The University of North Texas System has announced that Sylvia Trent-Adams will resign as the president of the Health Science Center in Fort Worth. Her resignation will be effective at the end of the month after more than two years in the role.
The Board of Regents accepted her resignation by mutual agreement. Trent-Adams took on the presidency in September 2022. They praised her commitment and professionalism during her time there.
In the interim, Dr. Kirk Calhoun has been appointed as the acting president starting February 1. Calhoun previously served as president of the University of Texas at Tyler until he retired last year.
The reason for Trent-Adams’ departure isn’t clear at the moment. The Health Science Center hasn’t provided additional comments after being approached for clarification.
This announcement comes after a troubling investigation by NBC News. The report revealed that the Health Science Center’s Willed Body Program often used unclaimed bodies for research without obtaining proper consent from family members. The investigation highlighted multiple failures in contacting families before declaring bodies unclaimed, leading to distress for some families who discovered their loved ones were used for medical research long after the fact.
The NBC News report noted that many of these unclaimed bodies were disproportionately Black men, individuals with mental health issues, or those experiencing homelessness. In some cases, families faced difficulties in being located or struggled with the costs of burial.
Initially, the university defended its practices, but following the NBC investigation, it decided to suspend the Willed Body Program. In their statement, they acknowledged that the program did not meet the necessary standards of care and respect.
Trent-Adams has a long career in public health, beginning in 1992 when she joined the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She retired in 2020 at the rank of Rear Admiral Upper Half.
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