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Rio Grande Valley Bridge to Baccalaureate in Biomedical Sciences (B2BMED)

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About

QR Code with orange background BMED Student Ambassador Applications

Now accepting applications for BMED Ambassadors. Please fill out the application by March 27th. Please click on the link below or scan the QR code.

Application Link

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Tammy at Tammy.Munoz01@utrgv.edu. Dr. Castaneda and I will be conducting interviews via Zoom for Edinburg campus applicants and in person for Brownsville Campus applicants within 2 weeks after the application deadline. We look forward to seeing you all soon.

House outline reading OPEN HOUSE.We highly encourage those who are interested in applying to the B2BMED program attend one of our information sessions. This will give you an opportunity to learn more about the program, and also meet our B2BMED team and ask questions. 

Information sessions are scheduled on the following dates:

Saturday, April 13th at 12-1 pm

Saturday, April 27th at 12-1 pm

Saturday, April 27th at 12-1 pm

Wednesday, May 8th at 5-6 pm

Zoom Link: https://utrgv.zoom.us/j/84956839262

All safety policies are enforced. No shorts, open-toe shoes, and no food/drinks are allowed in the labs. Please contact Tammy Munoz and Humberto Valdez to RSVP for the campus tours during the following dates and times:

Brownsville

  • Saturday, March 29, 2025 – 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

  • Saturday, April 12, 2025 – 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

  • Friday, April 18, 2025 – 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

  • Friday, May 9, 2025 – 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

  • Saturday, May 17, 2025 – 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

  • Friday, May 23, 2025 – 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

  • Saturday, May 31, 2025 – 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Brownsville Contact:
Tammy Munoz – tammy.munoz01@utrgv.edu or 956-466-7824

Edinburg

  • Saturday, February 15, 2025 – 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

  • Friday, March 7, 2025 – 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

  • Saturday, March 29, 2025 – 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

  • Saturday, April 26, 2025 – 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

  • Friday, May 24, 2025 – 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Edinburg Contact:
Humberto Valdez – humberto.valdez01@utrgv.edu

Develop a diverse pool of research-oriented undergraduates who bridge from TSC’s Associate of Science in Science or STC’s Associate of Science with a field of study in Biology programs to UTRGV’s Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science Program (BMED).  The program will provide support to help students:

  • Complete an associate's degree and transfer to the UTRGV BMED program
  • Complete the UTRGV Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree
  • Continue to graduate school and/or enter the biomedical science research workforce

  • Mentored research experience (conduct research with a UTRGV faculty or UTRGV and STC faculty team)
  • Stipend support (up to $14,340 per year, $1,195 per month)
  • Up to 60% of tuition and fees (TSC or STC tuition and fees for Year 1 and UTRGV tuition and fees for Year 2)
  • Funding support to travel to a national research conference yearly
  • Funding support to travel to a summer internship in Year 2
  • Multi-level advising and mentoring
  • Professionalism workshops
  • STEM tutoring (math and science)
  • Research seminars
  • Guidance in applying to graduate school (must submit a minimum of 5 graduate school applications)

  • Apply to UTRGV and register for UTRGV BMED 3121 Independent Research I and BMED 3121 Independent Research II courses for the Fall and Spring of the second year of your associate’s degree
  • Transfer to the UTRGV BMED program after the completion of your associate’s degree
  • Conduct research at UTRGV (10 hours/week for Fall and Spring, 20 hours/week in the summer of 1st year and 15 hours/week for Fall and Spring of 2nd year in the B2BMED program)
  • Attend summer internship at a research-intensive institution at the end of your 2nd year in the B2BMED program
  • Attend STEM Workshops
  • Attend Professionalism Workshops
  • Attend research seminars
  • Attend mentoring and advising meetings
  • GRE practice test  
  • Apply to graduate school (must submit a minimum of 5 graduate school applications)

