How UT Health Science Center's new leader wants to improve health care in East Tennessee

As Tennessee slowly transitions out of the pandemic, the state's flagship academic health system is tackling its next short- and long-term battles with a new leader.

Dr. Peter Buckley started as the new Chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis on Feb. 1, and he has plans for transforming the health of all Tennesseans.

And while there are universal health care challenges across the state, such as high rates of child obesity, diabetes and smoking, there are some struggles unique to East Tennessee that Buckley wants to mitigate.

"There's the issue of improving general health and general workforce development (in Knoxville) ... and significant addiction issues," Buckley said in an interview with Knox News. "But we have the opportunity to work with faculty there and leverage some of its unique strengths."

Here's a look at how the UT Health Science Center is impacting the lives of East Tennesseans.

Knoxville's health care strengths

While its main campus is in Memphis, the UT Health Science Center serves Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville. The institution also has more than 100 clinical and educational sites across Tennessee.

"Memphis is our home, but the state of Tennessee is our campus," Buckley said.

East Tennessee's strongest connection to Health Science Center is through the UT Medical Center. The hospital holds the Knoxville campus of the College of Medicine.

Medical students spend their first two years in Memphis, then rotate through Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis for clinical training. Approximately 150 medical students from across the United States elect clinical rotations at the hospital.

It's a pivotal relationship: The hospital has served the Appalachian region since 1956. The UT Medical Center offers clinical training in nine practices: anesthesiology, family medicine, general dentistry, medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pathology, radiology and surgery.

"The involvement the organization has with the broader Knoxville community is very impressive, so there's a very good foundation to build on there," Buckley said.

Not only has Buckley been impressed with UT Medical Center's response to the pandemic, but he's also looking forward to further advancing two programs in Knoxville: the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and the Amyloidosis and Cancer Theranostics Program.

"As I've looked at the statewide program, it's an opportunity to pull together the synergies and talents that reside in this one area," Buckley said.

Improving the health of East Tennesseans

While Knoxville is home to several of the state's health care strengths, there's also room for improvement, he believes.

There is a huge need for dentists, especially in rural areas of East Tennessee. Buckley shared in his inaugural address that in Tennessee's Appalachian region, there are only four dentists for every 100,000 people.

To mitigate the problem, the UT Health Science Center hopes to create a statewide dental health clinic network. By partnering with the Tennessee Department of Health, the university hopes to open six new dental clinics this year to serve rural and low-income residents.

"As the state's only (public) dental school, this is our responsibility to step up," Buckley said.

East Tennessee hasn't been spared from the medical staffing shortages, either, so making sure that UT Health Science Center graduates stay in the state is a priority for Buckley.

"Knoxville is beautiful. Knoxville is excellent. And when you have that academic relationship (with the hospital), it can give you an opportunity to bring in people," Buckley said.

He said the key to expanding East Tennessee's health care is bringing in a diverse group of health care professionals, including medical students from outside of the United States.

Only 17% of the state's health care workforce are international medical graduates. According to Buckley, international doctors and health care professionals are more likely to serve rural areas, like parts of East Tennessee, where Tennessee's health care needs are greatest.

"You have all of the professional assets that are embedded in a high-quality environment that's a good place to raise a family," Buckley said. "That's what we should sell, and not just UTMC, but areas surrounding UTMC."

What is the UT Health Science Center?

The UT Health Science Center is the state's flagship public academic health system. Started in 1911 in Memphis, the college eventually combined with the UT Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville, based at the UT Medical Center, and the UT College of Medicine in Chattanooga, based at Erlanger Health System.

The university, which is part of the UT System, has six academic programs: dentistry, graduate health sciences, health professions, medicine, nursing and pharmacy.

Who is Peter Buckley?

Buckley most recently served as the dean of the school of medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. He was also the executive vice president for medical affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System and carried the system through the pandemic.

Before VCU, he worked at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta for seven years and oversaw regional campuses across the state.

Originally from Ireland, Buckley has and his wife, Leonie, emigrated to America in 1992. He has two kids and three dogs, including a Great Dane.

Buckley, a psychiatrist and expert in schizophrenia, takes over for Dr. Steve Schwab, who served as UT Health Science Center chancellor for approximately 12 years.

Rebecca Wright: Higher education reporter at Knox News
Instagram | Twitter | Email | 865-466-3731
Enjoy exclusive content and premium perks while supporting strong local journalism. To get started, visit knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How UT Health Science Center's new leader wants to help East Tennessee