Executive Dean, College of Medicine

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center has selected Michael Hocker, MD, MHS, as the new executive dean of the College of Medicine, effective July 2025. 

Dr. Hocker comes to UT Health Science Center from the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine, where he currently serves as the dean and chief academic officer and as the senior vice president for the UT Health RGV clinical practice. Dr. Hocker led UTRGV School of Medicine through full accreditation of its medical education programs from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). This positioned the college to expand its student body to better serve the region through planned combined programs, including training physician-scientists in an MD/PhD program as well as an MD/MBA program to help provide physicians with the necessary business skills to succeed in today’s healthcare landscape. 

Dr. Hocker also enabled tremendous growth in the regional workforce through new departmental chair and faculty hires with clinical practice partners and the development of a clinical practice plan with governance and committee structures in support of a new $156 million UT Health RGV Cancer and Ambulatory Surgery Center, a full-service radiology lab, and physical therapy space. UTRGV School of Medicine has also seen the opening of a new Institute of Neuroscience and a Human Genomics Center. 

Prior to his time at UTRGV, Dr. Hocker served as the senior associate dean and designated institutional official for Graduate Medical Education at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, where he oversaw 51 residency programs. During his time there he was also the vice chair of Operations for Emergency Medicine and held the Harrison Distinguished Chair in Emergency Medicine. Prior to joining MCG, Dr. Hocker spent 14 years at Duke University School of Medicine, where he helped start what is now considered one of the country’s top emergency medicine training programs. 

Dr. Hocker is a former U.S. Navy flight surgeon and graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado before earning his Medical Degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Hocker has also earned a Master of Health Science in Clinical Leadership from Duke.

Jamie Sands and Stephanie Fidel led this search with Nick Strand and Lily Sethares.