FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin - (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu or

Suzanne Thompson - (901) 448-4072, sthompson@uthsc.edu

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

College of Medicine Alumni and Families

Memphis, Tenn. (November 7, 2012) - Thanks to the generosity of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine (COM) alumni and families, an endowed student scholarship fund has been created in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Hershel "Pat" Wall, MD. The first recipient of the $50,000 award - dubbed the Dr. Hershel P. Wall Endowed Scholarship -- will be named in fall 2013.

A UTHSC alumnus who graduated from the College of Medicine in 1960, Dr. Wall has been part of the UTHSC community since he enrolled some 55 years ago. He has served in a wide variety of roles, including special assistant to the UTHSC chancellor and special assistant to the UT president, where he focused on fundraising, capital development and alumni relations. A longtime UTHSC faculty member and administrator, Dr. Wall has also served as UTHSC chancellor, interim dean for the UT College of Medicine, associate dean for admissions and student affairs, and division chief of General Pediatrics.

"Dr. Wall is Volunteer medicine," said Joseph DeLozier, MD, a 1982 graduate of the UTHSC College of Medicine and donor to this effort. "He is an example to doctors and our society of what we should all be about - unconditional giving to his students, colleagues, patients, friends, and even strangers. There will be others to follow, but he has created the path and the standard, all out of love."

Dr. DeLozier's wife, Jan, is also a 1982 COM graduate, and the couple's daughter, Meg, recently began medical school at UTHSC. J. Stephen Rich, MD, a 1974 COM graduate, and his wife, Susan, joined the DeLozier family in support of this scholarship.

Dr. Rich agreed with Dr. DeLozier's opinion. "Dr. Hershel Wall was the most influential professor of my medical school career," he said. "He instilled a steady calm. He inspired confidence. And he fueled a desire for knowledge. I have always known that I could count on Dr. Wall's kindness and wisdom for guidance. I am grateful to have him as both a friend and a mentor. By providing scholarships for medical students, this effort simultaneously honors my mentor and positively impacts future graduates from the UTHSC College of Medicine. I can think of no better investment."

The DeLozier and Rich families hope that other alumni and friends will join them in supporting this effort. To discuss making a donation to the Dr. Hershel P. Wall Endowed Scholarship Fund, please contact Zach Pretzer, director of Development for the UTHSC College of Medicine, at (901) 448-4975 or zpretzer@uthsc.edu.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. Offering a broad range of postgraduate and selected baccalaureate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC also educates and trains cohorts of medicine, pharmacy and/or allied health students -- in addition to medical residents and fellows -- at its major sites in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville. Founded in 1911, during its more than 100 years, UT Health Science Center has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals in academic settings and health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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This study quantifies the economic impact of the UTHSC on the economy of the state of Tennessee for FY2010.

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