When Jennifer Ferris, MHS, CCRC, received the 2025 Alston Exempt Staff Award in December, the recognition marked more than a personal milestone. It was a notable moment for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine – Knoxville. Ferris is the first recipient from the Knoxville campus to earn the university-wide honor, an achievement reflecting years of behind-the-scenes leadership that helped transform how research is conducted and supported.
Ferris serves in two interconnected roles at UT Health Sciences: Director of Research for the College of Medicine – Knoxville and Director of the Office of Research Support. Together, those roles place her at the center of the campus’ research ecosystem, building infrastructure, guiding compliance, supporting investigators, and helping ideas move from concept to execution.
“When I first joined UT Health Sciences in Knoxville, research was kind of like the Wild Wild West,” Ferris said. “I remember asking where I could find the SOPs, and the reply was, ‘What is that?’”
Hired in 2016 as a clinical trial coordinator in the Department of Medicine, Ferris quickly recognized both the enthusiasm for research on campus and the lack of systems needed to support it. What followed was a steady, intentional effort that involved working closely with leadership to build policies, processes, and people.
“Jennifer had a vision of what clinical research could be at UT Medical Center but more, she knew exactly what it would take to achieve that goal and bring about transformative change,” said Jon Wall, PhD, professor, interim dean, and assistant dean for research in the Division of Research at UT Health Sciences’ College of Medicine – Knoxville and director of the Preclinical and Diagnostic Molecular Imaging Laboratory. “Her, expertise, dedication, and drive to enable clinical research on the campus has changed the landscape.”
An Educational Opportunity
One of her earliest contributions was helping establish standard operating procedures and quality assurance as well as compliance pathways for investigator-initiated research. Partnering with hospital leadership, Ferris helped ensure that once studies received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, investigators are supported with education and clear expectations around regulatory responsibilities.
“Because so many people were new to investigator-initiated research, we used compliance as an educational opportunity,” she said. “We walk faculty through their responsibilities and stay engaged as studies progress, not just to monitor, but as a way to help them incorporate best practices into their research.”
That philosophy — education embedded into every interaction — has become a hallmark of the Office of Research Support. Rather than imposing barriers, Ferris and her team focus on helping investigators succeed by addressing logistical and regulatory challenges early, before they derail a study.
“We started doing pre-submission logistical feasibility assessments,” Ferris explained. “Simple but critical questions: who’s consenting patients, where will visits happen, how long will participants be on campus, who’s drawing and processing blood, how are they being paid? A lot of those details weren’t being thought through until after IRB approval, and that caused problems.”
Growing Minds and Teams
Under her leadership, the Office of Research Support has grown from a single coordinator to a team of 17 research professionals, now embedded in the research lifecycle, from protocol development through execution. Ferris also worked with the College of Medicine – Knoxville’s Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration Amanda Wilson and Director of Faculty Affairs Hope Wright to develop a professional advancement pathway for research coordinators, creating opportunities for growth and retention.
“I really care about seeing my team members grow,” she said. “Helping them build professional research careers is just as important to me as helping faculty succeed.”
Ferris’ effectiveness is rooted in a rare combination of experience. Before coming to UT Health Sciences, she spent 14 years working in sponsored clinical trials, managing and training research teams across a wide range of medical specialties. That industry background, paired with mentorship from faculty leaders like Drs. Rajiv Dhand, Jon Wall, and Robert Craft, allowed her to bridge the worlds of industry and academia.
“It’s hard to find someone who understands both the sponsored and academic side of research,” she said. “That background helped me bring strong quality and compliance principles into an academic environment without losing sight of the need for flexibility and collaboration.”
Collaborative Leadership
“It’s an absolute joy to work with Jennifer,” said Rajiv Dhand, MD, who worked closely with Ferris when he was chair of the Department of Medicine at the College of Medicine – Knoxville. “She has a rare blend of intelligence, strategic vision, creativity, dedication, and leadership acumen. When she first came to work in the Department of Medicine at the Graduate School of Medicine, she had a strong background as a clinical coordinator for industry-sponsored clinical trials.
“She quickly developed the infrastructure to conduct investigator-initiated prospective studies. Soon she was contributing ideas and designs for new studies, and it has been an ongoing progression ever since then. I am very proud that Jennifer is being recognized for her sustained excellence, her passion for education, her mentoring and leadership in promoting clinical research at the UT Health Science Center College of Medicine in Knoxville.”
“For years, we talked about building a more collaborative environment across our institutions, and now we’re actually doing it. We feel seen. We’re at the table, and with the infrastructure we have built, we’re positioned to do really impactful work, locally, statewide, and beyond.”
Jennifer Ferris
Her leadership style emphasizes trust, teamwork, and shared success, and she’s quick to credit to campus leadership.
“Everything we’ve accomplished has been because the right people came together at the right time,” Ferris said. “Our leaders trusted me to identify where we needed to grow and supported the vision. This was never a solo effort.”
This team-first perspective extends beyond day-to-day operations and into Ferris’ scholarly work. Currently completing her doctoral dissertation, she’s exploring gender disparities, adaptive leadership, and leadership self-efficacy in academic medical centers, areas that resonate strongly with her professional journey.
A Future Built Together
“Although women comprise the majority of the health care workforce, they remain significantly underrepresented in senior executive leadership roles. This research will help explain how gender, leadership behaviors, and self-efficacy shape who leads, and how leadership is practiced, within complex academic medical environments,” she said. “Academic medical centers are complex, team-based environments, and I think there’s a lot to learn there.”
Looking ahead, Ferris is energized by the momentum she sees across UT Health Sciences, particularly around collaboration and cancer research.
“For years, we talked about building a more collaborative environment across our institutions, and now we’re actually doing it,” she said. “We feel seen. We’re at the table, and with the infrastructure we have built, we’re positioned to do really impactful work, locally, statewide, and beyond.”
Despite the scale of her contributions, Ferris remains characteristically humble about receiving the Alston Exempt Staff Award.
“I’m incredibly honored,” she said. “But this recognition isn’t just about me. It belongs to the team, to the leadership who placed their trust in us and provided the resources to move forward, and to everyone who believed in the work we were building together.”
For the College of Medicine – Knoxville, the award is a powerful affirmation of that belief and a recognition that transformative leadership doesn’t always happen at the podium. Sometimes, it happens by quietly building the foundation that allows everyone else to succeed.