Dr. Gene Overholt attended UT from 1955 to 1957. He earned the MD from the UT Medical School and the MS from the University of Michigan in 1967. At UT his major was physics. He achieved international acclaim for the technique he developed to cure Barrett’s esophagus, Photofrin Photodynamic Therapy, with UT’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Masoud Paryehpour. The technique involves using a photosynthizing drug (Photofrin) and an argon dye laser. The drug is injected and concentrates in abnormal tissue. When the tissue is subsequently exposed to the laser light, the abnormal tissue is destroyed. In 1995, working with colleagues at Oak Ridge, he helped to develop a nonsurgical laser technique for determining whether esophageal tumors are benign or cancerous.
He served as a member of the Knoxville School Board (1972–87). He was editor of Office Endoscopy in 1990. Among his awards are the Schlinder Award of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (1975) and the William Beaumont Award from the American Medical Association (1986).