Dr. Wilsie Bishop, Vice President for Health Affairs and Professor Emeritus, retired as Senior Vice President for Academics and Interim Provost at East Tennessee State University in 2021. Throughout her career at ETSU, Bishop served in positions that allowed her to advocate for the ETSU ROTC program both for students and institutionally. After 11 years of serving as Dean of the College of Public and Allied Health, she was appointed Vice President for Administration and Chief Operating Officer of the University in 2005. In 2007, she transitioned to Vice President for Health Affairs, becoming the first non-physician to hold the VPHA title, with oversight of the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Clinical & Rehabilitative Health Sciences. In this position, she embraced and led the university’s Interprofessional Education Initiative (IPE) and team-based care that embodies the future of quality health care delivery. The Interprofessional Education and Research Center (Building 60) on the Veterans Administration campus is a physical symbol of the IPE vision becoming reality. This building was named “Bishop Hall” in her honor. She also oversaw the launch of the ETSU Health brand in 2019, which unified the educational, clinical and research pursuits of ETSU’s health sciences colleges, more than 250 providers and thirty-five clinical sites.
A lifelong student, Bishop received her Doctor of Public Administration degree from
the University of Southern California from which she also earned a Master of Public
Administration and a Master of Education. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing
and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has
been recognized by both of her alma maters for her career achievements. In 2013, she
was inducted into the Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame recognizing a career that uplifted
and supported women. She is a 2023 inductee into the Tennessee Healthcare Hall of
Fame.
Bishop’s involvement with the military and ROTC began in 1971 when she married CPT
Paul Bishop who served in Korea, Vietnam, and West Germany. His first assignment after
their marriage was to the ROTC unit at Western Kentucky University. Their son, COL
Joe Bishop, was born at the 97th Army Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany and now serves
as a Military Aide to the Assistant Secretary Defense.In December 2021, Secretary
of Defense Lloyd Austin appointed Dr. Bishop to the Defense Health Board (DHB) and
as Chair the DHB Public Health Subcommittee.