cox texted me photos of the setup of seating in the SAC that would allow social distancing AND he got our UTHSC banner positioned behind the speaker's podium without me even having to ask him about it. They are just so wonderful and easy to work with!
-Sally Badoud, Communications and Marketing