UT Family Medicine Chattanooga Faculty

Leslie Griffin, MD, MPH:  Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine
Leslie.Griffin@erlanger.org

• Hometown: Cookeville, TN
• Medical School: St. George's University
• Residency: University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga (Family Medicine)
• Interests: Infant and Maternal Health and Preventative Health Care

Dr. Leslie Griffin entered St. George's University School of Medicine after several years of living internationally including two years in Peace Corps. She graduated in 2007 with dual degrees in Medicine and Public Health. She completed her residency at the University of Tennessee Family Medicine Program at Erlanger in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After completing her training, she joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee Family Medicine program where she practices full scope Family Medicine, from deliveries to geriatrics. She also participates in an annual medical mission trip to Haiti. Dr. Griffin was appointed the Family Medicine Clerkship Director (medical students) in January 2018.  

Dr. Griffin was appointed Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency on June 1, 2019 and and also served as Interim Chair as of September 1, 2022.  She was named permanent Chair of the Department of Family Medicine as of July 1, 2023. 

Steven Fox, MD, Program Director and Associate Professor
Family Medicine Residency
Also, Director of the Lifestyle Medicine Curriculum
Steven.Fox@erlanger.org 

Medical School:  Marshall University (Huntington, WV)
Residency: University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine Chattanooga (Family Medicine)
Interests:  Lifestyle Medicine and Teaching

Dr. Fox was born and raised in Wheeling, WV, and attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, where he obtained his BS in Biology and minored in Chemistry. He returned to his home state of WV to attend medical school at Marshall University School of Medicine where he found his passion for family medicine. He trained with our Family Medicine Residency in Chattanooga where he served as Chief Resident and completed the program in 2013. He is honored for the "privilege of joining the faculty that trained him in the challenge to teach the next generation of physicians." Dr. Fox has a particular interest in musculoskeletal medicine and teaching, but enjoys seeing "everything that walks through the door." In his spare time, Dr. Fox enjoys spending time with his wife, 2 daughters and son, reading his Bible, and anything outdoors.  He was named Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency in 2023.

Alexandria Cooke, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, and Associate Program Director, Family Medicine Residency
Specialty:  Family Medicine and Obstetrical Care
email:  alexandria.cooke@erlanger.org 
Academic Phone:  423.778.2957
UT Family Practice Center Patient Appointments:  423.778.8837

Dr. Alexandria Cooke is a Georgia native but has spent the majority of her adult life in Tennessee. She received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Southern Adventist University in nearby Collegedale. Dr. Cooke spent several months working as an overseas missionary before attending medical school at Meharry Medical College in Nashville.

Following her medical education, Dr. Cooke moved to Chattanooga and completed a family medicine residency with University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga (UTCOMC) at Erlanger, followed by a family medicine surgical obstetrics fellowship at Clínica Médicos. Dr. Cooke returned to Erlanger following her medical training to serve as a faculty member of the UT College of Medicine - Chattanooga Family Medicine Residency program as well as a provider with the UT Family Practice Center. Within the specialty of Family Medicine, Dr. Cooke has special interest in women’s health, obstetrical care, and mental health.  She was appointed Associate Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency in the Fall of 2023.

In her spare time, Dr. Cooke enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and cooking. Outside of work, she is an avid traveler and novice gardener.  

Sara E. Conway, MD, Assistant Professor and Clerkship Director (M3 Students)
sara.conway@erlanger.org 

• Hometown: Chattanooga, TN
• Medical School: East Tennessee State University
• Residency: Family Medicine, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine Chattanooga
• Interests: General Family Medicine

Dr. Conway enjoys providing full spectrum care with special interests in hospital and lifestyle medicine as well as global health and medical student/resident education. In her free time, she enjoys taking advantage of the outdoor activities Chattanooga has to offer including rock climbing, hiking and fly fishing with her husband Nick and beloved pup Mountain Girl. 

Dr. Conway was appointed Family Medicine Clerkship Director in 2022.

Andrew W. Smith, MD, Assistant Professor
Site Director:  Family Medicine Residency Rural Track at Erlanger Primary Care - Bledsoe
andrew.smith@erlanger.org 

Hometown:  Pikeville, TN
Medical School:  East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine
Residency:  Family Medicine Residency at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood, SC

Dr. Smith is a native of Bledsoe County. He grew up in the Mt. Crest Community where he lived until he graduated from Bledsoe county High School in 2004. He attended East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN, and graduated with a BS in Biology in 2003. He then worked in the surgery department at Erlanger prior to starting medical school at East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine. Knowing he wanted to return home to practice, he participated in the nationally ranked Rural Primary Care Track at Quillen, which proved extra training focused on primary care in rural communities. After graduation from medical School in 2012, he moved to South Carolina for residency at the Montgomery Center for Family Medicine at Self Regional in Greenwood, SC. In 2015, he was able to return to Pikeville and join the practice at Erlanger Primary Care Bledsoe. He enjoys this unique, and increasingly rare, practice that continues to offer full-spectrum primary care including both inpatient and outpatient care right in Pikeville.

Dr. Smith and his wife have four children.

April O. Gunn, DO, Assistant Professor, Clinic Director
April.Gunn@erlanger.org 

Hometown:  Phoenix, AZ
Medical School: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
Residency: Family Medicine Residency, UC Davis, Modesto
Interests:  Women's and Children's Health, including Obstetrics, and Global Medicine
Dr. Gunn joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga in November 2020 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine.

Dr. Gunn is from the Phoenix, Arizona area, and loves the desert, but decided to come to Tennessee to explore a new area with her family. She likes working with a diverse population, and has a strong interest in international medicine, having worked in Guatemala prior to residency. She chose the UTCOM Chattanooga because she wanted to continue to foster an area of study in global health and obstetrics. Outside of medicine, she likes to spend her days with her family exploring new rivers or hiking new mountains that are nearby. Going forward, she hopes to continue to do the work that inspires her and enjoy time with her family.

Malissa Talbert, MD, Assistant Professor
Malissa.Talbert@erlanger.org

• Hometown: Lawrenceburg, TN
• Medical School: The University of Tennessee College of Medicine
• Residency: Internal Medicine, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Memphis)
• Fellowship:  Rheumatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas)  
• Fellowship:  Geriatric Medicine, University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga

Dr. Talbert grew up in south-central Tennessee. She graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, followed by medical school at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency in Memphis at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.   She also completed a Fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Dr. Talbert joined the Family Medicine faculty in Chattanooga after completing her Geriatric Fellowship here. She currently spends much of her time caring for patients at Alexian Village, a premier continuum of care facility for seniors located just outside of Chattanooga on Signal Mountain.

Ryan Shibata, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine
Specialty:  Family Medicine
email:  ryan.shibata@erlanger.org 
Academic Office Phone:  423.778.2957
Patient Appointment Phone:  423.778.8827

Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine in the West Indies
Residency:  Family Medicine, UTHSC College of Medicine - Chattanooga at Erlanger Health

Ryan Shibata, MD, is a Family  Medicine physician with the UT Family Practice Center at Erlanger, the same practice in which he completed his residency. He attended medical school at Ross University School of Medicine in the West Indies. He went on to complete a Family Medicine Residency at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center College of Medicine - Chattanooga, and its primary clinical training site, Erlanger Health.

Dr. Shibata believes in providing critical access, full-spectrum, unfragmented care for the whole family, ranging from women’s health and obstetrics to pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric medicines. He uses ultrasound and endoscopy as an extension of the physical exam to provide clinical-based care alongside pharmacological and lifestyle medicine options for his patients.

As a dedicated community member, Dr. Shibata has served communities across the world with organizations like Ecuador Compassion Connection, Martha’s Village and Kitchen and Medical Clinic, Chapman Partners, Miami Rescue Mission, and Howard High School’s Medical Vision Day. He is also bilingual, serving both English and Spanish-speaking patients.

Kelly Arnold, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Medical Director, Clinica Medicos

Hometown: Memphis, TN
Medical School: The University of Tennessee College of Medicine
Residency: Family Medicine, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine Chattanooga
Special Interest: Obstetrics and Ultrasound
Dr. Arnold enjoys seeing infants, children, adults, and geriatric patients, the full spectrum of family medicine. She is a bilingual physician, speaking both English and Spanish and practices medicine with a focus on the Latino community. Dr. Arnold is married to a Chattanooga native and enjoys spending time with her husband, Dr. Justin Arnold, and three children. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, exercising and practicing yoga.  In October 2020, Dr. Arnold was named the 2020 Family Physician of the Year by the Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians. 

Philip A. Sutherland, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine

Dr. Philip A. Sutherland is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, and he completed his Family Medicine Residency training at the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga in m in June, 2014. Dr. Sutherland completed fellowship training in Advanced Obstetrics at Medicos para la Familia in Memphis, Tennessee in 2015. Dr. Sutherland currently precepts our residents, and he practices at Clinica Medicos in Chattanooga, TN.  He holds a faculty appointment of Assistant Professor with our Department of Family Medicine and also serves as Co-Director of a Family Medicine Advanced Obstetrics Fellowship based at Clinica Medicos.

Elizabeth (Elliott) Swaggerty, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine

Dr. Elizabeth (Elliott) Swaggerty received her MD degree with honors from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 2009.  She completed a Family Medicine Residency from University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH, and has more than 15 years of experience in practicing primary care, including obstetrics and family medicine.  

Currently, Dr. Swaggerty practices Family Medicine and Obstetrics at Clinica Medicos in Chattanooga, TN.  She also serves as Co-Director of the Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship at Clinica Medicos with Dr. Philip Sutherland.  Dr. Swaggerty holds a faculty appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine of the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga.

Tiffany Good, MD, Clinica Medicos 

Born and raised in San Diego, California, Dr. Tiffany Good traveled to the Midwest for university, medical school, and residency. She graduated from St. Vincent Family Medicine Residency in Indianapolis, Indiana with an emphasis in Maternal-Child Health and Global Health. Additionally, she completed an Advanced Obstetrics Fellowship in Memphis, TN at Médicos para la Familia. She is pleased to have moved Chattanooga, where she looks forward to improving her Spanish skills while caring for patients. Her greatest passion is providing excellent and affordable healthcare to all her patients, especially within the Latino community, and she practices at Clinica Medicos in Chattanooga.

Elissa McCoy, MEd
Family Medicine Residency Coordinator
email:  elissa.mccoy@erlanger.org 
Academic Office Phone:  423.778.2957

Charity Ross, MBA
Administrative Assistant and
Student Coordinator
Department of Family Medicine
email:  charity.ross@erlanger.org 
Academic Office Phone:  423.778.2957