UTRGV | Deans

Deans

Nikita Chavarria, PhD

Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education Pre-Clerkship
Email: Nikita.Chavarria@utrgv.edu
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Naomi D'Acolatse, MD, MPH

Associate Dean, Educational Affairs
Email: Naomi.Davis@utrgv.edu
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Lori Berry, MD, MPH

Assistant Dean, Educational Affairs - Clerkships
Phone: (956) 296-1960
Email: Lori.Berry@utrgv.edu
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Andrew Dentino, MD

Vice Dean, Academic Affairs
Email: Andrew.Dentino@utrgv.edu
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Stanley Fisch, MD

Associate Dean, Student Affairs
Phone: (956) 296-1410
Email: Stanley.Fisch@utrgv.edu
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Nausheen Jamal, MD

Associate Dean / Designated Institutional Official, GME
Phone: (956) 296-1426
Email: Nausheen.Jamal@utrgv.edu
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Helene J. Krouse, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN

Associate Dean, Interprofessional Education
Phone: (956) 296-1615
Email: Helene.Krouse@utrgv.edu
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Barry Linger, EdD

Assistant Dean, Student Affairs
Phone: (956) 296-1301
Email: Barry.Linger@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Linger earned his doctoral, master’s and undergraduate degrees from West Virginia University: an Ed.D. in special education, learning disabilities and gifted; a Master of Arts in reading and a Bachelor of Science in secondary education, biology and science.

At the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, he has served as the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Vice-Chair of the Department of Medical Education and as the Assistant Vice President for Accreditation, Effectiveness, and Quality Enhancement. Before joining UTRGV in 2015, he served in leadership roles at new medical schools in Florida and Pennsylvania.

He served as Associate Dean for Student Success and Faculty Development and as Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Faculty Development in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, and led the charge for accreditation for that institution before it opened in 2011. Previously, he had served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Dean for Curriculum and Student Affairs at The Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In addition to his leadership roles at those institutions, he also served as Assistant Dean for Medical Education and Assistant Dean for Clinical Campus Medical Education at West Virginia University School of Medicine.

During his career, Dr. Linger has conducted numerous educational program leadership activities, has served on several accreditation survey teams, and has traveled worldwide to provide expertise and consultation to organizations such as Oman Medical College, in Sohar, Oman and King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Barry Linger, EdD
Assistant Dean, Student Affairs
Student Affairs
Email: Barry.Linger@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 296-1301

Betty Monfort

Senior Assistant Dean, Admissions & Recruitment
Phone: (956) 296-1600
Email: Betty.Monfort@utrgv.edu
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Jay Morrow, DVM/MPH

Associate Dean, Clinical and Translational Research
Email: Jay.Morrow@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Morrow is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, has a DVM from Texas A&M University, and MPH (Epidemiology) from the UT Health Houston School of Public Health.

He completed a Grant Generating Fellowship from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) and the Department of Family Medicine at VCU.

Dr. Morrow joined the UTRGV School of Medicine in September 2018 as the Assistant Dean of Clinical and Translational Research, and was also named Chair of the Department of Population Health and Biostatistics in January 2019. He began serving as Chair of the Health Affairs panel of the UTRGV Institutional Review Board (IRB) in January 2019.

Dr. Morrow brings over 19 years of experience working in University of Texas System Academic Medical Centers. He has led various clinical, educational and research initiatives throughout The University of Texas System. He previously served as Director of Research Development at UT Austin Dell Medical School, where he co-Chaired the Research Advisory Committee in Medical Education and developed the research curriculum for the 9-month Clinical & Translational Research Track for third-year medical students. He served as director of the statewide Texas Health Improvement Network at UT System Population Health, and worked on the statewide Population Health Plan for the UT-CoPHII initiative. Prior to his work at UT System he served as Research Program Manager for a faculty of 130 basic and clinical investigators in the UT Southwestern Department of Internal Medicine, and member of the UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center in the Population Science and Cancer Control research program. Dr. Morrow has extensive Medical Education experience as well, serving as program evaluator and in curriculum development for a medical student summer research fellowship (CART) and resident research fellowship program (CARE), both funded by HRSA.

His scholarly activity includes educational and population health research. He has been funded by HRSA and the NIH.

