The University of Tennessee Health Science Center has been named the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence
The Tennessee Department of Health has named the University of Tennessee Health Science Center the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence. That designation comes with a $12 million grant.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center has recently been named as the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence by the Tennessee Department of Health. The university has also been awarded a $12 million grant to lead a four year program to help narrow the gaps in health outcomes for rural Tennesseans compared to those in more populated areas.
Currently, Tennessee ranks only 44th in the country for health outcomes, with rural residents faring much worse compared to patients who live in more urban locations.
The Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence will add onto the university’s preexisting infrastructure and strengths and expand public private partnerships in order to make a system that allows for rural communities to be able to have access to better health outcomes.
In an article posted to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s website, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee was quoted about the effort to improve the health of the people of his state, saying, “Since 2019, we’ve made record strides to expand opportunity for Tennesseans, particularly across our rural communities. As we continue to invest in and strengthen rural Tennessee, I’m grateful for our partnership with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, which will ensure that every family has access to enhance their health and wellbeing to build a stronger, healthier Tennessee for generations to come.”
Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dunn, DVM, PhD, EMBA-SL was also quoted as saying, “Health should not depend on where you live. Rural Tennessee faces unique health challenges. This partnership with UT Health Science Center will combine statewide expertise with local partnerships, expanded workforce development, and investment in programs prioritizing the health of our rural Tennesseans.”
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is the state’s public academic health science institution, and is therefore leading the charge of improving healthcare for residents of Tennessee. The school covers the entire state with its main campus being located in Memphis, and with several clinical and educational campuses at hospitals in Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Memphis. The school also has a number of other clinical sites as well. There are also extension offices of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties that provide options for residents in rural areas.
Randy Boyd, who serves as the UT System president, was quoted about leading the initiative, saying, “Being selected to lead this statewide initiative is a powerful reflection of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s deep expertise and commitment to improving lives across Tennessee. The new Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence aligns with our Grand Challenges priorities, particularly improving the health and well-being of all Tennesseans. This work will help build lasting partnerships, drive innovative solutions and extend critical care into rural communities that need it most. My thanks to Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Health for entrusting us with this important work.”
The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center has a history of commitment to the state’s rural population’s healthcare needs through a variety of projects and initiatives.
The Tennessee Population Health Consortium is growing its Neighborhood Health Hub Program into rural Decatur and Hardin counties. The hubs provide essential health coaching and screening for diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and are supported by the Healthcare Resiliency Program through the Tennessee Department of Health.
The College of Pharmacy’s Rural Health Certificate program helps enroll students in order to prepare pharmacists for rural practice. In 2025, there are 48 students enrolled, with 11 set to graduate next year in May.
The Science Center’s Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology provides mobile services in rural areas of East Tennessee through a partnership with the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work. The program started in April of 2025 and has so far reached almost 500 patients.
The University of Chattanooga Mobile Medical Outreach Clinic (or Mobile MOC) is a van that is equipped with medical equipment that allows for expanded access to health care for older adults and caregivers in rural Southeast Tennessee. The dean of the College of Medicine in Chattanooga, James Haynes, MD, is the medical director for the Mobile MOC program.
The UTHSC Nursing Mobile Health Unit is an outpatient clinic that is run by advanced practice nurses serving Lauderdale and Lake counties. In the past year, the mobile unity has had just over 500 patient encounters, and nearly 3,000 touchpoints at various community events.
The Healthy Smiles Initiative is a program funded by a $52.9 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Health. So far it has supported a large influx of enrollment in the college of Dentistry and added dental health clinics to rural areas. In the past academic year over 8,000 procedures were conducted which collectively were worth an estimated $2 million.
Peter Buckley, MD, who serves as the UT Health Science Center Chancellor, was quoted about the work the institution does in rural communities, saying, “The health of rural communities in America is a national problem. We are extremely grateful and excited to partner with other vital institutions across Tennessee in enabling excellent care and innovation as a model for improving rural health care across America.”
The Center of Excellence is led by a team of staff and faculty members from the university who are located all over the state. Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP is the principal investigator and the Dean of the College of Nursing. She also serves as the special advisor and executive director for rural health for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She was quoted about being selected to lead the initiative, saying, “We are honored that the UT Health Science Center has been selected to lead this important initiative for the state and look forward to collaborating with stakeholders across Tennessee to work toward the goal of improving health care in rural Tennessee.”
Executive director of the Tennessee Population Health Consortium and co-principal investigator, Professor Jim Bailey, MD, MPH of the College of Medicine, was quoted as well,saying, “Tennessee’s Rural Health Care Center of Excellence will partner with rural communities across the state—providing technical assistance, research evidence, workforce development, and strategic investments—to support the development and implementation of innovative approaches to increase access to essential preventive and primary care.”
Jessica Snowden, MD serves as the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Vice Chancellor for Research and is a member of the Center of Excellence grant team. She talked about the importance of investing in healthcare projects, saying, “By investing in projects that reflect the unique needs of our small towns and farming regions, we can close gaps in access, bring cutting-edge care closer to home, and ensure that every Tennessean—no matter their zip code—benefits from the best that modern medicine has to offer. The Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence can serve as the backbone of new programs to improve health outcomes across the state of Tennessee and serve as a model for rural communities across the country.”
As the Center of Excellence gets going, the Department of Health’s commission will put together a steering committee to act as an advisory group team up with the center’s leaders to create and implement a plan for grant spending, as well as other activities.
Phil Wenk, DDS will chair an internal advisory board to choose communities and develop partnerships which will work to expand the Center of Excellence’s reach. Dr. Wenk is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee’s Health Science Center College of Dentistry. He previously served as the president and CEO of Delta Dental of Tennessee, and is currently serving as the president of the Smile 180 Foundation. He also previously chaired the UT Health Science Center Advisory Board.
Dr. Wenk talked about the plan so far, saying, “Dr. Wendy Likes has taken the lead on a project commissioned by the Tennessee Department of Health, which is consistent with the strategies of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to address health care disparities in our state. UT Health Science Center has been chosen as the Center of Excellence to lead this newly created program, and the charge is to provide innovative recommendations and solutions to improve health care statewide. Dr. Likes has proven her expertise and willingness to lead change throughout her time as the dean of the College of Nursing, and she will engage with other deans and partnerships beyond UT Health Science Center, including the UT System. I look forward to seeing and working with Dr. Likes to find new ways to improve the health of Tennesseans.”
Five core pillars will make up the Center of Excellence’s operational structure. The administrative core will work to foster collaboration to drive change in rural health care by providing technical support. The evaluation core will define impact and share its results. The planning and implementation core will develop innovative solutions and put them into action. The sustainability and dissemination core will distribute findings about best practices all over Tennessee. The practice optimization core will work together with health care practices to look for sustainable funding.
Joining Drs. Snowden, Likes, and Bailey on the grant team will be a multidisciplinary group including Ashley Harkrider, PhD, interim dean of the College of Health Professions; James Haynes, MD, dean of the College of Medicine in Chattanooga; Rebecca Baker, CEO of Synergy 3C and an alumna of the College of Nursing; Tyler Melton, PharmD, MPH, assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy; Satya Surbhi, PhD, associate professor in the College of Medicine; Tyra Girdwood, PhD, RN, assistant professor in the College of Nursing; and Matthew Harris, PhD, Boyd Distinguished Professor of Health Economics at UT Knoxville.
More information about the University of Tennessee Health Science Center can be found at the school’s website.