Carman North, Campus Health Surveillance Coordinator

UT’s Student Health Center continues to work to minimize the burden of illness on the student body. During the 2022–2023 academic year, 32% of students, roughly one-third of the student body, were provided healthcare or triage services by staff at the Student Health Center. The center, located in the heart of campus and close to several residence halls and Greek housing, includes several clinics and a recently-established community health team. This team leverages evidence-based strategies to reduce the impact of illness on student success by facilitating layered prevention behaviors, understanding campus disease patterns, and advancing community resilience to public health emergencies.

Thanks to a $500,000 grant and other partnerships from the Tennessee Department of Health, the Student Health Center was able to make technological upgrades that support innovative health promotion programming. The center was also able to purchase equipment to expand the capacity of the in-house laboratory to support students’ diagnostic needs. Further, the grant helped fund free testing for many infectious diseases and secure access to free flu vaccines for students.