May 2025

Here's a recap of all the School of Medicine events that recently took place!

News and Events

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✌️Stay informed and connected with the latest from the UTRGV School of Medicine!

UTRGV SOM Organizational Update with President Bailey

The UTRGV SOM Organizational Update Meeting with President Guy Bailey covered a wide range of topics related to the university's reorganization, expansion of medical facilities, and strategic planning for the future of the health affairs division and clinical enterprise.

UTRGV will establish a Division of Health Affairs, which will (1) help grow UT Health RGV and ensure the participation of all health-related programs and (2) create a stronger framework for collaboration and impact among those programs.

Led by an executive vice president, the division will align the Schools of Medicine, Podiatric Medicine, Nursing, Optometry (launching 2027, pending accreditation), and the College of Health Professions. The goal is for the division to boost interdisciplinary learning, enhance patient care, and support UT Health RGV's growing clinical services, including the upcoming Cancer and Surgery Center and Diabetes Center of Excellence.

The goal is to have the division fully in place by the start of the new academic year, ready to enhance collaboration and advance healthcare education and service across the Valley.

By uniting UTRGV's health programs under one vision, it hopes to strengthen the ability to educate, innovate, and serve—ensuring a healthier future for our community.

These changes are expected to occur in the summer and be completed in August.

Read Dr. Bailey's message here for more information.

UTRGV Honored at Texas Capitol Ahead of 10-Year Anniversary

On Thursday, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) received an early birthday gift from the Texas Legislature, which passed a resolution honoring the university’s upcoming 10th anniversary.

TMA’s White Coat Tuesday

UTRGV School of Medicine students participated in advocacy at the Texas Capitol during TMA’s White Coat Tuesday, highlighting the importance of healthcare access, medical education, and the future of medicine in South Texas.

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, Representative Armando Martinez, Representative Bobby Guerra, and Senator Adam Hinojosa showed their continued commitment to supporting the next generation of physicians in the RGV.

Their support means everything to the future of healthcare in our communities.

Happy Doctor's Day

We recently celebrated our incredible doctors at the UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV on National Doctors' Day. We're grateful daily for your exceptional care and commitment to our community. Here are some memorable moments -- Thankyou for all that you do!

Welcome Back Weekend

The UTRGV School of Medicine hosted a Welcome Back Weekend – a weekend event for an opportunity for prospective students – all of whom have been offered a spot in the 55 seats in the seventh cohort – to get another look at the university and its medical school before making a final decision about where to study medicine.

Prospective students visited UTRGV School of Medicine’s various buildings on the Edinburg Campus. They also participated in the important presentation and received valuable information alongside their loved ones, who also partook in the weekend affair. Among this presentation, they were also able to be part of a white coat fitting.

White Coat Connect

High school seniors from South Texas ISD Medical Professions High School participated in White Coat Connect, an event centered on sharing a glimpse into the life of a future physician during their visit to the UTRGV School of Medicine.

From interactive clinical skills demos to an anatomy lab session with Dr. Ricardo Belmares, assistant professor of the Department of Medical Education, and Dr. Park, Anatomy Lab Service supervisor, students experienced hands-on learning guided by our SOM student ambassadors.

The Office of Admissions also shared insight into the admissions process and early assurance programs like JAMP and Vaqueros MD. Inspiring the next generation of healthcare leaders starts here -- thank you to those who participated and made this event possible!

Wellness Consortium Kick-Off

Wellness Week at the UTRGV School of Medicine was successfully kicked-off through engaging "Coffee and Conversations" sessions held at the Edinburg and Harlingen campuses.

These sessions provided a welcoming environment for colleagues to connect and discuss wellness initiatives. Two of the featured "Wellness Talks" were facilitated by Dr. Beatriz Tapia, associate dean of Faculty Affairs, and Dr. Susan Matulevicius, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, who offered valuable insights into maintaining personal and professional well-being.

This initiative is part of a broader collaborative construct involving Undergraduate Medical Education (UME), Graduate Medical Education (GME), and Faculty Affairs, emphasizing the shared commitment to wellness across the academic medicine community.

While inclement weather unfortunately caused the cancellation of the Brownsville "Coffee and Conversations," this event will be rescheduled for this important session soon.

Thank you to everyone who participated and supported this week of wellness activities.

MedEd Midpoint Update

MedEd Teaching Certificate scholars have reached the halfway mark of the six-month program. Since the beginning of this year, they have participated in interactive sessions—including The Science of Learning and Medical Education in the Age of AI—that have fostered meaningful dialogue around evidence-based teaching practices for clinical and basic science faculty.

During the program's midpoint, the participating scholars presented their draft capstone projects to incorporate innovative teaching practices into everyday teaching. The final capstone presentations will be conducted during the program's graduation on June 24.

Thank you to all medical school leadership, guest presenters, and departments whose support has been instrumental to the program's success!

Celebrating Administrative Professionals Day

We sincerely appreciate the outstanding administrative professionals at the UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV. Your dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence are the backbone of our daily operations, and today we celebrate YOU.

New Hires -- Welcome!

Vicente Bautista, PA

Family Medicine Physician Assistant

Uttam Udayan, MD, MBBS,

Assistant Professor of Medical Education

Student Spotlight

Meet UTRGV MS2, Astrid-Ines Foamkom

The UTRGV School of Medicine is a practicing academic medical institution. What aspect of Academic Medicine impacts you the most?

Though I am a big advocate for research, I fell in love with the practical aspects of medicine. As a first-year student, I find seeing the benefits of clinical skills or anatomy and physiology lectures hard. However, during the summer, I had a chance to implement what I learned. I performed clinical maneuvers, helped write prescription drugs, assisted with rehabilitation, and much more (under a licensed physician’s supervision and approval, of course). As mentioned, what I learned at the UTRGV School of Medicine did not click until I did it myself. While I still have lots to learn, the experience of that kind of training was worth the hours upon hours of lectures.

Learn more about Foamkom here.

UTRGV Newsroom