News

Na’Tasha Evans, PhD, MEd, is a researcher, published author, champion for female empowerment, and our new vice dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Learn more about her goals, her past work, and more in the following Q&A.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in research? 

A new program beginning this fall at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine will provide opportunities for recent college graduates interested in research, who may not have had the resources to pursue it.

Charles “Chipper” Griffith III, MD, has been named dean of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. 

Pending approval from the Board of Trustees, Griffith will begin his appointment July 15, 2023. He has served as acting dean of the college since July 2021. 

Congratulations to the following basic science and clinical faculty at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine! These individuals were honored with promotions and tenure in fiscal year 2023.

Names are organized alphabetically by department.

Sarah Jean Hall, MD, PhD
Associate Professor

The University of Kentucky STEM Through Authentic Research and Training (START) program recently closed out its summer session, with START Apprentices gaining tremendous insight into research careers and higher education.

This week, communities across the Midwest and eastern parts of the U.S. are experiencing the effects of smoke from wildfires in Canada. Parts of Kentucky reached unhealthy levels in the air quality index (AQI).

Liz Arnold, PhD,  LCSW, is a new faculty member who brings years of experience as a behavioral intervention researcher. She recently joined the University of Kentucky College of Medicine faculty and is prepared to use her expertise to help bolster its clinical research enterprise.

Following an extensive national search and interviews with highly qualified individuals, the College of Medicine is excited to welcome Na’Tasha Evans, PhD, MEd, as the new vice dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and associate professor in the department of behavioral science.

The College of Medicine’s clinical and basic science departments, centers, and educational offices are all working to develop more inclusive and equitable practices. Our Diversity and Inclusion Ambassadors are charged with leading these efforts.

In 2020, the University of Kentucky joined 22 other academic institutions and organizations as inaugural members of The National Center for Pre-Faculty Development, working together to focus on pre-faculty development as a means to diversifying academia.

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is pleased to announce that after a successful year leading the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center as acting director, Simon Fisher, MD, PhD, will serve as the permanent center director.

Samantha Ford had always wanted to go to medical school, but after training in a clinical laboratory setting at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, she gained a new perspective on how research can play a role in her future career as a physician.

For 33 years, on the eve of the "Run for the Roses," the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala has taken place in Louisville, Kentucky. The star-studded gala centered around the fastest two minutes in sports has helped create a center designed for a much longer run — the entire lifespan of each patient — providing care from pediatrics to adults with one coordinated clinical team.

 University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers identified a protein that plays an important role in prostate cancer progression as well as resistance to enzalutamide, a common prostate cancer treatment.

In 2021, researchers and educators from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and Markey Cancer Center developed an idea for a program to diversify the health care workforce, particularly in cancer research.

Thaddeus Salmon, MD, assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics, recognized addiction as a major health challenge for patients in Kentucky. He felt that as a physician, it was “a moral conviction” to continue learning how he could best serve his patients and integrate addiction medicine into his practice.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)awarded the University of Kentucky a prestigious center grant to share its expertise and lead national efforts to build diverse academic research environments.

Nearly three years ago, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine launched the Alliance Research Initiative to promote collaboration and mentorship through interdisciplinary research teams. With members spanning across UK departments and colleges, these teams were established to address Kentucky’s most urgent health needs.

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is pleased to announce the faculty, staff, and learners who were winners of the annual Mission, Vision, Pillar, and Enabler Awards.

After taking an undergraduate course in circadian rhythms, Marilyn Duncan, PhD, became fascinated with how internal rhythms regulate daily sleep-wake rhythms and many aspects of health and disease.  She said that at the time, courses centered on circadian rhythms and sleep were relatively uncommon, but as knowledge in this field has expanded, many more courses are now available, including