This month was incredible for our school! Not only for our fourth-year medical students who matched to excellent residency programs here and across the country but also for our doctors who were celebrated on National Doctors' Day for the extraordinary work they do every day.
I want to thank our physicians and medical staff for their outstanding dedication and contributions to our school, patients, and the RGV community. The vital role you play in our patients' and families' lives has made a difference in healing and improving our communities.
During this month, we also had the opportunity to celebrate and participate in the announcement of ION's Dr. Ihsan Salloum as the Sujata G. Krishnan Endowed Chair in Neuroscience. Dr. Salloum leads the UTRGV Institute of Neuroscience and its work to transform brain health in the RGV. This generous endowment is instrumental to these efforts. Congratulations, Dr. Salloum!
Earlier this month, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez announced that The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley received a grant of over $1.7 million for healthcare workforce resiliency. Additionally, our very own Dr. Gladys Maestre also received a $2.9 million grant to continue with the remarkable multi-factor study investigation of Alzheimer's in Valley elders.
Lastly, we welcome Dr. Othman Ghribi, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Molecular Science as well as our new vice dean for Education, Dr. Jeremy Gibson. I know both will excel in there positions.
Thank you, SOM family, for the wonderful work you are doing.
Sincerely,
Michael B. Hocker, MD, MHS
Dean, School of Medicine
Senior Vice President, UT Health RGV
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UT Health RGV Providers recognized on National Doctors' Day – Celebrated March 30th
On National Doctors' Day, our UT Health RGV doctors and medical staff members received a sweet treat as a small token of appreciation for their extraordinary contributions to the lives of individuals within our Rio Grande Valley community. From all of us here at the UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV, thank you for all that you do!
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UTRGV medical student headed to Mass General, teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, for residency |
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First-generation college graduate, Valley native battled doubt
In honor of National Doctors’ Day 2022 – marked on March 30 this year – a UTRGV School of Medicine fourth-year med student, Adriana Saavedra-Simmons, shared her own journey to becoming a doctor and her plans for giving back to her community as a physician.
Saavedra-Simmons is headed to Massachusetts General Hospital - Harvard Medical School, after matching March 18 to that institution’s internal medicine residency program. It was what she had hoped for, as she sees internal medicine as an opportunity to be a leader and advocate for her patients.
Then, she wants to come home to the Valley to help her community.
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UTRGV announced ION’s Salloum as the Sujata G. Krishnan Endowed Chair in Neuroscience |
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UTRGV officially announces appointment of Dr. Ihsan Salloum as endowed chair in the Institute of Neuroscience
The university made the official announcement March 21, 2022, at the Rio Bank Building in McAllen.
The gift was named in honor of Sujata G. Krishnan, daughter of mid-Valley physicians Drs. Subram and Elizabeth Krishnan, as an award to a prestigious scholar in the field of neuroscience.
Salloum, director of the UTRGV School of Medicine’s Institute of Neuroscience and chair of the UTRGV Department of Neuroscience, expressed his gratitude to the Drs. Krishnan for their support.
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UT Health RGV's Gomez talks about neurology for Multiple Sclerosis Month |
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UT Health RGV neurologist discusses MS and the efforts to serve the Valley for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
Dr. Francisco Pascual Gomez, a multiple sclerosis specialist, assistant professor of Neurology, and Neurology clerkship director at the UTRGV School of Medicine, is one of just two specialists in the Valley focused on MS.
MS is a disorder of the central nervous system in which the immune system damages myelin, the protective covering of nerves.
"In basic terms, multiple sclerosis causes inflammation in the brain or spinal cord, even in the optic nerves,” Gomez said. “That inflammation causes damage and leads to disability if not treated early."
Most often, it is younger adults who tend to be diagnosed with the disease.
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UTRGV fourth-year medical students celebrate Match Day 2022 |
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The UTRGV School of Medicine’s Class of 2022 celebrated Match Day
This year marked the third Match Day for the UTRGV School of Medicine – and the first as dean of the School of Medicine for Dr. Michael B. Hocker.
Leaders said this was the most diverse class yet, with students from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Turkey, England. A broad range are from across the United States, and many are from Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.
Match Day is a National Day of Transition, when fourth-year medical students open and read their letters from the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). The NRMP matches graduating students with available training positions at health systems around the country.
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MedEd Teaching Certificate Program presents Innovation Capstone |
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MedEd Teaching Certificate Program inaugural cohort presented their Medical Education Innovation Capstones
The program participants for the MedEd Teaching Certificate are leading best teaching practices and making a difference in our school community.
This MedEd Teaching Certificate program aims to enhance the professional development of clinical full-time and clinical volunteer faculty members as medical educators. Participants embark on a nine-month journey that embraces best teaching practices. Through this journey participants receive instruction from experts, experience an interactive approach to education, and have the opportunity to develop a medical educational innovation through in-depth coursework, collaboration, and group discussions.
Please join us in congratulating the MedEd participants for being advocates of best medical education teaching practices. For program details or questions, email Karina Madrigal, EdD MA, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics & Director of Faculty Development karina.madrigal@utrgv.edu.
