Perez welcomes funding increase for UTRGV School of Medicine’s GME programs

HARLINGEN, Texas – UT System Regent Dr. Nolan Perez has welcomed a decision to pump more state money into UT-Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine’s residency programs.

The medical school’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs will be expanded thanks to a $17.5 million grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

“I have spoken a lot about the great need for more physicians down here in the Rio Grande Valley. We don’t have enough physicians for our enormous population,” said Perez, a medical doctor. “So I love the fact that the UTRGV School of Medicine, and the Coordinating Board is investing in more graduate medical education opportunities.”

Dr. Chelsea Chang, associate dean of GME programs at the School of Medicine, said the new funding from THECB spans the 2024-2025 academic year. She said it will bolster expansion of the medical school’s GME programs by offering new residency options within the community.

“Our GME programs are vital to our school’s mission,” she said. “The continued success of these programs helps in our mission to transform the health of the Rio Grande Valley.”

Chang said the School of Medicine’s goal is to increase its resident training capacity by academic year 2025 with additional programs in multiple new specialties.

Perez is thrilled with how the School of Medicine is developing.

“I know President Bailey and Dean Hocker are coming up with more and more partnerships with hospitals in the area and that they are going to provide more training programs, such as primary care, family medicine, and internal medicine. I know they’re going to put us in the best position for success so that we can create more homegrown health professionals here,” Perez said.

Perez was referring to UTRGV President Guy Bailey and Dr. Michael Hocker, dean of the School of Medicine.

Perez returned to a phrase he often uses in his speeches. 

“As I often say, talent is universal, but opportunity is not. It’s up to us to create those opportunities. So I love the fact that UTRGV with President Bailey and Dean Hocker, under their leadership, they’re now creating more and more opportunities, not only for undergraduate medical education so you can get your MD degree, but also for graduate medical education so that you can then finish your specialty training and then stay here in practice.”

Perez pointed out that a large percentage of medical students start their careers in the city where they conducted their residency.

“More than two thirds of people stay to practice, not where they went to medical school, but where they got their residency, graduate medical education training. So it is critically important that we expand graduate medical education opportunities in the region because these are the physicians that can then practice and really keep our population healthier.”

Perez said he had heard from the chairman of the Coordinating Board, Dr. Fred Farias, that the Board was looking to invest more money across the state for graduate medical education.

“When I heard the news I actually sent the link to President Bailey and Dean Hocker right away. I said, congratulations, this is excellent. So it was very exciting to see that.”

Dr. Chang said the School of Medicine’s GME programs provide advanced academic medicine and continue shaping the future of medical education through five distinct pillars:

• Innovative education.
• Life-changing research and discoveries.
• High-quality patient-centered care.
• Serving the community.
• Sustainability and a culture of entrepreneurship.

Chang said UTRGV’s GME programs stand out for their collaborative approach, with several programs established through partnerships between the UTRGV School of Medicine and hospitals across the Valley. Those programs train resident physicians in a variety of specialties and contribute significantly to improving the region’s healthcare landscape.

Dr. Chelsea Chang, MD.

Chang said the School of Medicine has continued accreditation as a sponsoring institution with eight fully accredited Academic Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) programs.

Based on those GME programs, resident physicians are undergoing training in residency and fellowship programs at Valley hospitals, including Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen, Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, and Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco.

Dr. Hocker, dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine, said the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s support in enabling expansion of UTRGV’s GME programs has been instrumental in the development of new programs and specialty offerings.

“We appreciate the THECB’s ongoing commitment to academic medicine and their investment in initiatives that help combat the physician shortage in Texas,” Hocker said. “These contributions will ensure we continue expanding academic medicine and improving healthcare services in Valley.”

Hocker said the $17.5 million grant signifies a pivotal moment for the School of Medicine in affirming its commitment to advancing medical education and healthcare services in South Texas.

“This will help nurture a new generation of healthcare professionals dedicated to serving and transforming the health of the Rio Grande Valley,” Hocker added.

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