  • Must have at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale
  • Must have U.S. citizenship, non-national citizenship, or permanent resident status
  • Must be in the STC Associate of Science with a field of study in Biology program or TSC Associate of Science in Science program
    • Cannot be enrolled in a dual-enrollment program
  • Must graduate from STC/TSC by Fall 2024, Spring 2025 or Summer 2025 (for Cohort 5)

B2BMED Program Email: b2bmed@utrgv.edu

B2BMED Contact Directory

Dr. Sue Anne Chew
UTRGV B2BMED Program Director (PD)
Office: UTRGV Brownsville Campus, BBRHB 2.112
Phone: 956-882-6518
sueanne.chew@utrgv.edu

Dr. Saraswathy Nair
UTRGV B2BMED Co-Program Director (Co-PD)
Office: UTRGV Brownsville Campus, BRHB 1.101
Phone: 956-882-5108
saraswathy.nair@utrgv.edu

Dr. Mehrzad Mahmoudian-Geller
STC B2BMED Program Director (PD)
Office: STC Pecan Campus STEM Building V1-605F
Phone: (956) 872-6460
mmahmoud@southtexascollege.edu

Dr. Griselda Galvez
TSC B2BMED Program Director (PD)
Office: SETB 2.342
Phone: 956-295-3594
galvez@tsc.edu

Jaqueline Quintanilla
B2BMED Part-Time Assistant
quintanilla01@utrgv.edu

Celeste Martinez
B2BMED Peer Mentor
celeste.martinez05@utrgv.edu

Stella Rios 
B2BMED Peer Mentor
stella.rios01@utrgv.edu

Application

B2BMED Program Application
January 15th

B2BMED Program Application Opens (Acceptance decision will only be informed after reviewing full competitive applications, on June 15th) *

*For TSC students, please submit an “Intent to Apply” by clicking at the TSC Intent to Apply Form Intent to Apply - TSC Form

*For STC students, please submit an “Intent to Apply” at the STC B2BMED website: https://www.southtexascollege.edu/info/b2bmed/

The B2BMED will review your transcript and will contact you by email to inform you if you meet the requirements to apply to the B2BMED Program.


June 1st

B2MED Phase I Application Deadline

 B2BMED Phase I Application  

Eligible students (after receiving B2BMED eligibility confirmation email) may complete the B2BMED Phase I Application. Please fill in all the information requested and upload PDF files only. 

  • Submit the Phase I Application Form Phase I Application Form
  • Submit B2BMED Program Recommendation Letter (Link will be provided directly to the recommender once you provide your recommender’s name and email address to the program)

June 15th

B2BMED Program Admission Decision 

B2BMED Phase II Application  

Students that are accepted to the B2BMED Program will complete the second phase of the application process (i.e., apply to UTRGV and the BMED program)

Submit the Phase II Application Form Phase II Application Form


June 30th

B2MED Phase II Application Deadline (BMED Program Application Deadline for B2BMED Accepted Scholars)

The BMED Program will contact you by email to inform you if you have been accepted or conditionally accepted to the BMED program.


Rest of the summer of before Year 2 of associates degree at STC or TSC

B2BMED Program Onboarding Process

  • Attend B2BMED Welcome Session
  • Register for BMED 3121 for Fall
  • Get matched with a research mentor

Summer before transfer to UTRGV from STC or TSC

BMED Program Onboarding Process

  • Attend mandatory Student Success Academy
  • Attend Academic Advising with faculty/staff
  • Register for BMED classes

Dear Student,

Thank you for expressing interest in the BMED Program for Fall 2025! The Health and Biomedical Sciences Department has opened the applications link for Fall 2025 admissions.

1. Apply to UTRGV; check the Pre-BMED box on the ApplyTexas application, to specify interest in the BMED program.

2. Whether you did Step # 1 (checking Pre-BMED box or not), you MUST be accepted to UTRGV to be admitted to the BMED program. Complete the secondary, BMED-specific application. 

