By Karen Villarreal

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – OCT. 15, 2025 – UTRGV has launched its new Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, which means it will graduate licensed physical therapists in as little as three years.

The occupation currently demands 1,782 PTs to meet the need across Texas.

Dr. Mark Lester, department chair for the program, said UTRGV has been working for some time now to establish an accredited DPT program, which is the entry-level degree in physical therapy.

Dr. Mark Lester, department chair for the program, said students will spend a part of their second year rotating through UTRGV’s in-house clinic in Harlingen, all under the guidance of faculty mentors. The occupation currently demands 1,782 PTs to meet the need across Texas. (Courtesy Photo)

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board granted approval in 2020, and Lester was hired in 2023. He quickly onboarded 10 faculty with a wide range of expertise, including orthopedics, sports medicine, neurology, acute care and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. The department now is designed to weave clinical, educational and research focuses to yield better outcomes for patients as well as students. 

This July, 20 students making up the first UTRGV DPT class started the program, which is based out of the Division of Health Affairs building located at 2222 S. 77 Sunshine Strip, Harlingen. The second cohort, which will be able to enroll up to 40 students, will start in Summer 2026.

“It's an exciting time to see things take off and grow,” Lester said. “The fabric of healthcare in the Valley has incredible potential for change over the next few years given the programs that are growing up now.”

One member of the first DPT cohort is Randal “Randy” Garza, who grew up in Alice and pitched for the UTRGV baseball team from 2021-2024. He has seen the impact physical therapy has had on family members, friends and teammates, along with the professional athletes he grew up admiring. 

“When a professional athlete has a traumatic injury, they're devastated. They feel like this is the end of the world – their career,” Garza said. “But through the process of surgery and rehab, these athletes turn around their narrative. They're returning to play even better than before, and it's awesome. I hope to have that impact on people.

DPT IN THE RGV

UTRGV’s DPT program is designed to connect with UT Health RGV – the clinical practice branch of the UTRGV School of Medicine – to help fulfill its three-fold mission: education, community outreach and active research involvement.

The three-year curriculum begins with two years of didactic education, in which students will spend a part of their second year rotating through UTRGV’s in-house clinic in Harlingen, all under the guidance of faculty mentors.

“Through UT Health RGV, our PT clinic will serve the needs of folks in our community just as any other PT clinic would,” Lester said. “In addition to traditional PT practice, we also will provide pro bono services to individuals who have a high need for physical therapy services and are underinsured or uninsured.”

Garza said UTRGV faculty have emphasized to students in the program that they will be providing relief and solutions thorough focused care, not via “quick fixes. 

“We want to be sure that, years down the road, our patients are still going to be physically active,” Garza said.

In addition, patients at the clinic will have the option to participate in future research, including studies into clinical outcomes in orthopedics and sports medicine, neurological impairment, and gait and balance disorders.

“We currently have two research laboratories on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus which are mainly focused on musculoskeletal injuries,” Lester said. “Renovations are underway at the site of the DPT program in Harlingen for three larger, dedicated research labs, including a motion capture lab.

“These labs will expand our research to include investigating rehabilitation strategies to reduce and mitigate chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke – which are at epidemic proportions in the Valley,” he said. 

The program is based out of the Division of Health Affairs building located at 2222 S. 77 Sunshine Strip in Harlingen. (UTRGV Photo by Matthew Cavazos)

APPLIED RESEARCH  

For his DPT, Garza won’t be on the field as he undergoes rehab and physical therapy himself for a recently discovered torn labrum in his shoulder – which he now intends to study. 

Garza, 24, often started games as a left-handed pitcher for UTRGV baseball, throughout his undergraduate studies in exercise science, followed by a Master of Science in Kinesiology. He thanks his foundational knowledge of physical therapy – which was his undergraduate concentration – for keeping him from injury during his college career as a lefty. 

“It was a nice little run,” he said. “When you're playing, you're putting your body in a very stressful situation, so you have to help it recover. It's in your plan to do PT even while you're healthy, with ‘prehab’ strength exercises and healing modalities, like deep tissue massage or electrical stimulation.”

However, with his post-play injury, Garza realized there were opportunities for more mechanically efficient pitching.

Now, his plans include getting involved in the research of Dr. George Davies – a professor in the DPT program and a sports rehabilitation specialist with UTRGV Athletics – who is studying the prevention of recurrence of upper extremity injuries among student athletes. 

“We’re looking for more ways we can improve proprioception, which is the body's ability to sense its own position and movements, after an injury,” Garza said. 

CLINICAL ROTATIONS

In the new DPT program, students in their third year will start full-time clinical rotations across a variety of rehabilitation settings, including acute care and outpatient clinics at partnering clinical sites. The education model is intended to help students develop and refine the physical and clinical decision-making skills needed to become licensed and practice autonomously.

One member of the first cohort is Randal “Randy” Garza, who grew up in Alice and pitched for the UTRGV baseball team from 2021-2024. (Courtesy Photo)

Although Garza has a propensity for sports medicine, he is looking forward to rotations where he can learn about treating patients recovering from stroke and other neurological conditions who are recovering from paralysis and re-learning to walk and control their bodies.

Lester said they’re in the process of developing partnerships for clinical sites across Texas, and have more than 60 positions secured already. The majority of the spots are in South Texas, and the program is working toward establishing a network of sites across the country. 

“We are a regionally focused, but nationally competitive program,” Lester said. “Part of the goal of our program is to train physical therapists in the Rio Grande Valley who have a higher propensity to stay and work with the community they grew up in. However, we want to give students the opportunity to branch out and practice in settings anywhere in the United States, if they want to.” 

POST-DEGREE OPTIONS

The first graduating class will be eligible for the Physical Therapy licensure examination in 2028. Then they can start practicing – or choose to seek additional credentialing in a specialization by starting a residency program.

To that end, Lester already has started exploring options for residencies for future graduates, as well as for practicing PTs who want to enhance their expertise.

“We’d like to offer residency and fellowship opportunities in sports medicine, orthopedics and neurologic rehabilitation,” said Lester, who is board certified in orthopedic physical therapy. 

Garza said it will be a hard decision, once it's time to start looking for future jobs or seeking specialization. 

“This is a community that I want to surround myself with,” the Alamo native said. “I know a lot of people want to stay here because they just love it.” 

As a first-generation student, he’s excited that his little sister, currently a junior in high school, already is considering physical therapy as a career and he looks forward to being a guiding figure for her. 

“That's what keeps me waking up every day and doing my studying, even when I'm exhausted. Because DPT is no joke. It's as hard as they say it is,” Garza said. “I have a very good support system and I'm very thankful for them through this process. I’m not only doing it for myself, but to see their smiles and make them proud.” 

The three-year program starts with two years of classroom learning, during which students will rotate through UTRGV’s in-house clinic in Harlingen in their second year, guided by faculty mentors. Pictured is one of the classrooms in the renovated facility. (UTRGV Photo by Matthew Cavazos)