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Suture Technician Program

The Suture Technician Program, affiliated with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, is a longstanding and highly selective initiative that serves the Elvis Presley Trauma Center—one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in the nation. The Suture Technician Program was established in the 1990s to alleviate emergency department congestion while upholding a high standard of care. The program is composed of 15 second- to fourth-year medical students, each completing approximately 150 hours of intensive training before being selected to join the team at the end of their first year of medical school. We actively participate in wound care, laceration repairs, trauma activations, and other critical procedures under the supervision of emergency medicine physicians and trauma surgeons. Suture Techs work part-time evening and overnight shifts—Sunday through Thursday from 6 pm to 12 am, and Friday through Saturday from 6 pm to 6 am—contributing significantly to patient care during high-volume hours.

Selection for the program begins in the first year of medical school, with students shadowing current technicians to gain foundational experience and clinical exposure. A large part of the responsibility as Suture Technicians involves teaching and mentoring these M1 students, passing on both technical skills and professional expectations in hopes of identifying and preparing the next five individuals who will join the team. The program’s training is rigorous, emphasizing hands-on learning in a high-acuity, fast-paced environment. Due to the depth of training and the trust built with clinical teams, Suture Techs are granted a notable level of autonomy and frequently assist in procedures such as complex wound closures, orthopedic reductions, and polytrauma evaluations. The role fosters technical proficiency, clinical judgment, and a deep appreciation for the urgency and precision of trauma and emergency medicine care. Many participants of the program go on to match into surgical subspecialties, and the program continues to serve as a model for integrating medical students into frontline trauma care, offering an unparalleled early exposure to emergency and surgical medicine.

Suture Team

med student
Peter DePhillips - M4
med student
Katie Littleford- M4
med student
Chandler Morel- M4
med student
Jack Staley- M4
med student
Jill Weatherly- M4
med student
Savannah Fine- M3
med student
Austin Jernigan- M3
med student
Lexie Paxton-M3
med student
Sabrina Shivani -M3
med student
Joseph Tarquine-M3
med student
Joanne Hu- M2
med student
Elizabeth Hurlbut-M2
med student
Wiley Pippenger-M2
med student
Vincent Terta-M2
med student
Bryce Wittman-M2

Alumni

Class of 2025 

  • Kimberly DeCarr: OBGYN at UTHSC - Memphis, TN
    Chance Cuthbert: Anesthesiology at UTMC - Knoxville, TN
  • John Read: Orthopedics at Prisma Health - Greenville, SC
  • Cassidy Lounsbury: General Surgery at Baylor - Houston, TX
  • Khadijat Aregbe-Perkins: General Surgery at University of Arizona – Phoenix, AZ

Class of 2024

  • Philip Morgan: General Surgery at UTHSC – Memphis, TN
  • Taylor Orr: Neurosurgery at UTHSC – Memphis, TN
  • Cole Gwin: Surgical Preliminary Year at UTHealth– Houston, TX
  • Virginia Byars: General Surgery at University of Connecticut – Farmington, CT
  • Chase Toth: OBGYN at UC Davis – Sacramento, CA

Class of 2023

  • Alexander Bowers: General Surgery at University of Texas– San Antonio, TX
  • Lynley Matthews: General Surgery at University Texas Southwestern– Dallas, TX
  • Isaac Raines: General Surgery at University Hospital – Columbia, MO
  • Rachel Shultz: Pediatrics at St. Louis University – St. Louis, MO
  • Allison Stokes: General Surgery at University Miami/Jackson– Miami, FL

Class of 2022

  • Rachel Nelson: OBGYN at UTHSC – Memphis, TN 
  • Joe Whitaker: General Surgery at Loma Linda University -Loma Linda, CA
  • Hannah Sullivan: Pediatrics at St. Christophers - West Reading, PA
  • Busra Gungor: OBGYN at University of Tennessee- Nashville, TN
  • Aaron Ross: Pediatrics at Baylor - Houston, TX
  • Andrew Schultz: Diagnostic Radiology at University of Alabama - Birmingham, AL

Class of 2021

  • Jennings Dooley: Orthopedic Surgery at Northwestern - Chicago, IL
  • Mary Virginia Portera: Internal Medicine at Columbia University - New York, NY
  • Julia Freitas: General Surgery at UTHSC – Memphis, TN
  • Ashley Dodd: General Surgery at Loyola University – Chicago, IL

Class of 2020

  • Charlie Freeburg: General Surgery at Indiana University- Indianapolis, IN
  • Sonia Ajmera: Neurosurgery at University of Pennsylvania- Philadelphia, PA 
  • Sarah Delozier: Internal Medicine at Dartmouth- Hanover, NH
  • Taylor Millirons: Family Medicine at UTHSC- Memphis, TN

Class of 2019

  • Robert Elrod: Orthopedic Surgery at Vanderbilt - Nashville, TN
  • Tyler Speaks: General Surgery at Wake Forest - Winston-Salem, NC
  • Taylor Norton: General Surgery at University of Arizona – Phoenix, AZ
  • Matthew Thomas – In Memoriam

Class of 2018

  • Garrett Lim: Diagnostic Radiology at Baptist Memorial Health- Memphis, TN
  • Taylor Pate: Diagnostic Radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School- Norfolk, VA
  • Jenny Rosen: Urology at University of Alabama - Birmingham, AL 
  • Danny Smigielski: Orthopedic Surgery at Campbell Clinic- Memphis, TN

Class of 2017

  • Amy Wise: General Surgery at University of Louisville – Louisville, KY
  • Drew Erali: General Surgery at Wake Forest University- Winston-Salem, NC
  • Wyn Gannon: Ophthalmology at UTHSC – Memphis, TN

Class of 2016 

  • Margaret Ferguson: General Surgery at UTHSC – Memphis, TN
  • Danny van Valkinburgh: Emergency Medicine at UTHSC – Memphis, TN

Class of 2015

  • Clark Shell: Internal Medicine at White River Health – Batesville, AR
  • Omar Kineish: Urology at University of Miami – Miami, FL
  • Leah Hendrick: General Surgery at UTHSC – Memphis, TN