Seven UT Health Sciences Physicians Named to Inaugural Memphis Medical Society Hall of Fame

Ten physicians stand together at the Memphis Medical Society's 150th Anniversary Physicians' Gala. Seven of them trained, taught, or built their careers at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences. (Photo by Mary Gunning)

When the Memphis Medical Society named its inaugural Hall of Fame class recently, seven of the 10 honorees could trace their training, faculty careers, or both to the University of Tennessee Health Sciences.

For 150 years, the Memphis Medical Society has stood alongside the physicians who built medicine in the city. The Hall of Fame honorees were celebrated at the Physicians' Gala in late spring. For both organizations, the moment carried meaning that went beyond the evening itself.

"The University of Tennessee Health Sciences and the Memphis Medical Society have been side by side in building the medical community of this city for generations," said Michael Hocker, MD, executive dean of UT Health Sciences College of Medicine. "To see so many of our alumni and faculty recognized in this inaugural class is a source of tremendous pride. It speaks not just to our institution, but to what we have built together for the people of Memphis and Tennessee."

Clint Cummins, CEO of the Memphis Medical Society, said the result was fitting.

"When we looked at the physicians who have most shaped medicine in this city, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center's fingerprints were everywhere," Cummins said. "These honorees embody what it looks like when academic medicine and the practicing physician community work toward the same goal."

Recognizing Physicians

The esteemed physicians recognized include the following individuals connected to UT Health Sciences.

Reed C. Baskin, MD, Hematology and Medical Oncology
Dr. Baskin earned his medical degree from UT Health Sciences College of Medicine in 1966. He completed his internal medicine training at the university before specializing in oncology and hematology. What followed was a career of more than six decades devoted to patients with cancer and complex blood disorders. Retirement didn't slow him down.

He volunteers at Church Health, where he continues to provide care to patients with limited access to healthcare, often at little or no cost. The university recognized his contributions with its College of Medicine Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2003. He also established the Reed C. Baskin Legacy Scholarship at the University of Memphis, ensuring his investment in the next generation endures long after his clinical years.

Chris Fleming, MD, Ophthalmology
Dr. Fleming grew up in Memphis and came back to it. He began his career with UT Health Sciences in 1997 when he was recruited by the late Barrett Haik, MD, FACS - respected ophthalmologist, Hamilton Professor, and founder of the Hamilton Eye Institute - to lead its oculoplastic services. Nearly three decades later, Dr. Fleming serves as the institute's director and holds the Philip M. Lewis Professorship in Ophthalmology.

Under his watch, the Hamilton Eye Institute has become one of the top 10 providers of ophthalmic clinical care in the country and sees more than 40,000 patients annually. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has delivered over 110 national and international presentations. The university recognized his contributions with its College of Medicine Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2010. He received the Tennessee Medical Association's Outstanding Physician Award in 2017 and has given his time to voluntary surgical missions with Orbis International and the World Cataract Foundation.

Kevin T. Foley, MD, Neurosurgery
Dr. Foley joined Semmes Murphey Clinic and UT Health Sciences in 1992 and has spent more than 30 years reshaping what spine surgery looks like. He's a professor in the Departments of Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery, and Biomedical Engineering in the College of Medicine and has served as emeritus director of the neurosurgery spine fellowship.

The Semmes Murphey partnership represents one of the university's foundational academic pillars. Through it, the university trains future neurosurgeons, advances discovery in neurosurgical science, and provides patient care across the Mid-South and beyond. Dr. Foley's research spans minimally invasive spine surgery, disc regeneration, image-guided surgery, robotics, and spinal biomechanics. He has authored more than 245 peer-reviewed publications and holds more than 180 U.S. patents for medical devices and biologics. He received the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Cushing Award for Technical Excellence and Innovation in Neurosurgery in 2019.

Hugh Francis III, MD, General Surgery
Dr. Francis completed a vascular surgery fellowship at UT Health Sciences College of Medicine in Memphis and has practiced with Memphis Surgery Associates since 1992.

His clinical work has run in parallel with a long record of service to organized medicine.

He served as president of the Memphis Medical Society in 2001 and as governing board chair of Saint Francis Hospital from 2015 to 2020. He also served as board chair of State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company from 2015 to 2024. He received the Tennessee Medical Association's Outstanding Physician Award in 2024.

Claudette Shephard, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dr. Shephard is the Mid-South's only fellowship-trained pediatric and adolescent gynecologist and has spent more than three decades at the center of women's health education and care in Memphis. Her connection to UT Health Sciences runs deep.

She completed her fellowship in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology at the university and never really left. She's an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the College of Medicine. She served as residency program director for 15 years and as interim department chair before being named associate dean.

At the College of Medicine, she also became the founding associate dean for supporting students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in medicine. She serves as division chief of pediatric and adolescent gynecology at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and is a recipient of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology's Excellence in Teaching Award.

Indu Tejwani, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dr. Tejwani completed her training and board certification in obstetrics and gynecology in Memphis and built a long-standing private practice while serving on staff at Baptist Memorial Hospital and St. Francis Hospital.

Over more than 50 years in women's health, she delivered thousands of babies and earned a reputation for patient-centered care that spanned generations of Memphis families. She served as volunteer faculty in the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology until her retirement, where she was known as a beloved teacher in the operating room.

She hasn't stopped giving back. She continues to mentor aspiring clinicians through volunteer work at Church Health, supporting clinical assistants preparing for medical school. A founding member of the Women's Foundation of Greater Memphis and the Indian Community Fund of Greater Memphis, Dr. Tejwani helped shape a more inclusive and culturally competent medical community in the city she has called home for more than five decades.

T. Carter Towne III, MD, Gastroenterology
Dr. Towne earned his medical degree from UT Health Sciences in 1977 and completed his internship, residency, and fellowship in gastroenterology at the university. He never strayed far from its mission.

He has spent his career in practice across the Mid-South while serving as a clinical assistant professor of medicine in the College of Medicine, training students and residents who now carry that same work forward.

Beyond the clinic and classroom, he helped found MetroCare Physicians and the HealthChoice Network. Both were designed to help physicians navigate the business side of medicine and to strengthen how the region's healthcare systems worked together.

Powering Local Health

Taken together, these physicians tell a story about what UT Health Sciences has meant to Memphis medicine. They learned here, built careers here, and gave back in ways that reached far beyond their own practice. The Memphis Medical Society's decision to honor them in its inaugural Hall of Fame class is a recognition of individual achievement, yet also a tribute to a partnership that has shaped the health of the city for generations.

The renowned physicians recognized also include Scott Morris, MD, the founder of Church Health; Owen Tabor, Sr., MD, the founder of Tabor Orthopedics; and Kurt W. Tauer, MD, the founder of and chairman emeritus for West Cancer Center.

Learn more about the Memphis Medical Society's 2026 Hall of Fame, marking the organization's 150th anniversary of its founding in 1876.