Kemptor Louis, the chief business officer at UNT Health Fort Worth, describes the doctor of internal medicine as \u201ca visionary who\u2019s results-driven.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calhoun, the new president of UNT Health, started at the campus as its interim leader in February. In mid-August<\/a>, Calhoun was named the sole finalist for the role overseeing the health science center.<\/p>\n When he started earlier this year, Calhoun said the interim title didn\u2019t signify that he was just there to \u201ckeep the lights on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The task from UNT System Chancellor Michael R. Williams, who was a former president at the center himself, was for Calhoun to be hands-on, make an assessment of what changes were needed and leave UNT Health better when he moves on.\u00a0<\/p>\n After a rapid-fire analysis, Calhoun ended up on the same page as Williams \u2014 the university needed change. Immediately, he oversaw the school\u2019s rebranding and a swift, systemic response to a national controversy. Long-term plans now focus on increased investment in students and research.<\/p>\n When asked if his goals are possible, Calhoun\u2019s answer was short.<\/p>\n \u201cI just told you I\u2019m tenacious,\u201d he said, donning a smile. \u201cDidn\u2019t you write it down?\u201d<\/p>\n An unexpected return<\/p>\n Despite his longstanding prominence in Texas medicine and higher education, Calhoun\u2019s appointment was a surprise. And it certainly wasn\u2019t planned on his end.<\/p>\n In fact, his retirement had barely begun. In May 2024, Calhoun retired<\/a> as president of the University of Texas at Tyler. This was after nearly 22 years leading both the university for four years on top of his 18 years at the helm of UT Tyler Health Science Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n Calhoun oversaw the merger of the two schools in 2021. The East Texas university saw record-breaking enrollment growth during his tenure.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEven though we were having some good success, I had a team that had evolved, the person in line to replace me that I had sort of groomed for the job. I wanted to go home and relax and spend time with my wife and family and recuperate,\u201d Calhoun said, recalling his decision to leave East Texas. \u201cAnd it lasted about six months.\u201d<\/p>\n Calhoun and his wife moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It wasn\u2019t his first time in North Texas. The Chicago native previously worked as the associate dean for clinical affairs at UT Southwestern Medical School and was a senior vice president at Parkland Health.<\/p>\n Calhoun found joy in East Texas, but the goal was always to come back to the area.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly enjoyed being here in the metroplex, and thought I\u2019d get back to a big city again,\u201d Calhoun said. \u201cBut it took 22 years for that to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n Just a couple months into retirement, Calhoun received a call from Williams, the UNT system chancellor. Looking back at the moment, he\u2019s very frank: \u201cI did not seek it.\u201d Still, Calhoun found that he had recuperated sufficiently in the half a dozen months of retirement and was willing to lead the Fort Worth health center temporarily.<\/p>\n His short-term plan also didn\u2019t last long. The institution\u2019s potential was too strong of a draw when UNT System leaders urged him to stay longer.<\/p>\n \u201cI decided to hang on and keep doing it and see what impact we can have,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stabilizing force for the Fort Worth school<\/p>\n Calhoun\u2019s tenure began at a complex moment for UNT Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n The university was reeling from controversy after suspending its Willed Body Program in September 2024<\/a>. An NBC News investigation<\/a> found the program failed to reach out to family members before declaring bodies unclaimed and using them for research.\u00a0<\/p>\n The resignation of Calhoun\u2019s predecessor, Sylvia Trent-Adams, came a couple months after the program\u2019s suspension. In an email to faculty and staff<\/a>, Trent-Adams stated she was resigning for personal reasons. Calhoun\u2019s appointment as interim was announced the same day.<\/p>\n UNT Health had begun steps ensuring the program\u2019s direction changed by the time Calhoun joined the school. The university stopped accepting unclaimed bodies and stopped liquifying remains after the Texas Funeral Service Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter.<\/p>\n From Calhoun\u2019s perspective, changes in actions were not enough. The program\u2019s vision and focus needed an overhaul as well, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe university was apologetic for that, but our response needed to go beyond apologies,\u201d Calhoun said.