East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Tom Kwasigroch, a renowned educator in the Quillen College of Medicine’s Department of Medical Education, is a member of the 2025 class of inductees for the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame.
With a mission to honor those who have made significant and lasting contributions to the health and health care industries, the Hall of Fame was created in 2015 by Belmont University, the McWhorter Society and the Nashville Health Care Council, a founding partner.
Kwasigroch is one of four inductees in 2025.
It’s a testament to a decades-long career that’s earned him numerous accolades for his approach to teaching and dedication to his students, including ETSU’s 2024 Distinguished Faculty Award in Teaching, the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award and the McCann National Award in Teaching and Mentoring.
He is also a 15-time recipient of the Quillen Course of the Year award and a 16-time recipient of the Quillen Professor of the Year award, and he was honored as Hooder by 16 graduating classes. Kwasigroch has also been the college’s String of Pearls and Scarlet Sash awards each year since their inception in 2003 and 2004, respectively. He served as the assistant dean for Curriculum for five years and the associate dean for Student Affairs for 16 years, stepping down from that position to work full-time helping with the transition to a systems-based curriculum at the College of Medicine.
“For over 40 years, every student at the Quillen College of Medicine has had the honor and privilege of having Dr. Kwasigroch as a professor, which speaks to the immeasurable impact he has had on health care in this region and beyond,” said ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland. “This is a well-deserved honor for Dr. Kwasigroch, and a testament to the positive difference he has made for countless students and patients.”
As an original faculty member, Kwasigroch has played a role in shaping every single physician who has walked through the doors of Quillen – in addition to all of ETSU’s physical therapy, as well as assisting in teaching ETSU’s occupational therapy and physical therapy students.
In that time, he’s seen the Quillen College of Medicine grow from its first class of 23 students to 100-strong cohorts set to begin in 2026.
He also spearheaded the creation of ETSU’s Center for Surgical Innovation and Training, a state-of-the-art training lab that offers students and medical residents an opportunity to learn and practice surgical procedures on anatomical donors. Kwasigroch is also responsible for the creation of the college’s Student Study Center.
“Dr. Kwasigroch is an exceptional educator whose commitment to student success is an example for everyone at ETSU,” said Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “It is an honor to celebrate Dr. Kwasigroch’s accomplishments and the generations of physicians he has shaped who have gone on to make an impact in their communities.”
Kwasigroch received his Ph.D. in anatomy and embryology from the University of Virginia and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Freie Universität-Berlin in Germany. His research in birth defects resulted in numerous publications and presentations nationally and internationally.
A Vietnam veteran, Kwasigroch also earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for his service.
He is the fourth inductee into the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame with ties to ETSU, highlighting the university’s excellence in health care education.
Other inductees include: ETSU President Emeritus Dr. Paul E. Stanton Jr. (2016); College of Public Health Dean Dr. Randy Wykoff (2022); and Dr. Wilsie Bishop (2023), who held numerous roles in her career at ETSU and retired in 2021 as senior vice president for Academics and interim provost.
“I have been incredibly blessed by having the opportunity to teach amazing students over the years,” said Kwasigroch. “I can’t thank President Noland, Provost McCorkle and Quillen College of Medicine Dean Bill Block, as well as their predecessors, enough for all the support they have provided for our efforts to help improve health care in our region through our training programs.”
Learn more about the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame at tnhealthcarehall.com. Learn more about ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine at etsu.edu/com/.
