May 29, 2025 - Rob Edwards (Advancing Kentucky Together Network)
Release Date: 05/29/2025
December 22, 2025 - Mitch Barnhart & Paul Archey (The Business of UK - Episode 003)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (December 22, 2025) – College athletics is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history, as Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities and revenue-sharing models reshape how universities support student-athletes. This week on “Behind the Blue, our recurring feature The Business of UK continues with an in-depth look at BBNIL, the University of Kentucky’s approach to NIL and its collaboration with JMI Sports. On this episode, UK Executive Vice President for Finance and...
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December 18, 2025 - Paul Archey (The Business of UK - Episode 002)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (December 18, 2025) – Strategic partnerships play a critical role in supporting the University of Kentucky’s mission, particularly in athletics, where revenue generation, fan engagement and long-term planning are increasingly complex. These complexities are well understood by Paul Archey, president of JMI Sports, the multimedia rights partner for UK Athletics and the university. On this week’s episode of “Behind the Blue,” Archey joins UK Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and Co-Executive Vice President for Health...
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December 18, 2025 - Eric Monday (The Business of UK - Episode 001)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (December 18, 2025) – Across the Commonwealth, the University of Kentucky fulfills its land-grant mission through teaching, research, service and health care — from students discovering their passions, to researchers making breakthroughs, to clinicians providing critical care in communities of every size. But behind the work that most Kentuckians see is a complex network of decisions, partnerships and operational systems that keep the university and UK HealthCare running every day. This week, we’re launching a new...
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December 11, 2025 - Ellen London & Family (UK Family Connections)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (December 11, 2025) – There’s a first time for everything — and on Friday, 71-year-old University of Kentucky College of Education graduate Ellen London will experience a significant first: attending a graduation ceremony to accept a diploma. Ellen, who just earned her second master’s degree, didn’t attend the commencement ceremonies for her bachelor’s or first master’s degrees at other universities. She didn’t even attend her own high school graduation, saying she was “too shy” to be in the spotlight. As she dons a cap and gown for the first time and...
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December 5, 2025 - Dr. Edward Cantu (UK HealthCare's lung transplant program)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (December 5, 2025) – Kentucky has one of the nation’s highest burdens of chronic lung disease, a challenge intensified by smoking prevalence, occupational exposures and limited access to specialized care in rural communities. As UK HealthCare looks to expand its services for those with advanced lung conditions, a new leader is helping to guide that effort. Dr. Edward Cantu recently joined the University of Kentucky as director of the UK HealthCare Lung Transplantation Program and the thoracic surgery division. A surgeon whose path has taken him from Columbia University to...
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November 21, 2025 - Paul McKinney (UK Invests)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (November 21, 2025) – As the cost of higher education continues to challenge students and families nationwide, the University of Kentucky is taking a different approach — one that goes beyond tuition and scholarships to equip students with long-term financial confidence. Since 2022, has helped students earn up to $500 each year by participating in activities tied to wellness, engagement, employability skills and financial literacy, with funds deposited directly into individual Fidelity investment accounts. For , UK’s Associate Vice President for Student Financial...
info_outline![November 14, 2025 - Dr. Scottie Day & Dr. Bethany Hodge (Kentucky Children's Hospital becomes Golisano Children's at UK) [ENCORE] show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/195456615?height=50&width=50)
November 14, 2025 - Dr. Scottie Day & Dr. Bethany Hodge (Kentucky Children's Hospital becomes Golisano Children's at UK) [ENCORE]
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (November 14, 2025) – THIS IS AN ENCORE EPISODE. When we think about children’s health, we often picture checkups, vaccinations, and the day-to-day care families receive from their pediatricians. But in Kentucky, the conversation goes much deeper. From rural access to care, to systemic poverty, to the lingering effects of the opioid epidemic, children across the Commonwealth face challenges that begin long before they step into a doctor’s office. At the same time, what was known as Kentucky Children’s Hospital — now newly renamed , following a historic $50 million...
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November 7, 2025 - Sarah Geegan & CC Rhein (QPR Training & Suicide Prevention)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (November 7, 2025) – Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people in Kentucky, but University of Kentucky faculty and students are working to change that through a simple, yet powerful idea: communication saves lives. Sarah Geegan, assistant professor in the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication, and C.C. Rhein, a junior ISC major and Gaines Fellow, are leading outreach and education efforts promoting QPR — Question, Persuade, Refer — a national training program that teaches anyone how to recognize warning signs, ask difficult...
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October 30, 2025 - Dr. Shari Meyerson & Dr. Mansi Shah (Robotic Lung Cancer Screening & Treatment)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (October 30, 2025) – Kentucky continues to face one of the highest rates of lung cancer in the nation, but new advances at UK HealthCare are helping doctors shorten the time from diagnosis to life-saving treatment. Through the use of cutting-edge robotic systems, UK surgeons can now perform same-day biopsy and surgery for certain early-stage lung cancers — turning what was once weeks of waiting and anxiety into a single, coordinated procedure. Dr. Shari Meyerson, professor of surgery and division chief of thoracic surgery, and Dr. Mansi Shah, assistant professor in the...
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October 23, 2025 - Isabel Escobar (2025 Great Teacher)
Behind the Blue
LEXINGTON, Ky. (October 23, 2025) – The University of Kentucky Alumni Association started the Great Teacher Award program in 1961 to honor excellent teaching at the university. There have been more than 300 teachers honored since that first year. Nominations may only be submitted by current students. To receive the award, a candidate must: Hold the rank of full-time lecturer or above and have been a member of the faculty for the past three years at UK. Have superior knowledge of the subject matter. Have original and innovative classroom presentations. Demonstrate concern for...
info_outlineLEXINGTON, Ky. (May 29, 2025) – Health isn’t just about treating illness – it’s about access. It’s about education. It’s about the quality of life in every community across Kentucky.
In October 2024, the University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees made a bold statement: that UK should become the university that does more than any other in the country to improve the health of the state it serves.
The creation of a new initiative, the Advancing Kentucky Together Network, is the next step in UK’s long-standing work to tackle health disparities, boost regional economies, and build a stronger, more resilient workforce—all through deep and sustained community partnerships.
The Network “builds upon years of work we’ve done on the healthcare side,” said Rob Edwards, UK’s Vice President and Chief Strategy & Growth Officer for UK HealthCare, “building networks of healthcare providers and working together to improve clinical care for patients and to provide that care close to the patient’s home.”
The vision is rooted in Kentucky’s land-grant mission and UK’s history of stepping into real-world challenges with statewide impact.
For Edwards, the concept is straightforward: “I would say we’re taking a lot of long-time relationships that are built on trust…and so we’ve been able to find a model that works from both an expense standpoint and a health outcomes standpoint.”
On this episode of Behind the Blue, Edwards discusses the decades of partnership-building that laid the groundwork for this network, how strategic collaborations can meet local and statewide needs, and why UK is uniquely positioned to lead this effort.
‘Behind the Blue’ is available via a variety of podcast providers, including iTunes and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
Behind the Blue is a joint production of the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.
To discover how the University of Kentucky is advancing our Commonwealth, click here.