New UTM Ripley Center director outlines medical training initiative, invites board to April open house

Dr. Sonia Scott, the newly appointed director of the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) Ripley Center, introduced herself to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and outlined an initiative to expand medical education and training at the center.

"My name is Sonia Scott. I consider it a very distinct pleasure to come before you this evening and express my sheer excitement to be a part of the University of Tennessee at Martin," Scott said. She described plans to renovate the Ripley Center to add classrooms, lecture halls and a simulated hospital room intended to broaden technical training and clinical simulation capabilities.

Scott said the medical initiative would begin with a steady, staged rollout targeting students in grades 8–11 for the first two to three years and later expand to college students from TCAT and Dyersburg State, with the goal of creating a pathway for students to pursue a BSN at UTM Ripley. She emphasized partnerships with community organizations and invited board members to an open house on April 17, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., with UTM Chancellor Yancey Freeman scheduled to appear.

Why it matters: Board members said expanding local medical training can strengthen the regional workforce and allow students to access health‑sector education close to home. Scott framed the effort as incremental and community‑focused rather than an immediate large program change.

Next steps: Scott said the center will share additional details and that she will leave open‑house cards with city staff.