Hocker: When I arrived in the RGV I was ‘mortified’ by the high levels of cancer

MCALLEN, Texas – Dr. Michael B. Hocker, dean of UT-Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, said he was “mortified” when he learned of the high levels of cancer in the region. 

“When I got here, we were looking at, how can we help the Rio Grande Valley in clinical care? Of course, we can just bring doctors into clinics and see people, but what we saw in cancer was just appalling, to be honest with you,” Hocker said. 

Hocker made his comments in a speech at the 2025 State of RGV Real Estate forum, hosted by Edwards Abstract & Title Company. The event was held at the McAllen Convention Center. 

“As somebody who grew up in big cities and lived to places where all the resources were always there, I was mortified to see that about 60% of our patients in the Rio Grande Valley have got a cancer diagnosis,” Hocker said.

“They were leaving the Rio Grande Valley to go get their cancer care. As soon as they get that diagnosis… and many of you… every one of us probably can raise our hands and say we’ve had a loved one inflicted by cancer.  But you shouldn’t have to fight cancer. Cancer sucks. You should be at home getting that cancer taken care of.”

Hocker said that when he and his team looked at the numbers and the types of cancers here, they agreed they had to change this. 

“We’re going to change this on a research front. We’re going to train the next generation of physicians who are going to take care of cancer patients, and we’re going to take care of these people right here. So, we bought some land.”

An artist’s impression of what the UTRGV School of Medicine Cancer & Surgery Center will look like. (Photo credit: URGV)

Hocker said the SOM is building a 150,000 square foot building. It will be centrally located in the 495 Commerce Center complex in McAllen. The 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.

“This is going to be a full-service cancer center. We partnered with MD Anderson in an advisory role, and we’re going to we’re going to see patients. We can diagnose them; we can treat them. We’re going to have chemotherapy, radiation, full-service outpatient treatment, as well as a surgical center to help support that,” Hocker said.

“We’ll also have PTOT (physical therapy and occupational therapy). For those of you who don’t know, we’re going to be starting a school of physical therapy next year. We already have a school of occupational therapy. We are waiting for coordinating board approval to start a School of Optometry, which we hope to have stood up in two years. And this is where we will take care of a lot of those patients.”

Hocker said he hopes to open the cancer and surgery center early this spring.

“I want to tell you this story also about cancer patients in the Rio Grande Valley, I told you this story, if you have insurance, what do you do? You leave? What happens to the patient who doesn’t have insurance? They show up at the hospital, the clinics that do cancer care now. They’re not getting care; they’re going to go home and die with their cancer. We have to change that. We have to change that as a community, and at UTRGV, we’re vested to make sure that that happens,” Hocker said.

“That’s why, recently, we were up (in Austin) talking with the legislators and the senators, telling them that we’re building this. But we also need operational funds, because I don’t want to turn away a single patient that has cancer that needs to be taken care of. But we need the state support to make sure that that can happen here.”

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