The UTHSC College of Dentistry provided free dental services to 85 students from Freedom Preparatory Academy in Memphis for Give Kids A Smile Day in February.
Dentistry and dental hygiene students, with supervision by faculty, performed 958 free dental procedures valued at $20,798. Procedures included cleanings, fillings, extractions and oral health instruction.
BSA Banquet Honors Students
UTHSC’s Black Student Association honored eight outstanding students at its annual awards and recognition banquet in February.
The banquet included a keynote address by alumna Judy C. Martin, chief nursing officer for the Shelby County Health Department since 2003.
Students were chosen by their colleges for scholarship, leadership and community service. They are Karen Merriweather, College of Dentistry; Karen Ann Martin, College of Graduate Health Sciences; Kiera Crutcher, College of Health Professions; Tamika Douglas, College of Health Professions; Tierney Jordan, College of Health Professions; Chassidy Grimes, College of Medicine; Bria Danielle Sharp, College of Nursing; and Alicia Rogers, College of Pharmacy.
Mobile Stroke Unit Receives $1.1 Million Grant
When administrators announced the UTHSC Mobile Stroke Unit received a $1.1 million grant from the Assisi Foundation of Memphis, one of the unit’s success stories was on hand for the statement.
Alabama resident Gerry Sandlin, whose life was saved one year earlier by the fast action of the Mobile Stroke Unit, returned to Memphis for the announcement and to thank his physicians and the Mobile Stroke Unit team. Sandlin suffered a stroke on a plane bound for Atlanta on Feb. 13, 2018. The plane made an emergency landing in Memphis, the Mobile Stroke Unit was alerted, he was treated with clot-busting medication inside the van parked on the tarmac and taken to Methodist University Hospital, where the clot was successfully removed.
Launched in 2016, the UTHSC Mobile Stroke Unit is a 14-ton stroke emergency room on wheels with hospital-grade CT equipment. It is designed so that diagnosis and treatment can begin in the field instead of being delayed until arrival at a hospital. It can respond and treat on average 72 minutes faster than traditional hospital response.
Food Court Reopens
UTHSC’s Food Court reopened in January, bringing four local food vendors to the campus and the surrounding Memphis Medical District.
Located in the lobby of the 920 Madison Building, the food court offers dining options, including smoothies, Italian fare, Southern comfort food, vegetarian or vegan foods. With UTHSC’s launch of its Diversity Business Enterprise Initiative, it was important for the campus to include local small businesses as vendors for the food court. Starbucks and Chick-fil-A are slated to join the lineup late spring 2019.
