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.

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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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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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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