By Jennifer Berghom

For McAllen natives Gilbert “Trey” Silva III and Gina Milano, there’s no place like home – to attend medical school.

Although they have until June to formally accept or decline acceptance into The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Silva and Milano both have stated their intentions to become part of the Class of 2022.

Silva, who graduated from UTRGV in fall 2017, said he has chosen to stay in the Valley for medical school because of the individualized attention the faculty and staff offer students.

“I can sense that the faculty and staff will treat you as an individual, not just another medical student,” he said.

Milano, who graduated from Brown University in Rhode Island, said she is excited to come home to the Valley to attend medical school.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed of doing my entire life, and to be able to do it in the community that raised me and for me to give back, is just beautiful,” Milano said.

Like Silva, Milano loves the community and is impressed by what the medical school has to offer.

Milano and Silva are two of the 54 prospective students who were accepted into the UTRGV School of Medicine. On April 7 and 8, during a Welcome Back weekend event, they and 44 of the others who were accepted into the UTRGV School of Medicine had a chance to visit the UTRGV campuses and the medical school facilities and learn more about opportunities at the School of Medicine.

The prospective students visited area hospitals where they would complete their clerkships, the School of Medicine’s Clinical Education Building in Harlingen and the Medical Education Building in Edinburg, and one of the colonias where the School of Medicine provides healthcare services. 

The newest cohort – should all candidates accept admission to the School of Medicine – comprises 50 Texas residents who have matched, including 16 students from the Rio Grande Valley, further strengthening the university’s ties with the community.  Four candidates are from out of state, some with strong ties to the Valley.

“With this latest class, the UTRGV School of Medicine continues its commitment to educating the next generation of passionate physicians who are committed to improving health outcomes for diverse communities and closing gaps in access to care for the underserved,” said Dr. John H. Krouse, dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine and vice president of Health Affairs for UTRGV. “I am confident that the Class of 2022 will bring new talent, who will join our current two cohorts in blazing the trail for medical education opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley.”

The 54 prospective students were selected from a total of 4,111 applicants for admission to the UTRGV School of Medicine. Of those applicants, the School of Medicine interviewed 351 and ranked 285 for admission to the medical school. Those applicants in turn ranked the medical schools they visited for interviews. The School of Medicine and applicant rankings were then sent to a national service to match the schools with the applicants.

The Class of 2022 has an average MCAT score in the 77th percentile nationwide, a grade point average of 3.5, and an average BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math) grade point average of 3.4.

Students entering the Class of 2022 also come from prestigious institutions throughout Texas and the nation, including Brown, Duke, Emory, Rice, Stanford, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and UT Austin, among others.

The Class of 2022 demographic is 35 percent Hispanic, 23 percent Asian and Asian Indian, 20 percent African American, 20 percent White/Caucasian, and 2 percent with more than one ethnicity.

Candidates for the incoming class have until June to accept or decline their acceptance to the UTRGV School of Medicine.