Congratulations to the UTRGV School of Medicine Research Office and the Department of Medicine & Oncology for hosting a successful “2^nd International Conference on Cancer Health Disparities at the UTRGV SOM Research Symposium.” This event brought stakeholders from diverse disciplines together to address critical health disparity issues affecting minority, underserved populations.

The Research Symposium, held at the Mission Event Center, served as a dynamic platform for meaningful dialogue, collaboration, and the showcasing of 139 oral and poster research presentations conducted by School of Medicine medical students, residents, faculty, fellows, staff, UTRGV community, and national and international participants.

The symposium attracted participants from academia, community organizations, and healthcare sectors, fostering a rich blend of perspectives and expertise. Close to 200 participants from several countries actively engaged in discussions over two days, covering topics such as cancer research and treatment, other biomedical research, and health disparities worldwide. Attendees heard from over 32 guest speakers who explored various topics related to cancer research and treatment, cancer health disparities, and other biomedical research.

The event was chaired by Dr. Subhash Chauhan and co-chaired by Dr. Everardo Cobos and Dr. Murali M. Yallapu. The gathering served as a vital platform for clinicians and scientists to collaborate in the global fight against cancer.

Thank you to all participants for their active involvement and valuable scientific contributions!

Dr. Everardo Cobos presented at the Staff Senate General Meeting to inform the UTRGV community about the development of the upcoming cancer center in the Rio Grande Valley, the UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center. He emphasized its potential to address the high incidence of liver cancer in the Latino population.

Dr. Cobos highlighted the work at the UTRGV School of Medicine to develop new cancer treatments and the importance of oncology research. He also discussed the factors contributing to the higher incidence of cancer in the RGV, including genetic and lifestyle factors, emphasizing the need for education and access to healthcare.

Additionally, he discussed cancer research and treatment efforts in South Texas, including the upcoming UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center's data-gathering efforts and the increasing incidence of cancer.

Thank you for you, Dr. Cobos!

The UTRGV School of Medicine hosted its 6th Annual Education Collaboration for Aspiring Health Professionals (ECAHP) competition earlier this month, inviting high school students to develop creative solutions for healthcare challenges in rural communities.

Organized by School of Medicine students and the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program, this day-long event featured eight high school teams. These teams tackled real-world health issues, devising solutions to improve health outcomes in South Texas.

Meet UTRGV MS4, Johnny Chen

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



The research aspect of academic medicine interests me the most. The research literature is vast and genuinely molds you into a life-long learner because it helps you understand how basic science molecular concepts can translate into clinically relevant therapeutics. Research provides the backbone for much of what we will do as future physicians. 



Learn more about Chen here.

Ihsan Salloum, MD, MPH

Founding Chair, Department of Neuroscience and Director, Institute of Neuroscience

When did you join the UTRGV School of Medicine?

I started officially working in May 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I traveled to the Valley, interrupting my trip to Japan, to be present at the Institute of Neuroscience (ION) Groundbreaking ceremony in Harlingen on November 6, 2019, and witnessed the construction and then the inauguration of the ION on October 26, 2021. 

What brought you here?

I joined the UTRGV School of Medicine, anticipating the challenging and exciting opportunity to build a Department of Neuroscience dedicated to addressing brain diseases that affect the Rio Grande Valley Community. Working within a community of scientists, clinicians, and community stakeholders has been very rewarding. We have brought together and recruited to the Valley a group of scientists with different expertise in neurogenetics, neuroimaging, biomedical engineering, computer science with machine learning and artificial intelligence expertise, interventionists and clinical trialists, and experts in psychopharmacology. Building a multidisciplinary team will allow us to address the multifaceted complexities of studying brain diseases, advancing personalized medicine, and caring for people in the Valley within the context of social determinants of health.

What do you enjoy about working in academic medicine?

I am very grateful for having the opportunity to develop my career within academic medicine. It is a true privilege and honor to strive to be at the cutting edge of medicine so that we can provide the best possible care for our community, have the incredible privilege of educating the next generation of doctors and leaders in medicine, and be able to exercise our creativity and scientific knowledge to understand the disease process and develop new treatments. It is hard to think of a more consequential and transformative profession for community health and the person involved. Academic medicine is very rewarding in a meaningful way. It is difficult to top the genuine "thank you" from a patient you helped, the excellent and frequently life-long relationship you develop mentoring junior physicians and scientists, and, of course, the reward and satisfaction from scientific contributions, such as a discovery or new treatment developed. Academic medicine is for those who are compassionate about caring, generous in passing on their expertise and knowledge, and creative in developing new solutions and discoveries. 

Why is academic medicine important to our community?

Academic medicine is transformative to community health and the economy. This has been true for other parts of the country. The UTRGV School of Medicine, as the only academic medical center in the Valley, is poised to transform health and health care in the Valley. UTRGV graduating physicians are making the Valley home. I have dedicated a concerted effort to mentoring junior physician-scientists at the national level to attract them to the Valley. It is essential that we offer an environment that promotes growth to help incoming faculty flourish and develop integrated programs that excel in teaching, mentorship, research, and care. This is crucial to developing our academic medicine and to addressing major health issues affecting people in the Rio Grande Valley. 

How do you spend your free time? We very much enjoy nature and bird watching, the great Mexican food and cuisine, swimming, and walking with the best friend of humans - our dog.