The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine – Chattanooga welcomed three new leaders to their team and awarded promotions to 13 faculty members this academic year. The college held a reception to honor these new leaders and promoted faculty members.
Three faculty were promoted to professors, nine were promoted to associate professors and two were promoted to assistant professors. All promotions effective as of July 1, 2024.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Dr. Rogers, Dr. Basco and Dr. Manyam to our leadership team and recognize the academic prowess of our faculty promotees," said Dr. James Haynes, dean of UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga. "These individuals strengthen our capability to partner with Erlanger Health, deliver on the UTHSC vision of 'Healthy Tennesseans, Thriving Communities' and recruit the best and brightest clinicians to our region.”
The three new members of leadership include Drs. Bill Basco, Harish Manyam and Karen Rogers.
Dr. William (Bill) Basco has been a part of the UTHSC faculty as of October and has been named as the chair of Pediatrics for the College of Medicine-Chattanooga as well as pediatrician-in-chief at Children's Hospital at Erlanger. Dr. Basco has joined the College of Medicine-Chattanooga from the Medical University of South Carolina where he served as professor of Pediatrics, director of the division of General Pediatrics and associate dean for Continuing Medical Education at MUSC. He completed his internship and residency in Pediatrics at MUSC and fellowship in general pediatric academic development at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Basco earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Tulane University and his medical degree at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
Dr. Harish Manyam has been named as the chair of Internal Medicine for the College of Medicine-Chattanooga and has been promoted to professor. Dr. Manyam also currently serves as a professor for the Department of Medicine and is the chief of Cardiology at Erlanger. Dr. Manyam has been a part of the UTHSC faculty since 2016. He earned his medical degree from American University in Netherlands Antilles. He completed his residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburg, Pa., Dr. Manyam also completed an electrophysiology fellowship at Case Western Reserve University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained as faculty and assistant professor of Medicine and served as the head of the Lead Extraction Program prior to joining Erlanger Cardiology. Dr. Manyam is involved with multiple research trials and is a 2024 Champions of Health Care Award recipient.
Dr. Karen Rogers has been named the assistant dean of Undergraduate Medical Education for the College of Medicine-Chattanooga and has been a part of the UTHSC faculty since 2018. Dr. Rogers also currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and is the associate program director for the emergency medicine residency program. She earned her medical degree at Vanderbilt University, where she also completed residency. The three faculty members promoted to professor include Drs. Heath Giles, Harish Manyam and Amar Singh.
Heath Giles has been promoted to professor and has served as the surgery residency program director since 2015. Dr. Giles is a 2005 graduate of UTHSC and 2011 graduate of the UTHSC College of Medicine - Chattanooga general surgery program. He completed a fellowship in endocrinology at Bringham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical school in 2012. Dr. Giles is an active member with multiple surgical associations around the Chattanooga area.
Dr. Amar Singh has been promoted to professor and currently serves as the chair of Urology at the College of Medicine-Chattanooga. He earned his medical degree from the SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse, NY, after graduating cum laude from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering. Dr. Singh completed his internship and residency training at University Hospital in Syracuse, NY, as well as a fellowship at the National Cancer Institution in Bethesda, Md.
The nine faculty members promoted to associate professor include Drs. Michael Barfield Bryce Cunningham, April Gunn, Matthew Higgins, Robert Jean, Robert Quigley, Case Sanders, Todd Thurston and Frank Tift.
Dr. Michael Barfield has been promoted to associate professor for the Department of Surgery of the college. He completed his Bachelor of Science in cellular biology at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA; earned his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and completed residency in general surgery at Duke University. He completed research fellowship and surgical critical care fellowship at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
Dr. Bryce Cunningham has been a member of the UTHSC faculty since 2017. Dr. Cunningham has been promoted to an associate professor with the Orthopaedic Surgery Department of the college. He earned his medical degree from Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri, completed residency here in Chattanooga at the UTHSC College of Medicine – Chattanooga and completed a fellowship in orthopaedic traumatology at the University of Texas, Houston.
Dr. April Gunn has been a part of the UTHSC faculty since 2020 and has been promoted to an associate professor. Dr. Gunn earned her medical degree at Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University. She completed residency in Family Medicine at UC Davis in Modesto.
Dr. Matthew Higgins has been promoted to associate professor with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the college. He completed residency at the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga and a fellowship at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.
Dr. Robert Jean has been promoted to associate professor for the Department of Surgery at the college and serves as the current associate program director for the surgical critical care fellowship. Dr. Jean earned his medical degree from the University of South Alabama.
Dr. Robert Quigley has been promoted to associate professor and currently serves as the associate program director for the orthopaedic surgery residency. He completed residency at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and a fellowship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
Dr. Case Sanders has been promoted to associate professor for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery with the college. He completed residency at UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga and a fellowship with Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston, FL.
Dr. Todd Thurston has been promoted to associate professor and currently serves as research director of the college and pediatric plastic surgery director of Erlanger. Dr. Thurston earned his medical degree from The University of Alabama School of Medicine, completed residency in integrated plastic and reconstructive plastic surgery at The University of Kansas and a craniomaxillofacial fellowship at The University of Michigan.
Frank Tift has been promoted to associate professor for the college and also currently serves as the program director for the emergency medicine fellowship. He completed his Bachelor of Science in biology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC and earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA. Dr. Tift completed residency in emergency medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC and his emergency medicine fellowship here at the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga.
The faculty members promoted to assistant professor include Drs. Fred Bossert and Richard Tanner.
Fred Bossert has been promoted to assistant professor for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the college. Dr. Bossert completed his Bachelor of Science in biology at David Lipscomb University and earned his Associates in applied science, aircraft maintenance technology from the Community College of the Air Force. He earned his medical degree from East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine and completed his OBGYN residency here at the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga.
Richard Tanner has been promoted to assistant professor for the Department of Surgery of the college. Dr. Tanner completed Undergrad in insurance and risk management at the University of Mississippi, Oxford and earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL. He completed residency in General Surgery here at the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga.