James Haynes, MD, MBA, FAAFP hails from Fayetteville, NC and received his BS in Zoology (Pred-Med) from North Carolina State University. He earned his MD degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Haynes completed his Family Medicine Residency at Eglin Air Force Base Regional Hospital, FL and served 24 years in the United States Air Force which incorporated ten moves, three deployments and raising four children with Barbara, his wife of 39 years. His duty stations included Lajes Airfield, Portugal, Guantanamo Bay Cuba, Fairchild Air Force Base, Pope Air Force Base, Scott Air Force Base, Kuwait City, Kuwait, Lackland Air Force Base, Boiling Air Force Base and Camp Victory Joint Operations Complex, Baghdad, Iraq. Dr. Haynes arrived in Chattanooga with his family in 2011 after Dr. J. Mack Worthington recruited him to join the Univ of TN Health Sciences College of Medicine-Chattanooga’s (UTHSC-COM-C) Family Medicine department’s faculty. Since his arrival in Chattanooga, he has served as a faculty member, residency program director, and department chair prior to taking his current position as Dean of the UT Health Sciences-COM-Chattanooga in 2022. Dr. Haynes has over 25 years of experience in medical education and completed the Michigan State University Primary Care Faculty Development Fellowship (2007), the National Institute for Program Director Development Fellowship (2010), the TN Medical Association Leadership College (2013), the New Chairs Workshop at the University of Missouri’s Department of Family and Community Medicine (2018), the Physician Executive MBA program at the University of TN Haslam School of Business (2021) and the University of Tennessee’s Executive Leadership Institute (2026). He is Past President of both the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Foundation. Dr. Haynes received the Champions of Healthcare Award (2020) from the Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Erlanger Health Distinguished Physician Award (2025). He is passionate about general Family Medicine, rural medicine, educating the next generation of physicians and healthcare leaders, community health, as well as spending time with Barbara and their four children.
Dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga