Dean Michael B. Hocker was joined by Dr. Michael Dobbs, Dr. Gladys Maestre, Dr. Kelsey Baker, and other renowned researchers at the UT System Brain Research Summit

The University of Texas System hosted the Austin summit from November 7-8 to bring together the tremendous clinical and basic neuroscience research across the UT academic and health institutions.

The summit brought together state and national leaders in brain research to discuss the opportunities and challenges they are experiencing and how to find solutions for the future of neuroscience.

Thank you to our UTRGV School of Medicine leaders who attended and represented the Rio Grande Valley.

UTRGV School of Medicine symposium spotlights area health disparities, focuses on opioid and alcohol use disorders

To address health disparities in the Rio Grande Valley and across the nation, the UTRGV School of Medicine hosted its annual Research Symposium over two days

The symposium was made possible through a grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse, which funds research on substance use at the UTRGV School of Medicine's Institute for Neuroscience (ION) – this year's host for the symposium. 

Ihsan Salloum – the Sujata G. Krishnan Endowed Chair and Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long distinguished professor in Neuroscience, founding chair of the Department of Neuroscience, director of the ION, and chair of the Research Symposium Scientific Committee – spoke on the importance of hosting events like this research symposium. 

ADDRESSING RGV HEALTH DISPARITIES

"Disparities in healthcare is a broad area and, unfortunately, the Valley is one of the areas that suffer more than most when it comes to providing treatment for people with a mental disorder, as well as substance use disorder," Salloum said. 

The central theme for this year's conference highlighted those health disparities as they pertain to the Valley and other border communities.

Read More Here.

Maestre will be among the world's leaders in dementia research as they gather to discuss solutions in December in Nairobi, Kenya  

Dr. Gladys E. Maestre, director of the UTRGV School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, will join some of the leading global dementia researchers at the Dementia and Brain Aging in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) meeting in December in Nairobi, Kenya.

Participants will share their research and discuss the prevalence, risk factors, diagnosis, assessment and care of Alzheimer's and dementia in low- and middle-income countries. 

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Registration for the Dementia and Brain Aging in LMIC conference is open. A working agenda of presentation topics is available here.

Read More Here.

Marco Arriaga is a first-generation student at UTRGV and is one of six students within the first cohort of the School of Medicine’s Human Genetics Ph.D. program 

There are a lot of firsts for Marco Arriaga. 

He is proud to be a first-generation student at UTRGV and proud to be in the first cohort of the university’s Human Genetics Ph.D. program.  

As the eldest of three siblings raised across the border in Mexico, Arriaga knew he had to be a leader.  

“I was born in Brownsville, Texas but raised in Matamoros, Mexico,” Arriaga said. “My grandparents were factory workers in Mexico. My parents were hard workers, as well, but neither of them was able to get a college degree. So, I am the first to go to college in my family.”  

Arriaga graduated from UTRGV in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, followed by a master’s degree in biology in 2018. And he did it all while maintaining a full-time job.  

Read More Here.

The Office of Faculty Affairs welcomed the second cohort for the MedEd Teaching Certificate Program on Tuesday, October 10, 2022

This program aims to enhance the professional development of clinical full-time and clinical volunteer faculty members as medical educators. Participants will embark on a nine-month journey that embraces best teaching practices. 

Through this journey, participants will receive instruction from experts, experience an interactive approach to education, and have the opportunity to develop an educational innovation through in-depth coursework, collaboration, and group discussions.

Please join us in congratulating the MedEd participants for being advocates of the best medical education teaching practices.

For program details or questions, email Karina Madrigal, EdD MA, assistant dean for Interprofessional Education, director for MedEd Teaching Certificate Program, and assistant professor for Pediatrics.

The ION continues the School of Medicine's mission to bring advanced neurology care to the Rio Grande Valley through research, education, and clinical care

For the last year, the UTRGV Institute of Neuroscience has been a hub for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary clinical care, research, education, and community partnership with a central goal: transforming brain health in the Valley and beyond. 

This year, ION has provided dedicated space to treat brain, spinal, and nerve diseases and research them.

The dedicated team of research physicians has utilized the facility to learn more about diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis for individuals of all ages. 

Additionally, within the last year, the team at ION has been able to provide leading-edge specialty services and procedures, including diagnostic imagining, advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), high-resolution CT scanning, and positron emission tomography (PET).

Congratulations to the team at ION for the progress that has been made this year alone in terms of brain health.

Dr. Adela Valdez, associate dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity has been awarded the Texas Academy of Family Physicians Diversity and Health Equity Leadership Award

Dr. Valdez received the award during TAFP’s Annual Session and Primary Care Summit in Grapevine on Oct. 29.

The award honors physicians who advocate for health equity, encourage increased representation from groups historically underrepresented in medicine, and promote inclusivity in healthcare settings and organized medicine.

Congratulations to Dr. Adela Valdez on this recognition!

Read More Here.

Internal Medicine Residents participate in Texas American College of Physicians Annual Meeting

Congratulations to the UTRGV School of Medicine students, Internal Medicine residents, and faculty who participated in the Texas American College of Physicians 2022 annual meeting in Dallas

UTRGV School of Medicine medical students and Internal Medicine residents presented competition posters in clinical vignettes, quality improvement, and research, including an award-winning abstract by medical student Asma Syed.

Dr. Carlos Ramos and Dr. Michelle Lopez led a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Skills for Internists through small group learning and hands-on training. Dr. Chelsea Chang co-chaired the annual meeting and was awarded the Early Career Physician Leader 2021-2022.

Congratulations to the team for representing the Rio Grande Valley and the UTRGV School of Medicine.

Meet UTRGV MS2, Asma Syed     

Name: Asma Syed

Hometown: San Antonio, TX

Year in Medical School and Graduation Class Year: MS2, Class of 2025

Undergraduate School:

• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Emory University
• Master of Medical Sciences from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth

Do you serve on any student interest groups/organizations/activities? If so, which one(s)?

I am a student podcaster on the UTRGV School of Medicine Wellness podcast, the Wellness Committee Resilience chair, the Student Run Clinic community outreach co-chair, part of the Prefect for Maimonides Academic House, and the secretary for the Internal Medicine Interest Group. 

What inspired you to become a doctor? When did you know you wanted to be a doctor? Growing up, some of the most impactful people in my community were physicians. I did not realize when I was young that I witnessed the dedication, passion, and grit needed to succeed in medicine rubbing off in other aspects of these doctors' lives. I looked up to this community of doctors for their leadership and prayed that someday I would know enough to earn the respect and trust of the people I love the most and to help them in their time of need, through sickness, and in health. I studied ethics as an undergrad and realized that my love of science and passion for thinking deeply about how I could leave this world a better place could be combined with medicine. 

Learn More About Syed Here.

Here's a look at what our UTRGV School of Medicine faculty have been working on relating to life-changing research and discoveries.