Jay Morrow, DVM/MPH
Associate Dean, Clinical and Translational Research
Clinical and Translational Research
Email: Jay.Morrow@utrgv.edu

Robert Nelson, MD

Senior Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Phone: (956) 296-1430
Email: Robert.Nelson@utrgv.edu
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John Ronnau, PhD

Senior Associate Dean, Community Health Partnerships
Phone: (956) 665-6438
Email: John.Ronnau@utrgv.edu
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Melba Sanchez

Assistant VP, Finance & Administration
Phone: (956) 296-1489
Email: Melba.Sanchez@utrgv.edu
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Debra Stark, PhD

Assistant Dean, Assessment, Evaluation, and Quality
Phone: (956) 296-1452
Email: Debra.Stark@utrgv.edu
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Beatriz Tapia, MD, EdD, MPH

Assistant Dean, Faculty Development
Phone: (956) 296-1481
Email: Beatriz.Tapia@utrgv.edu
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Beatriz Tapia, M.D., Ed.D., M.P.H, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Assistant Dean of Faculty Development at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Harlingen, Texas. Dr. Tapia is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She attended the Autonomous University of Puebla in Mexico, where she received her M.D., and the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University (JHSPH), in Baltimore, Maryland, where she received her Master’s in Public Health. In addition to her M.P.H., Dr. Tapia trained in occupational health and environmental medicine, health disparities and health inequality at the JHSPH. Dr. Tapia is also a recent graduate of a Doctor of Education in Professional Leadership with an Emphasis in Health Science Education from the University of Houston.

Since her appointment as assistant dean in 2015, Dr. Tapia has led the planning of over 120 faculty development series and workshops for UME and GME. Dr. Tapia is also a founding member for the Texas Consortium for Faculty Success (TCFS) established in 2016. The TCFS is a professional community of faculty and administrative leaders responsible for faculty affairs and faculty development in Texas' academic health institutions.

Dr. Tapia is a strong advocate for the medically underserved; she continuously provides environmental and public health education to promotoras (lay healthcare workers), public health professionals and community centers. Her research interests are border health, environmental medicine, public health, minority health, faculty development and medical education research.

Beatriz Tapia, MD, EdD, MPH
Assistant Dean, Faculty Development
Faculty Development
Email: Beatriz.Tapia@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 296-1481

Andrew Tsin, PhD

Senior Associate Dean, Research
Phone: (956) 665-1705
Email: Andrew.Tsin@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Tsin is a graduate of Dalhousie University and has an MS and PhD (Zoology/Physiology) from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the Program in Neuroscience and the Department of Ophthalmology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He was appointed an Assistant Professor in 1981 in the Department of Biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio and was promoted to Associate and then full Professor with tenure. He was also appointed Professor of Biochemistry and Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. At the University of Texas at San Antonio, Dr. Tsin also served as Division Director of Life Sciences, Associate Dean of Research, Director of the Center for Research and Training in Sciences, Director of Center for Interdisciplinary Heath Research and Associate Vice President of Health Research. Dr. Tsin has published more than 100 peer review articles and his scholarly activity includes biochemistry of the visual cycle and cell biology of angiogenic eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. His professional activity also includes development of institutional research capabilities and student/faculty mentoring. Dr. Tsin has received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEN award presented by President Obama), a Lifetime Achievement Award by the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest scientific society) and the Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award by the American Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Tsin is a Gold Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and an elected Fellow of AAAS, Royal Society of Medicine, Royal Society of Biology and the Linnean Society of London. Dr. Tsin has received research supports from the NIH (including two R01 and one R03 grant), NSF, DoD, as well as research grants from different private and public entities.

Andrew Tsin, PhD
Senior Associate Dean, Research
Research
Email: Andrew.Tsin@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 665-1705

Adela Valdez, MD, MBA

Associate Dean, Special Programs
Phone: (956) 296-1471
Email: Adela.Valdez@utrgv.edu
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Leonel Vela, MD, MPH

Senior Associate Dean, Educational Resources
Phone: (956) 296-1411
Email: Leonel.Vela@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Leonel Vela is the Associate Vice President for Education-Division of Health Affairs, Senior Associate Dean for Educational Resources and holds a faculty appointment of Professor with Tenure in the Department of Family Medicine at the UT Rio Grande Valley-School of Medicine. He was Founding Dean of the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC), a campus of the University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio (UTHSCSA), where he also held the appointment of Professor with Tenure in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. In this capacity, Dr. Vela directed the medical education and biomedical research components of the RAHC. As its first Regional Dean, he provided leadership in the development and establishment of the RAHC campuses during their formative years. Dr. Vela was previously at Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) where he was Vice President for Rural and Community Health, first holder of the Marie Hall Endowed Chair in Rural Health, Medical Director of Telemedicine/Telehealth and Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Vela received undergraduate degrees from Stanford University and medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed post-graduate studies at Harvard where he received a Master of Public Health Degree and was a Kellogg Fellow in Health Policy and Management. He completed post-graduate training in Preventive Medicine and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine. His publications, professional presentations and committees have included medical education, tuberculosis, diabetes, migrant health, border health and telemedicine. He previously chaired the National Advisory Council on Migrant Health for the U.S. Secretary of Health and received the Plate of Bounty Award by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Migrant Head Start Branch. Dr. Vela was honored by Texas Tech University Health Science Center as recipient of the Rural Health Visionary Award and was a UTRGV School of Medicine inaugural member of the UT System Kenneth I. Shine M.D. Academy of Health Science Education.

Leonel Vela, MD, MPH
Senior Associate Dean, Educational Resources
Educational Resources
Email: Leonel.Vela@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 296-1411