A Defining Milestone: UTRGV School of Medicine surpasses 300 graduates in its 10th anniversary year

By Saira Cabrera

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – MAY 11, 2026 – The auditorium, filled with the hum of ambition, came alive as future physicians prepared to change the story of health care in the Rio Grande Valley. 

On Saturday, May 9, the UTRGV School of Medicine celebrated the graduation of its Class of 2026 at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg, a ceremony marking not only the transition from student to physician, but also a defining milestone for the institution. 

With this year's graduating class of 53, the School of Medicine now surpasses 300 physician-alumni, reflecting its mission to expand access to care and transform health outcomes across South Texas and beyond.  

This year's commencement also coincides with the school's 10th anniversary, underscoring a decade of building a pipeline of physicians rooted in the communities they serve. 

Serving as keynote speaker, UTRGV President Guy Bailey looked back on the journey that brought the school to this moment — years in the making. 

"What began as an idea became a promise fulfilled," Bailey said. "And 10 years later, we are not just celebrating an anniversary, we are witnessing transformation."   

Dr. Courtney Austin is presented with her degree from Dr. Everardo Cobos, UTRGV School of Medicine dean, on Saturday, May 9, in Edinburg.

A MISSION ROOTED IN COMMUNITY 

As graduates crossed the stage to receive their Doctor of Medicine degrees, many carried personal motivations shaped by family, culture and lived experience. 

Among them was Briana Gonzalez DiGrazia, who received the U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award and matched into an internal medicine residency at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Her work focused on addressing food insecurity and improving access to care for underserved patients — efforts inspired by her own family's experiences navigating health care. 

"I've always tried to be part of initiatives that my family and community have relied on," Gonzalez DiGrazia said. "I'm grateful to be in a position where I can help create solutions for others."  

For her father, Julio Gonzalez, MD, director of Clinical Quality Management at the UTRGV School of Medicine, the moment held both personal and professional meaning. 

"To see her walk this stage and have the honor of placing an academic hood over her shoulders as a new graduate, not only as my daughter, but as a future physician committed to service, was incredibly meaningful," he said. "This is why this school exists." 

Dr. Josue Fonseca celebrates his special day with big hugs from loved ones after the ceremony. (UTRGV Photo by Heriberto Perez-Zuniga)

A DECADE OF IMPACT 

Over the past 10 years, the UTRGV School of Medicine has grown into a hub for education, research and patient care — training physicians who are helping reduce longstanding barriers to health care in the region. 

Bailey emphasized that impact is measured not only in numbers, but in lives changed. 

"That is not just growth," he said. "That is impact."  

For many graduates, the journey was shaped by hands-on experiences in community clinics, classrooms and clinical settings throughout the Valley. 

"UTRGV emphasized not only clinical training, but service," said Elvia Palomarez, a graduate. “That reinforced my passion for caring for patients and supporting them through every stage of life."  

THE NEXT CHAPTER  

As the Class of 2026 steps into residency programs across Texas and the nation, they carry more than medical knowledge, they carry a responsibility.  

A responsibility to serve.  

A responsibility to lead.  

And a responsibility to continue building on a decade of progress that has reshaped what is possible for health care in the Rio Grande Valley. 

For Bailey, that future is closely tied to the place where it all began. 

"Wherever you go, you carry this place with you," he said. "You carry the resilience of the Valley and the responsibility of being part of something still being built."  

And with that, the next chapter begins — not just for the Class of 2026, but for the future of health care in the Valley. 

Members of the UTRGV School of Medicine Class of 2026 whoop it up during their commencement ceremony as they get ready for their next chapter. (UTRGV Photo by Heriberto Perez-Zuniga)