Fall 2018

Tennessee has an estimated 70,000 people addicted to opioids, according to the Tennessee State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Each person exacts a toll beyond his or her own life; drug addiction impacts families, communities and the state.

Yet hope remains. UT has joined the battle. Students share their stories of loss and educate others. Researchers reach out and help the addicted. Alumni fight back, using their varied platforms. We are helping Tennesseans cut free from the drug’s entanglement and reclaim their lives.

The Tangle: Tennessee’s Opioid Crisis

In unchecked growth of prescriptions, opiates caught millions of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters in the tangle of addiction. UT…

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A Battle Worth Fighting

A discovery by UT Knoxville-based economists led to Gov. Bill Haslam developing a $30 million dollar plan to begin dealing…

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Dr. Geogy Thomas

On a Mission

In the Tennessee county hardest hit by the opioid epidemic, UT Knoxville alumnus Dr. Geogy Thomas works to help the…

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Narcan branded naloxone nasal spray

Increasing Incidents

With the majority of drug overdose deaths attributed to opioids, UT Law Enforcement Innovation Center partnered with BlueCross Blue Shield…

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Dr. Shawn Hamm

Committed

The UTHSC Center for Addiction Science battles addiction through education, clinical care, research and outreach. “It’s a work in progress,”…

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Charme Allen

Standing Up to Big Pharma

UT alumna and Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen has taken the war against the opioid epidemic to the…

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Joe DiPietro pictured in Knoxville, Tennessee

A message from the president

The opioid epidemic is a problem of such complexity and consequence that it will require all we can do to…

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opioid fact sheet

Opioid Facts in Tennessee

Opioids, natural and synthetic, include: Opium, morphine, codeine, heroin, hydrocodone (vicodin), oxycodone (percocet), fentanyl, methadone.

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Saving the Children

Each day, more than 1,600 American teenagers take a first step into a lifelong cycle of drug addiction. UT Martin…

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Austin Holdsworth stands outdoors facing a sunset with a camera strap hanging off his right shoulder

He Had Enough

After UT Chattanooga student Austin Holdsworth lost his brother and friends to drug overdoses, he could not be quiet anymore.

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Left to right, UT Extension Agent Carrie Joyner, 4-H volunteer C.J. Bryson and Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas teach children about illegal and legal substances during Health Rocks. a 4-H program

Health Rocks

With the opioid epidemic killing more than 100 people in our nation daily, the UT Institute of Agriculture is fighting…

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Caty Davis

Own Your Truth

Generational addiction stalked the family of Miss Tennessee 2017 Caty Davis. But she didn’t back down.

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Amelia Earhart circa 1936

Earhart Findings Obtain Widespread Media Attention

A UT researcher’s conclusion about remains found on a remote South Pacific island made headlines around the world this spring.

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Rollins College of Business Dean Robert Dooley skydives for a cause.

Jumping for a Reason

Rollins College of Business Dean Robert Dooley jumped out of a perfectly good airplane while it was about two and…

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Keth Carver intrdouces audience at the 2018 WestStar forum

Leadership Program Hosts Gubernatorial Forum

The WestStar Leadership Program hosted a gubernatorial forum in May, in which six candidates participated.

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Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams,

Celebrating Nurses

Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, U.S. deputy surgeon general, was the featured speaker at UTHSC's NightinGala, a celebration of nursing.

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Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Jai Templeton, Judi Herbert and Jim Herbert

CASNR Transforms to Herbert College of Agriculture

The Herbert College of Agriculture is the third named college in UT history and only the second land-grant agricultural college…

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Tennessee Foreign Language

Tennessee Foreign Language Institute Joins UT

Under this new arrangement, the center will tailor its mission to providing language services to state and local government entities…

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Illustration of North America from outer space

UT Ranked Among Best in World for Patents

The UT Research Foundation was granted 25 patents in 2017.

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4 elected officers of UTAA

Meet the 2018-19 Officers of the UTAA

Meet the 2018-2019 officers of the University of Tennessee Alumni Association.

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Alumni Snapshots: Fall 2018

Tennessee Alumni, students, and employees around the state.

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