UTHSC students can be proficient in their chosen field and still be lacking in one skill that might make a difference when it comes to getting hired. That’s why the UT Alumni Association Women’s Council and the UTHSC Office of Development and Alumni Affairs joined forces to develop “Utensil University,” an etiquette boot camp designed to help students master the art of fine dining in preparation for job interviews to come. “A lot of times, in their interviews, they are taken out to dinner. We want to make sure they are comfortable,” says Emily Capadalis, a UT Knoxville alumna, president of the UT Alumni Association Women’s Council and a medical private practice banker at First Tennessee Bank in Memphis. Utensil University was held in the fall for the second time in Memphis and the first time in Knoxville. More sessions will be held in fall 2014.
Telling the Story
Light poles on all the major thoroughfares that border and go through the University of Tennessee Health Science Center campus are helping tell the story of UTHSC’s economic impact on the state and beyond. New banners help define a sense of campus in Memphis’ busy medical center area and carry a marketing message focused on the quantifiable contributions made by UTHSC. UTHSC contributes $2.3 billion to the state economy and 21,000 jobs across Tennessee. It also has educated and trained 56,000 health care professionals (and counting).
New Physician Assistant Studies Program
The new Physician Assistant Studies program at UTHSC welcomed its inaugural class of 26 students in January. The mission of the 24-month program, the only PA program in the state associated with a public university, is to prepare a diverse group of highly skilled practitioners dedicated to improving access and providing high-quality care, says Johnna Tanner, chair and program director of the PA Studies Program. While, nationally, PA classes are 75 percent female, the first class at UTHSC has 13 males and 13 females. It also is considerably above national averages with regards to ethnicity and race.