3.Provide your college GPA and number of credit hours taken and name(s) of college(s) where you have taken courses, if applicable (we may request transcripts later to confirm or if not on file by UTRGV)


4. Or if no college courses have been taken yet, provide HS rank and percentile (for example: 2/200; 99th percentile); (we may request documentation later if not on file by UTRGV)

5. Or if neither is applicable, provide us with additional information, for example SAT/ACT scores or HS transcripts (see upload option)

 The BMED Admissions Committee will review completed application bi-weekly. Students will be contacted regarding the committee's decision and, if accepted, you will receive an email with further instructions.

Even if you indicated interest in the BMED program (by checking the pre-BMED box in the Apply Texas application), you are NOT admitted into the BMED program until you follow the above process and receive a letter of admission from the Department.

You can contact us at  healthandbiomedicalsciences@utrgv.edu or (956) 882-7383.

Current Students

Below, please find the suggested four-year degree roadmap for B2BMED transfer students:

  • STC’s Associate of Science with a field of study in Biology programs (2 years) + UTRGV’s Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (BMED) Program (2 years)
  • TSC’s Associate of Science in Science (2 years) + UTRGV’s Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (BMED) Program (2 years)

STC UTRGV Degree Roadmap

TSC UTRGV Degree Roadmap

Research Mentors

Name

Expertise

Campus

Institution

Dr. Kelsey Baker

Neuroimaging, Neurodegeneration and Plasticity

Harlingen 

Edinburg

UTRGV

Dr. Claudia Biguetti

Musculoskeletal Health and Regeneration, Biomaterials

Harlingen

UTRGV

Dr. Sue Anne Chew

Biomaterials, Bone Tissue Engineering
and Cancer Therapy

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Jacob Galan

Chemical and Environmental Toxins/Toxicants and Proteomics

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Mario Gil

Behavioral Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Robert Gilkerson

Cell and Molecular Biology

Edinburg

UTRGV

Dr. Meena Jaggi

Cancer Biology

McAllen

UTRGV

Dr. Murat Karabulut

Neuromuscular & Cardiorespiratory
Adaptations

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Ulku Karabulut

Metabolic syndrome risk factors, Arterial stiffness and Physical activity and Diet among Hispanics

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Alexander Kazansky

Cancer Biology

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Megan Keniry

Cell and Molecular Biology

Edinburg

UTRGV

Dr. Satish Kumar

Genetics and Stem Cell Biology

McAllen

UTRGV

Dr. Alejandro Lopez-Juarez

Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience of Diseases

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Karen Martirosyan

Nanoscience and Nanomedicine

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Shizue Mito

Medicinal Chemistry

Edinburg

UTRGV

Dr. Saraswathy Nair

Obesity and Diabetes

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Blanca I. Restrepo

Diabetes and Obesity

Edinburg

UTRGV

Dr. Upal Roy

Nanomedicine and Virology

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Ryan Russell

Cardiometabolic Disease and Exercise
Science

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Nirakar Sahoo

Cell and Molecular Biology

Edinburg

UTRGV

Dr. Yu Lun Tai

Cardiovascular functions & Autonomic modulation

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Ahmed Touhami

Biophysics

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Manish Tripathi

Cancer Biology

McAllen

UTRGV

Dr. Andrew Tsin

Cell Biology, Ophthalmology and Diabetes

McAllen

UTRGV

Dr. John VandeBerg

Infectious and Complex Diseases

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Chun Xu

Neuroscience and Genetics

Brownsville

UTRGV

Dr. Murali M. Yallapu

Nanotechnology, Imaging Technology, Cancer therapeutics, Drug delivery and Biomaterials

 McAllen

UTRGV 

Dr. Masoud Zarei

Neuroscience and Protein Targeting

Brownsville

UTRGV

  • 2020-2023 B2BMED Newsletter

The following link below is to learn more information about our program.

BMED FAQs | UTRGV

College of Health Professions


Edinburg Office

Health Affairs Building West - EHABW 2.230
Phone: 956-665-2291
Email: cohpinfo@utrgv.edu

Brownsville Office

Biomedical Research & Health Building - BBRHB 2.101
Phone: 956-882-5000

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