University’s Digital Guardian Earns MEMTECH Award

Ammar Ammar doesn't want you to think about him.

As assistant vice chancellor and chief technology and information security officer at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Ammar knows he's doing his job when faculty, students, and staff move seamlessly through their days without technology setbacks.

"I want you to have a great experience, and then one day you'll sit there and go, 'Oh yeah, everything works.' That's my goal. Get things going in the background and then you don't have to worry about it."

Working at a health science institution adds importance to that smooth, safe experience. From health care and research to bringing care to underserved communities throughout Tennessee, UT Health Sciences relies heavily on good technology, processes, and people.

"If my small part is to make sure we have technical solutions to support these initiatives and efforts, that's worthwhile," he says. "Those are big things that make huge differences to people every day."

That behind-the-scenes excellence has earned Ammar recognition as a 2026 MEMTECH Awards honoree in the category of chief information officer/information technology leader from the public sector. Organized by the Society for Information Management (SIM) Memphis chapter, the awards highlight technology leaders making significant impact in the Mid-South region. A committee of editors and industry leaders choose the winners.

"The MEMTECH Awards aren't easy to win," says Sridhar Sunkara, SIM Memphis board member and the CEO of enaiblr. "Our nomination committee is made up of tech leaders, media leaders, and community leaders who care deeply about the Memphis community. That sets a very high bar. Ammar Ammar rose above that bar through strong leadership, real impact, and a vision that moves both business and our city forward."

The awards ceremony will take place Feb. 21, with Memphis Magazine also featuring the winners.

Ready for AI and Big Data

Ammar oversees Information Technology Services at UT Health Sciences, managing everything from network infrastructure and servers to cloud data and cybersecurity. His team handles the technology backbone that keeps the university running across its statewide campuses.

"I have witnessed Ammar grow and thrive as he balances forward-thinking, risk mitigation, teamwork, and leadership in a complex academic and health care technology environment," says Raaj Kurapati, UT Health Sciences' chief operating officer. "He's created a strong workplace culture that stretches between our campuses and embraces the mission of UT Health Sciences wholeheartedly. He does this while addressing our essential technology needs, stunning advancements in the tech world, and managing crisis with calm, all to better serve and protect our university and health care community. I'm honored to work beside him."

Recently, Ammar led strategic upgrades further preparing the institution for emerging artificial intelligence applications and larger data sets. The university now has bandwidth matching peer institutions, upgraded servers, and enhanced data center power and cooling.

"We strategically started making these moves preparing more for AI," Ammar says. "Being prepared for that as an institution is really important. My goal is to help us attract talent, provide robust services, give our students the best experiences, and have our faculty and staff come in and have all these services available to them."

Playing Defense and Offense

While infrastructure improvements happen behind the scenes, Ammar's cybersecurity team works on the front lines protecting the university from digital threats. The small but strong cybersecurity operation responds to phishing attempts in minutes and monitors for data breaches.

When the massive 2024 Change Healthcare breach occurred, exposing data from millions nationally, Ammar's team quickly identified that only two UT Health Sciences addresses appeared in the compromised data. They immediately contacted those individuals and required password changes.

"We do a lot of really good work around lowering institutional risk," Ammar says.

The university also maintains an abuse mailbox where community members can report suspicious emails. When mass phishing campaigns slip through filters, the team pulls those messages and neutralizes the threat quickly.

Enriching Memphis' Tech Talent

Ammar additionally looks for team members who are enthusiastic and eager to move the institution forward. He sets top-level strategy but relies on his staff to determine the best technological approaches.

"I want you to tell me technologically how we're going to get there," Ammar says. "Or if I'm overlooking something, you can say, 'We could probably pivot and do this, and we'll be more effective.' Let's do it."

He's equally committed to strengthening Memphis' technology community. Ammar participates in InfraGard meetings, SIM, and the Memphis IT Council, where technology leaders share solutions to challenges.

"Memphis has a strong tech scene," he says, adding how resources like Tech901 help people launch IT careers. "There's always a great place to go get additional feedback."

And Ammar engages with regional groups, including the Higher Education Security Roundtable, covering southeastern conference schools.

The local MEMTECH Awards bring together and recognize leaders in multiple categories. Other honorees this year are being celebrated for their work in community and crisis leadership, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, education, and trailblazing.

For Ammar, the surprise recognition validates years of steady work maturing processes and building resilient systems.

"You eat the elephant one bite at a time," he says.