Jon McCullers steps down from UTHSC administrative roles
Dr. John McCullers answers questions about the COVID-19 virus during a press conference at the UTHSC on Feb. 26, 2020. (Jim Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Dr. Jon McCullers has resigned from his roles as chief operating officer of clinical affairs and senior executive associate dean at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Medicine.
A letter announcing the resignation was sent to “colleagues” from Dr. George Nicholas Verne, interim executive dean of the College of Medicine and vice chancellor for clinical affairs at UTHSC, and Dr. Trey Eubanks, president of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
UTHSC and Le Bonheur have a partnership with Le Bonheur physicians holding professorships at UTHSC and pediatrics training occurring at the hospital.
In a file photo from Feb. 26, 2020, Dr. John McCullers, associate dean of clinical affairs at UTHSC, answers questions about the COVID-19 virus. (Jim Weber/The Daily Memphian)
McCullers, who has been UTHSC’s chair in the department of pediatrics for more than 12 years, previously served as Le Bonheur’s pediatrician-in-chief.
“We are grateful for his leadership and all his accomplishments to help the children of our community,” the letter states. “These are many and include his scientific work as an infectious disease expert whose skills were evident during our COVID-19 pandemic response. He has recruited and supported outstanding pediatric faculty; and he built upon our integral partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”
McCullers was recruited to UTHSC in 2012 to lead the College of Medicine’s department of pediatrics. In 2019, Dr. Scott Strome, who was then the college’s executive, simultaneously appointed McCullers to the roles of chief operating officer of clinical affairs and senior executive associate dean.
Strome abruptly left UTHSC last August, when Verne stepped into his roles on an interim basis.
McCullers is also an expert on infectious diseases. He came to Memphis in 1996 for a pediatric infectious diseases fellowship in a joint St. Jude/Le Bonheur program.
McCullers was integral to Memphis’ COVID pandemic response as a key organizer of the Tiger Lane public immunization clinic and a member of the regional COVID response team.
Dr. Terry Finkel will now assume the interim roles of department of pediatrics chair at UTHSC College of Medicine and pediatrician and chief at Le Bonheur, according to the letter.
She joined UTHSC and Le Bonheur in 2020, as is associate chair of pediatrics at the college and vice chair of clinical affairs at Le Bonheur.
UTHSC will now conduct a national search for McCuller’s successor.
Dr. Jon McCullers performed the ceremonial guitar smash July 25, 2020 at the first Memphis 901 FC home game since the COVID-19 pandemic began. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
Topics
UTHSC Dr. Jon McCullers Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Dr. Terri FinkelAisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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