By Heriberto Perez–Zuñiga

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – DEC 09, 2025 – In the Rio Grande Valley, the idea of becoming a Valley-made doctor and earning the sought-after white coat once felt like a distant aspiration.

It was possible, but not yet common or easily obtained.

For Dr. Adrian Barrera, a Rio Grande City native and member of the UTRGV School of Medicine Class of 2021, however, that dream is now his everyday reality.

Barrera, who recently completed the UTRGV School of Medicine Psychiatry Residency Program, embodies a promise the medical school made to the community from day one: to educate, train, and support the next generation of physicians who would not only come from the Valley but stay to serve it.

Barrera, a first-generation college graduate who once questioned whether medical school was even possible, nearly walked away from the dream altogether. That changed the moment he heard the Valley was getting its own medical school.

"It felt like a sign," he said. "I didn't have to move away to make this happen. I was able to learn here, train here, and now practice here."

He is now part of a growing legacy.

UTRGV researchers collaborate at the South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, tackling liver cancer through innovative studies in genetics, microbiology research, and targeted therapies. Their work represents hope for families in the Valley and the university's mission of combining science, service, and community impact. (UTRGV Photo by Heriberto Perez-Zuniga)

Since 2016, the UTRGV School of Medicine's Graduate Medical Education programs have trained more than 400 resident physicians in specialties including internal medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, and surgery.

Many now serve communities across South Texas and beyond.

"Training and retaining exceptional physicians are central to our mission," said Dr. Everardo Cobos, interim dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine and Oncology. "We are creating a pipeline of homegrown doctors who understand the culture and the unique healthcare needs of the Valley."

As 2025 comes to a close, the UTRGV School of Medicine celebrates a year of remarkable student achievement, research breakthroughs, and major expansions in patient care.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Every spring, a single moment defines a future.

On Match Day 2025, that moment arrived for 50 UTRGV School of Medicine students as they opened envelopes that would shape the next chapter of their lives. 

The class achieved a 100% match rate, joining the legacy of more than 200 UTRGV students who have matched into residency programs across the country since the school's founding.

A few weeks later, those same students traded envelopes for regalia.

At commencement, 50 new physicians crossed the stage and officially joined a growing community of nearly 300 UTRGV School of Medicine alumni, a milestone unimaginable just 10 years ago.

As one class graduated, another began. At this year's White Coat Ceremony, 55 new students joined the Class of 2029, with 58% hailing from the Rio Grande Valley, a sign that more local students are choosing to pursue medicine at home.

"It's more than a coat," said Willacy County native and UTRGV School of Medicine Class of 2029 student Victoria Velazquez. "It's a promise to the Valley, to my family, and to the people who believed I could do this."

Read more:

• 'Match Madness.'
• From Students to Doctors: UTRGV School of Medicine celebrates graduation of Class of 2025
• A Rite of Passage: UTRGV School of Medicine's Class of 2029 receives white coats at annual ceremony

New members of the UTRGV School of Medicine Class of 2029 receive their white coats, symbolizing their commitment to serving the Rio Grande Valley and its communities. The ceremony marks the first step toward becoming homegrown physicians who understand the Valley's culture, language, and needs. (UTRGV Photo by Heriberto Perez-Zuniga)

RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS

In the Rio Grande Valley, some of the most important discoveries begin far from the spotlight. They start in quiet exam rooms, community centers, and research labs where families share stories of illness, memory loss, or a diagnosis they never expected.

These conversations are the heartbeat of the UTRGV School of Medicine's research mission, shaping projects that are as personal as they are scientific.

Dr. Gladys Maestre, director of the UTRGV Rio Grande Valley Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, hears from families with multiple relatives showing signs of dementia.

Her work reflects a striking reality: 23% of adults over 65 in the Valley live with Alzheimer's, twice the national rate.

"Genetics, chronic disease, environment, and limited access to care all play a role," she said.

A turning point came in 2025 with the approval of Proposition 14 (approved by Texas voters in November), a $3 billion state investment establishing the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and the largest brain health initiative in U.S. history.

"This is a tremendous moment for Texas," said Maestre. "We are deeply grateful to the voters and policymakers who recognized that investing in brain health is investing in our future."

Her team at the new Memory and Aging Center, including collaborators from neuroscience, engineering, social work, and medicine, is building one of the nation's most comprehensive programs focused on minority aging.

Across campus, researchers are confronting another urgent challenge: liver cancer. Texas has the highest rate of hepatocellular carcinoma in the nation, and the Valley experiences an even heavier burden.

Under the leadership of Dr. Subhash Chauhan, the South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research is developing targeted therapies, identifying early genetic markers, and studying how microorganisms influence tumor growth.

Supported by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and an $18.4 million NIH award establishing the Rio Grande Valley Cancer Health Disparity Research Center, UTRGV School of Medicine scientists are shaping new paths for prevention and treatment.

"Receiving an NIH grant of this magnitude shows the urgency of what families here are facing," Chauhan said. "And it shows that the Valley is becoming a hub for cutting-edge research."

Read more:

• UTRGV School of Medicine researchers target liver cancer in nation's highest-risk region
• A Visionary Investment: Texas voters approve $3 billion fund to advance dementia research
• UTRGV School of Medicine researcher leading the fight against Alzheimer's disease

A NEW ERA IN CARE

For decades, cancer care in the Rio Grande Valley came with a painful price: miles of highway between a diagnosis and the nearest specialist.

Families rearranged work schedules, waited in traffic on unfamiliar highways, and sat for hours in faraway clinics, all while carrying the stress of an illness that demands every ounce of strength.

On a warm October morning, that story began to change.

Community members, physicians, nurses, and Valley families gathered in McAllen as a ribbon fell across the entrance of the UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center, marking a moment many thought they would never see: a state-of-the-art academic medicine cancer center built for the Valley, in the Valley.

"This celebration is nothing short of historic," Cobos said. "We are opening the door to a new era of hope."

It is a facility built with intention.

Every hallway, imaging suite, pharmacy, and procedure room is designed to deliver comfort, speed, and diagnostic excellence to families who have waited far too long for care close to home.

"People heal better at home," said Dr. Michael Sander, chief executive physician for UT Health RGV. "We built this center, so our patients don't have to leave.

 Read more:

• UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center celebrates grand opening with ribbon-cutting ceremony

Students celebrate on Match Day 2025 as they learn where they will begin their residency programs, achieving a 100% match rate and continuing the legacy of UTRGV School of Medicine-trained physicians. This milestone reflects the growing impact of the UTRGV School of Medicine in producing doctors who stay to serve the Valley. (UTRGV Photo by Heriberto Perez-Zuniga)

As the year ends, the momentum of the UTRGV School of Medicine feels unmistakable.

Whether its homegrown students stepping into their white coats, researchers tackling the health crises that have long challenged South Texas, or the opening of a center built for the Valley, in the Valley, the story is the same: healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley is transforming. 

And as services continue to expand, the UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center stands as proof of what the region has long deserved: world-class care close to home, powered by a growing community of physicians, scientists, and students who are choosing to build their futures here.

"The future of the UTRGV School of Medicine is brighter than ever," Cobos said. "We are building a medical community rooted in science, compassion, and service, all right here in the Rio Grande Valley."