The iconic riverfront in downtown Memphis had an orange glow on the night of Nov. 21.

That’s because the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the University of Tennessee Foundation partnered with Memphis Bridge Lighting, Inc., to light the Hernando de Soto Bridge and the Harahan Bridge across the Mississippi in orange for one night. We did this to honor UT Health Science Center’s roots in Memphis and draw attention to our position as the state’s academic health care institution.

The light show, made possible by private support, was a sight to see. Still, with or without orange lights, I am proud to say UT Health Science Center’s dedication to improving health and health care across the state shines brightly every day.

Our vision is simple but powerful – four words that together are transformative: Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities. Through our six colleges – Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy – and with our four clinical campuses in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, we are changing lives from one end of the state to the other as we strive to fulfill this vision.

Our medical colleges are working to serve diverse communities

Here are just a few ways we are doing that:

• Our College of Dentistry in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Health is leading a $53 million Healthy Smiles Initiative to increase access to oral health care by increasing the dental workforce and opening clinics in underserved areas across Tennessee. Overall, the state has committed $94 million to improving oral health for Tennesseans. So far, the college has clinics in collaboration with vital community partners in Union City, Chattanooga, Bristol, Crossville, and Kingsport, with future sites planned in Savannah and elsewhere.

• Our College of Medicine has joined with esteemed community partners to open Health Hubs to bring primary care to areas of Memphis where there is a need, including Soulsville, Uptown, and South Memphis. And now, the college is partnering with the UT Extension Office to open health hubs in Hardin and Decatur counties as a first step to improving access to primary health care in rural areas across the state.

• Our College of Nursing Mobile Health Unit is expanding much-needed care in two rural West Tennessee areas, Lake and Lauderdale counties, with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

• Our Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology is partnering with the UT Knoxville College of Social Work to bring speech and hearing services to rural East Tennessee via a mobile van funded by a Grand Challenge grant from the UT System to encourage collaboration across higher education institutions.

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Additionally, UT Health Science Center’s scientists were awarded $96 million in grants and contracts in Fiscal Year 2024 for cutting-edge research on real-world health problems affecting people in Memphis and across the state, including sickle cell disease, cancer, substance abuse, diabetes, health disparities, and more.

We are privileged to serve the State of Tennessee

We are researching the cures of tomorrow, training the future health care workforce for Tennessee, caring for the sick in partnership with major hospitals and clinics across the state, and lending a helping hand where there is need.

We are proud to be One UT.

We are proud to be One UT Health Science Center, where we say, “Memphis is our home … and Tennessee is our campus.”

And we are immensely proud and privileged to serve the people of the great state of Tennessee.

Peter Buckley, M.D., is the chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Read more about how UT Health Science Center is working for Tennessee’s health at uthsc.edu/news.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: UT Health Science Center is in Memphis but serves Tennessee | Opinion