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High schoolers test knowledge, learn about neurology, at second UTRGV Brain Bee |
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High schoolers from across the Valley participated in the UTRGV SOM's Brain Bee competition
It wasn’t your average Saturday morning.
Destiny Salinas, a junior from La Joya Juarez Lincoln High School in Mission, was busy cramming her own brain with information about the brain – not for an exam, but for a competition.
Dr. Michael Dobbs, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the UTRGV School of Medicine, before the competition began told the 25 high school students – from La Joya, Edinburg and Brownsville – that there is still so much left to discover about brain health and commended them for their interest in the field.
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Congressman Gonzalez announces grant of over $1.7 million to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for healthcare workforce resiliency |
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U.S. HHS gives grant for healthcare workforce resiliency
Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) will receive a grant of over $1.7 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for healthcare workforce resiliency.
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UTRGV researcher investigating Alzheimer’s in Valley’s elders awarded $2.9 million for multi-factor study |
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Dr. Maestre awarded $2.9 million for multi-factor study
In deep South Texas, where two counties have the highest rate of Alzheimer’s Disease in the country, Dr. Gladys Maestre’s research on the brain is motivated by the Hispanic population’s focus on its elders – and their memory loss.
Funded by a $2.9 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, Maestre plans to go door-to-door, starting in Brownsville, to identify more than 2,500 seniors with Alzheimer’s and invite them to participate in the study.
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Meet the nurse who administered the first COVID-19 shot in the RGV |
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Dr. Nelson reflects on the early days of the pandemic
It’s no secret the valley is full of remarkable women. One of those is Dr. Linda Nelson who has made the Rio Grande Valley her home.
Nelson is in charge of clinical operations for UTRGV’S School of Medicine and was the first person in the entire Valley to administer the COVID-19 vaccine when it first arrived.
She tells ValleyCentral that knowing she was the first to administer the vaccine hasn’t slowed her down in her work, even reflecting on the early days of the pandemic.
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New SOM vice dean for education -
Dr. Jeremy Gibson
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Dr. Gibson named vice dean for Education - started April 1st
Dr. Gibson will serve as the new Vice Dean for Education. In this leadership role, Dr. Gibson will oversee the School of Medicine’s medical education program, student affairs, graduate medical education and continuing medical education programs, and lead our accreditation efforts.
Welcome Dr. Jeremy Gibson!
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New faculty in pharmacology -
Dr. Othman Ghribi
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Please welcome Dr. O. Ghribi.
We welcome our new faculty in pharmacology and thank him for being part of our UTRGV School of Medicine family. Dr. Othman Ghribi, Ph.D., will be a professor in the Department of Molecular Science.
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Dikachi Osaji, first-year medical student |
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Meet UTRGV first-year medical student Dikachi Osaji
A Dallas, Texas native, Osaji joined UTRGV after a brief stint on the East Coast, where she graduated from Johns Hopkins University.
Osaji was inspired to pursue a career in medicine from her experience of seeing people suffer because of a lack of access to essential healthcare services.
"I want to be the change I wanted to see in my community," Osaji said. "I knew I wanted to be a doctor since I was a child. I've always wanted to be a doctor. The thought of anything else never interested me. Growing up, I told everyone I would be a doctor and an actor, two things I'm blessed to say that I am actively pursuing."
Her interest in orthopedic surgery, propelled her to return to Texas to continue her medical education training at UTRGV.
She explains that she was inspired to become an orthopedist because of the ability to fix deformities and knowing that a physician's work in the operating room can have a lasting impact on patients' quality of life.
"I believe this in orthopedic surgery and hope to be the type of physician that understands the wholistic nature of the patient's lived experience," Osaji said. "I also believe that pain is often an overlooked personal experience, especially in the infant and child population."
Most specifically, pediatric pain is an area of research Osaji is most interested in. With her past research experiences in Child Development at Johns Hopkins University and in the Department of Pain Management at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, she has acquired the foundation to explore this interest further.
"I want to understand how children perceive and experience pain differently from adults. As well as finding clinical applications that can be implemented to reduce the pain experience in children post orthopedic surgery," Osaji said.
This summer, Osaji will be returning to conduct research on a study focusing on orthopedic pain in spine surgery patients at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management in partnership with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.
She is also an actor, currently on the subscription-based streaming platform Netflix.
"You can watch me in Castle and Castle, a Nigerian Law drama," Osaji said, "And hopefully in more things to come. I want to be the first Academy Award-winning doctor."
We thank Osaji for her dedication to improving patient care and experience and applaud her research work in renowned institutions.
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SOM participates in Battle of the Colleges |
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UTRGV School of Medicine partook in Battle of the Colleges
As part of the UTRGV 2022 Homecoming activities, the UTRGV School of Medicine participated in Battle of the Colleges. Also in attendance at the activities were SOM leadership including Dean, Dr. Michael B. Hocker, UT Health RGV Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Dobbs, and UT Health RGV Vice President, Michael Patriarca.
Dr. Hocker and first-year medical student, Cameron Caldwell participated in the halftime free throw contest.
Great way to show our vaquero school spirit!
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Click below to see School of Medicine and University-wide events. |
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The University of Texas
Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
Phone: (956) 296-1900
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