Dr. Kirk Calhoun has assumed the role of interim president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, bringing with him more than 30 years of experience in academic medicine and healthcare leadership.
“Dr. Calhoun is an experienced, high-performing leader with a wealth of expertise in both academic medicine and health care operations,” UNT System Chancellor Michael R. Williams said in a statement. “His leadership will ensure that UNTHSC continues to grow as a leader in medical education, research and public health.”
Calhoun was named interim president following the resignation in January of UNTHSC President Sylvia Trent-Adams.
Healthcare education trailblazer
Most recently, Calhoun was president of The University of Texas at Tyler, where he oversaw the merger of the institution’s academic and health science campuses. Calhoun led the creation of the UT Tyler School of Medicine, which welcomed its first class in 2023, and chaired UT Health East Texas, a network of 10 hospitals, 50 clinics, emergency transport services, and rural health initiatives.
“I’m honored to serve as interim president of UNTHSC,” Calhoun said in a statement. “This institution has a long-standing reputation for innovation and excellence in health education, research, patient care and community engagement. I look forward to working with our dedicated faculty, staff and students to advance its mission.”
Calhoun previously held roles at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Parkland Hospital, and UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Nationally, Calhoun has served as board chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges and America’s Essential Hospitals.
“Dr. Calhoun has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving health outcomes and advancing medical education,” Laura Wright, chair of the UNT System board of regents, said in a statement. “We’re confident his visionary leadership will help guide UNTHSC through this transition.”
Throughout his career, Calhoun has received numerous accolades, including a 2021 induction into the Doctor Luke Society. UNTHSC said that Calhoun’s interests include healthcare delivery, finance, leadership, and fostering public-private partnerships.
Predecessor resigned in the wake of turmoil
According to a Fort Worth Report article citing public documents, the university system agreed to pay Trent-Adams $560,000 for her voluntary resignation.
The UNT System and Trent-Adams signed a “Mutual Termination and Release Agreement,” executed on Jan. 31, her last day at UNTHSC. That agreement was first reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Trent-Adams’ Jan. 20 resignation came more than four months after a national NBC News investigation found that UNT Health Science Center’s Willed Body Program repeatedly failed to contact reachable family members before declaring a body unclaimed and using it for medical research.
A news investigation in November also reported that the university was violating Texas law by liquefying the remains of human bodies in its training program.
After NBC News published its findings, Health Science Center program leaders were terminated, and the Willed Body Program suspended operations. According to reports, Tarrant County also cut its ties to the program after donating its unclaimed bodies to the university since 2018 in order to save money on burials and cremation.
Healthcare and biomedical science training
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth trains the healthcare providers, public health workforce, and scientists of the future in an interprofessional ecosystem.
It has six colleges—Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, College of Public Health, College of Health Professions, College of Pharmacy, and College of Nursing. UNTHSC said that students learn to work in teams and develop an innovative mindset that prepares them for a rapidly changing health landscape.
HSC Health, the clinical enterprise of the HSC, provides patient-centered care to people across Tarrant County while its research enterprise provides a foundation to expand the frontiers of scientific discovery to improve health and well-being.
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