More than 200 people attended the second NightinGala, a celebration of nursing hosted by the UTHSC College of Nursing on May 4. Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, U.S. deputy surgeon general, was the featured speaker at the gala, which saluted nursing accomplishments and nurses’ impact on the community.
Nurses, nursing students and health-care professionals from Memphis, Shelby County and beyond attended the dinner and silent auction.
A former nurse officer in the U.S. Army, Trent-Adams spoke about the future of nursing. She also met with UTHSC nursing students during a luncheon on campus.
The Gift of Sight
The second Ivan Marais Cataract-A-Thon was held June 15 and 16 in the UTHSC Hamilton Eye Institute. About 50 patients received free cataract surgery worth a total total of $150,000. More than 100 volunteers gave their time to give the gift of sight.
This event was organized by Brian Fowler, ophthalmic surgeon and vice chair of clinical operations at the Hamilton Eye Institute. He recruited Emily Taylor Graves, an ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon from Duncan Eye, to co-direct the event.
Their goal was to improve eye care for those in need in Memphis and the surrounding communities. The event memorializes ophthalmologist and cataract surgery innovator Ivan Marais, who died last year. Marais was an ophthalmology instructor at the institute, where he trained many residents in cataract surgery.
College of Medicine Welcomes New Dean
Internationally recognized head and neck surgeon Scott Strome was named the UTHSC College of Medicine’s Robert Kaplan executive dean and vice chancellor for health affairs. He will start his new position Oct. 1.
Strome comes to UTHSC from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he served as professor and chair of the department of otorhinolaryngology—head and neck surgery—for 13 years.
At UTHSC, Strome says he will focus on developing new ways to help students learn the vast amount of knowledge they need to obtain during medical school, instructing them in ways that will be useful in their careers and teaching them how to give back to the community. He said he is passionate about finding ways to reduce the cost of medical education and to promote alumni engagement for the college.
