Caring for Memphis: 63% of Memphis Top Doctors Affiliated with UT Health Sciences

When parents take their children to see Jason Yaun, MD, at the outpatient pediatric clinic at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, they are witnessing the University of Tennessee Health Sciences' vast network of clinical partnerships in action.

From pediatricians at Le Bonheur, to emergency physicians at the Trauma Center at Regional One Health, to physicians and scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and at hospitals across the city, UT Health Sciences' faculty physicians, residents, fellows and trainees provide outstanding care to the Memphis community.

The 2026 Top Doctors in Memphis list from national healthcare research firm Castle Connolly illustrates that wide-reaching impact. Of the nearly 450 physicians representing 60 specialties on the list, 63% are affiliated with UT Health Sciences. This robust percentage for 2026 is comparable to previous lists for Memphis, which are published annually in the June issue of Memphis Magazine.

Similar scenarios play out daily in hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities across the city and the state. Physicians like Dr. Yaun, who graduated from the College of Medicine at UT Health Sciences, did his residency at Le Bonheur and is an associate professor at UT Health Sciences, provide the highest-quality care to patients. This is also true for physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other providers educated and trained at UT Health Sciences.

In fact, in hospitals or clinics in Memphis or elsewhere in Tennessee, whether a clinician is wearing a white coat with the UT Health Sciences brand or not, there is a strong chance the care provider was trained at or is affiliated with UT Health Sciences.

"With six colleges - Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy - UT Health Sciences is the primary provider of the healthcare workforce for Memphis and Tennessee," said Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD. "It is our honor to serve the people of Memphis and across the state, bringing the benefits of academic health sciences to clinical care, as we work together to fulfill our vision: Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities."

Fulfilling the Vision

Specifically, physicians and other health care professionals educated and trained at UT Health Sciences provide care for patients at partner hospitals in Memphis, including Regional One Health, Le Bonheur, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Baptist Memorial Health Care, LT. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. (Memphis) VA Medical Center, and Saint Francis Hospital.

Of the physicians at Regional One, 97% are affiliated with UT Health Sciences. Most of the physicians at Le Bonheur are UT Health Sciences faculty physicians like Dr. Yaun, caring for patients and training the next generation of pediatricians for Memphis.

UT Health Sciences physicians also serve on the staff at the university's longtime clinical practice partners, including Semmes Murphey, West Cancer Center, and Campbell Clinic.

Statewide, UT Health Sciences physicians, residents, fellows, and other healthcare professionals are a significant presence among the staff at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Erlanger in Chattanooga, The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, and West Tennessee Healthcare - Jackson Madison County General Hospital in Jackson. Residency programs at two new partner hospitals, Maury Regional Health and Dolly Parton Children's Hospital in Knoxville, further extend UT Health Sciences' educational and clinical reach.

"The annual Top Doctors list speaks to the fact that UT Health Sciences' presence and impact are changing lives in Memphis and across Tennessee," Chancellor Buckley said. "I am thrilled to say our impact is growing."

Building for Future Impact

In April, the Tennessee General Assembly approved the funding of $311 million recommended by Governor Bill Lee for the construction of a new $350 million College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building (COMIB) to be built on the Memphis campus.

The largest state-funded capital project for higher education in the history of Tennessee, the building will not only expand the campus footprint in Memphis but will serve as a catalyst to expand the university's presence throughout the state.

The 300,000-square-foot building, to be located on Madison Avenue between the College of Pharmacy Building at 881 Madison Ave. and the former location of the Holiday Inn building at the corner of Madison Avenue and Pauline Street, will dramatically change the Memphis campus and the surrounding Memphis Medical District. The university has begun a philanthropic campaign to raise $50 million to support the project, including $39 million toward the costs of the building and additional funds for specialized equipment and programmatic needs.

Projected to be substantially completed in 2029, the COMIB will allow room to expand the medicine class from 175 to 250 per cohort, especially important since the Tennessee Hospital Association has projected Tennessee faces a shortage of nearly 3,900 physicians by 2035, as the ranks of older physicians retire. The building will also allow the Physician Assistant (PA) Program, the top-ranked PA program in the state by U.S. News & World Report, to grow from 30 to 60 students per year.

Because UT Health Sciences has a statewide footprint, increasing the number of medical and physician assistant graduates stands to have a measurable impact on health and healthcare locally and across Tennessee. Additionally, Interdisciplinary training will be aimed at producing health care professionals across multiple specialities who are equipped to work together to meet the demands of health care today.

Setting the Standard

"This list is a direct reflection of the physicians and educators who make up our College of Medicine," said College of Medicine Executive Dean Michael Hocker, MD.

"Whether they're training the next generation of doctors, practicing with clinical care partners, or taking innovative strides in research, our faculty are setting the standard for medicine in Tennessee."