The facility will include access to underserved specialties and expand the cancer research already being conducted at UTRGV's School of Medicine  

UTRGV and community leaders on Friday morning broke ground on the much-anticipated UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center, centrally located in the 495 Commerce Center complex in McAllen. 

The 145,000-square-foot facility will include: 

• UT Health RGV Cancer Center: Medical Oncology, Infusion, Radiation Oncology and Clinical Research Unit.
• UT Health RGV Surgery Center.
• UT Health RGV Diagnostic Imaging.
• UT Health RGV Orthopedics.
• UT Health RGV Rehab & Physical Therapy.
• UT Health RGV Clinical Laboratory.
• Conference, Education and Administrative Core. 
• Cafe and Reflection Area.

The UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center is part of the phase one development of UTRGV's McAllen Academic Medical Campus, which will spread across 38 acres at 1400 N. Commerce Center St. in McAllen.

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The UTRGV School of Medicine's Office of Student Health & Wellness provides Counseling and Crisis Intervention Services to medical students 

Since 2003, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month has been a somber reminder of the need for an annual mental health check.  

Every Sept., world health organizations mark their collaboration to raise awareness that suicide can be averted.  

Dr. Alcides Amador, MD, a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, assistant professor and psychiatry clerkship director for the Department of Psychiatry at the UTRGV School of Medicine, said suicide prevention is an important topic that is not discussed nearly often enough.  

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The UTRGV School of Medicine's Institute for Neuroscience, ION, conducts clinical and scientific research to help create better treatments and improve people’s life

September is National Recovery Month, which aims to educate the community on substance use treatment and the mental health services available to empower those with a mental disorder and substance dependency.   

Dr. Ihsan Salloum – the Sujata G. Krishnan Endowed Chair, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long distinguished professor in Neuroscience, founding chair of the UTRGV Department of Neuroscience, and director of the Institute for Neuroscience (ION) at the UTRGV School of Medicine – said both mental and substance disorders are brain diseases that can be treated medically.  

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UTRGV School of Medicine researchers support current investigations from the UTRGV School of Social Work focused on Hispanic family caregivers and technology use

A UTRGV researcher is seeking participants for a research study about a family situation common in the Rio Grande Valley: caring for an elder with Alzheimer's Disease.

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"It's not easy to care for any individual, but talking to her and seeing her well gives me some relief," said Jiang, a research scientist with the UTRGV School of Medicine's Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research.  

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Jiang got suggestions and support for her study from multiple UTRGV scholars working on similar Alzheimer's research, including Dr. Gladys E. Maestre, Dr. Michael Mahaney, Dr. Eron Manusov, Dr. Luis R. Torres-Hostos, Dr. John Gonzalez, Dr. Romeo Escobar and Dr. Rosa Pirela Mavarez. 

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The UTRGV School of Medicine's research opportunities continue to expand 

Dr. Manish K. Tripathi, assistant professor of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology and member of the South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research (STCECR), has been awarded a $750,000, four-year award from NIH/NIGMS on the topic "Role of lncRNA UCA1 in anoikis resistance and colorectal cancer metastasis."

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second deadliest cancer, and patients' survival rate drops from 90% to 14% when cancer metastasizes to distant organs. This project will investigate the role of a long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) in anoikis resistance and CRC metastasis.

Dr. Tirpathi's study will provide new insights into Colorectal Cancer metastasis and help develop innovative therapeutics to improve patients' survival and train Hispanic underserved minority students at UTRGV. 

Seven students from the UTRGV Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Human Genetics program began their journey to becoming researchers

This is the first cohort of students in the new graduate program, which launched this year.

The class, made up of three women and four men, had the opportunity to tour the facilities that will be made available to them throughout their four-year program and got to meet UTRGV School of Medicine faculty and staff.

The human genetics doctoral training program's objective is to develop students into well-prepared, independent scientists with the intention that their research discoveries will directly impact the health of the local population.

UTRGV School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry Interim Chair, Dr. Diana Chapa, participated in The City of Edinburg's Public Safety Conference 

The conference took place at Region One and was an opportunity to engage in positive dialogue with the community regarding mental health, public safety, and campus safety response.

The conference was a collaborative effort put on by The Edinburg Police Department in conjunction with The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Tropical Texas Behavioral Health.

On Wednesday, October 5, the UTRGV School of Medicine held its annual Sorting Ceremony for the Class of 2022

The celebratory event brings together all four UTRGV SOM houses to connect and sort the newest class into their respective houses. 

The Class of 2022 was sorted into one of four UTRGV School of Medicine Houses:

• Blackwell
• Maimonides
• Osler
• Galen

The academic houses were established in 2016 to enhance the activities, opportunities, and relationships students encounter beyond the formal curriculum. Each medical student is assigned to one of four houses, along with interested faculty and staff.

The academic houses aim to combine formal and informal learning activities while developing students' professional, leadership, team building, service, and cultural competency skills.

Meet UTRGV MS2, Courtney Austin     

Name: Courtney Austin

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Year in Medical School and Graduation Class Year: MS2 (Class of 2025)

Undergraduate School: The University of Texas at Austin

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

• Student Engagement Chair for the Dermatology Interest Group
• Social Chair of the Association for Women in Surgery
• Medical Students for Choice
• Walk with a Future Doc organization
• AHEC Scholar
• Head of Galen House
• Member of the Careers in Medicine Advisory Board
• UTRGV SOM Student Ambassador.  

What inspired you to become a doctor? When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?

Jokingly enough, Grey's Anatomy influenced my path toward becoming a physician. However, I was also inspired by spending my childhood in the doctor's office. As a deaf child, it was easy to think something was wrong with me. I was not like the other kids and did not act like the other kids. I spent much time with physicians who made me feel like I could do and be anything. Plus, I thought everything they did was incredible. There was a brief period when I thought medicine was not a good fit for me. I tried to find the same passion and joy in other things, but nothing was as fulfilling as medicine. The turning point was when my dad and I were in a car wreck a few years ago. It took him nearly a year to fully recover from his injuries. In that year, I experienced the highs and lows of patient care and advocacy and the moans and groans of our healthcare system. It inspired me to take the initiative in my goals and use that experience to make a difference, whether large or small. 

Learn More About Austin Here.

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