Nikki B. Freeman, PharmD, BCPS
Program Director, PGY1 Pharmacy Residency
knfreeman@utmck.edu
Dr. Freeman is a Pharmacist Specialist in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. She also serves as the Program Director for the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program and as an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.
She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 2003. She then completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the medical center, where she continued her career as a pulmonary medicine and critical care pharmacist. Dr. Freeman then pursued a career in academia for seven years before returning to the medical center to become the 340B Pharmacist. Her professional interests are internal medicine, training student pharmacists and residents, and professional development. Dr. Freeman is married to Mark Freeman.
Jeff Lewis, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, CDCES
Program Director, PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency
jlewis2@utmck.edu
Dr. Lewis is the Assistant Director of Outpatient Clinical Pharmacy at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. He also has a faculty appointment at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Pharmacy. In addition, Dr. Lewis precepts PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residents as part of the department’s ASHP-accredited residency programs and is the residency program director for the Ambulatory Care PGY2 residency. He is also the course director for the ambulatory care elective at the UTHSC College of Pharmacy and precepts third- and fourth-year pharmacy students in an outpatient cardiology clinic.
Dr. Lewis received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2008 and completed a Primary Care Residency at Holston Medical Group in conjunction with UTHSC in 2010. He has a background in both primary care and endocrinology with a specialization in diabetes management. Dr. Lewis’ interests include diabetes, cardiovascular risk reduction, novel payment mechanisms and pharmacy education.
Dr. Lewis is an active member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA). He is currently serving as the TPA president-elect for 2022-2023 and will step into the president role 2023-2024. Dr. Lewis is married with two children and enjoys spending time with family and friends, college sports and any outdoor activity.
Amanda McKinney, PharmD, BCCCP
Program Director, PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency
almckinney@utmck.edu
Dr. McKinney is a Pharmacist Specialist in Critical Care Trauma at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. She also serves as the Program Director for the PGY2 Critical Care Residency Program and is an Assistant Professor with the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.
Originally from Alabama, she completed her undergraduate and pharmacy education at Auburn University in 2016 followed by a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery, Alabama. Upon completion of her PGY1 residency, Dr. McKinney came to the medical center where she completed her PGY2 Critical Care Residency and continues her critical-care practice today.
Dr. McKinney’s professional interests include trauma resuscitation, traumatic brain injury, anticoagulation reversal, alcohol withdrawal and pharmacy resident wellness. In her spare time, Dr. McKinney enjoys trivia nights at local restaurants, attending concerts and shows downtown, and generally exploring the beautiful East Tennessee region.
John R. Yates, PharmD, BCPS
Program Director, PGY2 Internal Medicine Pharmacy Residency
jryates@utmck.edu
Dr. Yates is the Acute Care Pharmacist Supervisor at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. He also serves as the Program Director for the PGY2 Internal Medicine Pharmacy Residency at the medical center and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.
Dr. Yates received his Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 2011. He then completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and a PGY2 Internal Medicine Pharmacy Residency at the medical center, followed by several years of practice as a pharmacist specialist in internal medicine.
Dr. Yates’s areas of interest include interdisciplinary care of adult medicine patients, pharmacotherapy of GI disorders, pharmacist professional development and resident/student education.
Andrea Franks, PharmD, BCPS
Program Director, Pharmacotherapy Residency (24-month program)
afranks@uthsc.edu
Dr. Franks is Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Science at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy. She also has a faculty position in the Department of Family Medicine in the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. Dr. Franks practices with the Inpatient Family Medicine service as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. She is also involved in transitions of care initiatives in the Outpatient Family Medicine resident clinic.
Dr. Franks received her PharmD from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. Following graduation, she completed a PGY1 pharmacy residency at the VA Medical Center, Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to joining the UTHSC College of Pharmacy as a full-time faculty member, she was at Methodist Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee, where she had various roles including preceptor for students and residents, Clinical Specialist in Geriatrics and Clinical Coordinator. Dr. Franks started her faculty role on the Memphis campus in 2001 with a clinical focus in Family Medicine Ambulatory Care. In 2007, she transferred to the Knoxville campus and began her practice at the medical center with the Inpatient Family Medicine team.
Dr. Franks was awarded the UT Alumni Association Distinguished Service Professorship in 2022. Her professional interests include tobacco cessation, family medicine, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She is married with two grown sons, and enjoys hiking, yoga, baking, reading and caring for her collection of houseplants that she started during the pandemic.
Hima Patel, PharmD, BCOP
Program Director, PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency
Dr. Patel is a Pharmacist Specialist in Oncology at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. She also serves as the Program Director for the PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency Program.
Originally from Tennessee, she completed her undergraduate at East Tennessee State University in 2012 and pharmacy education from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in 2016. This was followed by a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, IL and a PGY2 Oncology Residency at Baptist Memorial Health Care Cancer Center in Memphis, TN.
Dr. Patel's professional areas of interest include gastrointestinal malignancies, hypersensitivity reactions, checkpoint inhibitors and immune mediated adverse effects, smoking cessation, and pharmacogenomics. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, traveling, hiking, and yoga.