From inaugural medical student to UT Health RGV’s first rheumatologist

By Saira Cabrera

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – SEPT. 24, 2026 – Six years ago, Dr. Christine Elizabeth Loftis crossed the stage as a member of the inaugural graduating class of the UTRGV School of Medicine.

This fall, she returns not as a student, but as a physician helping write the next chapter of the institution she helped build. Loftis, a member of the School of Medicine’s historic Class of 2020 and a graduate of a UTRGV-affiliated Internal Medicine residency program, has been named UT Health RGV’s first rheumatologist.

Her homecoming arrives during Women in Medicine and Science Month, a time to recognize women advancing health care, research and education. For Loftis, those three paths have become intertwined throughout her journey and now bring her back to the community where it all began. 

For UTRGV leaders, her return represents something larger than a new physician hire. It is the realization of a mission that launched the School of Medicine nearly a decade ago: educating physicians who understand South Texas and choose to serve the communities that helped shape them.

 “This is exactly the outcome we hoped to achieve when the UTRGV School of Medicine was created,” said Dr. Everardo Cobos, dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine and Oncology. “Dr. Loftis trained here, cared for patients here and chose to return here. She embodies the promise of academic medicine and the power of growing our own physician workforce.”

A PROMISE KEPT

Loftis, who arrived in the Rio Grande Valley in 2016 as a member of the inaugural class, is the daughter of a single mother and the first physician in her family. She said she was drawn to the school’s mission of expanding access to healthcare and serving communities in need.

After graduating in 2020, she continued her training through a UTRGV-affiliated Internal Medicine residency before leaving South Texas to pursue a Rheumatology Fellowship at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

Only four fellows were accepted into the program in 2022. There, Loftis trained in a high-volume academic center, cared for patients with complex rheumatic diseases and developed expertise in musculoskeletal ultrasound and ultrasound-guided procedures.

Her research focused on lupus nephritis and the barriers that can affect treatment and outcomes, reinforcing a lesson she now brings home: excellent care must be paired with efforts to address the obstacles that can keep patients from receiving it.

When she left for her fellowship, Loftis, who is from La Marque, Texas, made her intentions clear.

“Returning to the Rio Grande Valley was always the plan,” she said. “This community played a major role in my development, both personally and professionally. I have always hoped to come back and serve the region that gave me so much.”

BRINGING EXPERTISE HOME

As UT Health RGV’s first rheumatologist, Loftis is helping expand access to specialized care for patients with conditions including lupus and other complex rheumatic diseases.

Her priorities extend beyond the clinic. She hopes to teach medical students and residents, build a clinical program that meets the region’s growing needs and continue research focused on lupus nephritis, health disparities and improving outcomes for vulnerable patient populations.

She also has a bigger vision for the future – establishing a rheumatology fellowship program in South Texas.

For Loftis, that begins with building a strong clinical foundation and demonstrating the need for rheumatology care in the region. Eventually, she hopes such a program could help attract and train specialists who choose to remain in the Valley.

“By developing a rheumatology fellowship in the Valley, we would have the opportunity to build a sustainable pipeline of rheumatologists invested in serving this community,” she said.

Nearly a decade after the School of Medicine welcomed its first class, one of its earliest students has returned as a specialist, educator and researcher.

For Loftis, it is a homecoming. For the Rio Grande Valley, it is a promise kept.

 

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UTRGV — The Valley’s University

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is The Valley’s University, deeply rooted in the communities it serves and committed to improving lives and expanding opportunities across the region. From keeping a high-quality education affordable and expanding healthcare services to preparing the workforce, advancing research, and supporting economic growth, UTRGV is putting its people, expertise and resources to work for the Rio Grande Valley. The Valley and UTRGV rise together, building a healthier, stronger and more prosperous region.