FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

 

For more information, contact:

Anne Manning

University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Communications and Marketing

(901) 448-4072          

 

CONGRESS APPROPRIATES $2 MILLION TO UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER INITIATIVES

 

Memphis, Tennessee (December 22, 2005) – The UT Cancer Institute and the UT Rapid Biopathogen Detection Technology Program, two of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s (UTHSC) most dynamic initiatives, will each receive $1 million as part of the Fiscal Year 2006 Defense Appropriations bill.

“We praise Senator Bill Frist, Senator Lamar Alexander and Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., for securing and allocating funding to Tennessee’s flagship healthcare and research institution, and for being steadfast partners in promoting excellence in scientific scholarship, as well as compassion and skill in clinical care,” said William F. Owen, Jr. MD, UTHSC chancellor.

As a result of this funding, the UT Cancer Institute will expand recruitment of both cutting-edge cancer scientists and leading oncology specialists to improve the level of cancer care across our state and region.

The Rapid Biopathogen Detection Technology Program will focus on developing accurate diagnostics that will allow healthcare providers to triage patients who have been exposed to harmful pathogens, as well as to prioritize the administration of care to those who are most susceptible.

 

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