<\/p>\n Now the university will only accept remains directly from individuals and their families. UNT Health will also no longer sell body parts to outside organizations, and remains will not leave the campus unless required by law.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mission had gone to sort of being a broker in these clinical materials when the mission needed to be focused on our educational needs and our research needs,\u201d Calhoun said. \u201cThat for me \u2014 I can\u2019t speak for everyone \u2014 is why someone would donate their body to science.\u201d<\/p>\n A new identity for UNT Health<\/p>\n One of the first clear, necessary changes Calhoun identified was the need for a new brand.<\/p>\n In June, the institution\u2019s name shifted from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth to the simplified moniker of \u201cUNT Health Fort Worth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe spent quite a bit of time working through how we were going to expedite the whole rebranding concept,\u201d Louis said. \u201cThat was kind of a year-one focus, and we\u2019ve been able to make quite a bit of progress on that so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Health science centers are unique institutions, combining the work of patient care, providing professional education to students and providing researchers the environment to conduct their work. Because of this, the schools sometimes struggle with names \u2014 Calhoun said he changed the branding of the UT Tyler Health Science Center several times.<\/p>\n In some ways, the rebranding is surface level. The school\u2019s legal name is still the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.<\/p>\n However, the new name was important to establish the campus\u2019s role in the health ecosystem and in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n Rebranding \u201cseemed to be the simplest way to have a nickname that said so much more about us, and that the public could really remember and understand immediately who and what we\u2019re a part of, and by extension, what our mission is,\u201d Calhoun said.<\/p>\n UNT Health is not the first rebranding the institution has gone through in the last 55 years. The school was founded as the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1970 and was redesignated by the state to the University of Texas Health Science Center in 1993.<\/p>\n Looking forward<\/p>\n Many of the short-term goals Calhoun had for the institution are set in motion. Alongside the brand change and stabilization of the Willed Body Program, UNT Health had a slew of new hires and internal promotions, including Louis, who stepped into the chief business officer role in April.<\/p>\n Long term, Calhoun wants to shore up research funding and continue advancing care for patients.<\/p>\n Both Calhoun and Louis noted research investment is not a revolutionary concept to promote.<\/p>\n But the question on how best to strategically plan was part of their meetings early on in Calhoun\u2019s tenure. For example, the university\u2019s Health and Aging Brain Study is one officials want to promote given its impact on the local community and statewide. The study<\/a> enrolled over 5,000 participants and is one of the most comprehensive in the space of brain health.<\/p>\n Calhoun also emphasized the importance of improving the pathways into the professional world for students, including clinical operations on campus.<\/p>\n As a health science center, UNT Health provides medical care for patients, which allows the institute to have a role within the community and also give students the hands-on opportunities to learn the trade.\u00a0<\/p>\n These opportunities range from medical residencies to patient care work students do on campus.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been very supportive about expanding those pathway programs, and we are aggressively moving in that direction,\u201d said Dr. Lisa Nash, dean of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNT Health.<\/p>\n Investing in improving clinical operations at UNT Health both supports students and the community who can access the medical services, Calhoun said.<\/p>\n Many long-term plans are not set in stone and are still being developed. But in every conversation with university officials, Calhoun pushes for others to take initiative.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has big ideas for UNT Health. That\u2019s exciting to the leaders and to the campus,\u201d Louis said. \u201cBut with those big ideas, he holds us accountable for delivering, and I think the leaders here respect that.\u201d<\/p>\n Ismael M. Belkoura is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1007-Calhoun-06-1-1.jpg\")
UNT Health President Dr. Kirk Calhoun poses for a photo in Fort Worth on Oct. 7, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1007-Calhoun-01-1-1.jpg\")
The UNT Health Fort Worth flag blows in the wind Oct. 7, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n
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