Leadership

Michael B. Hocker, MD, MHS

Dean, School of Medicine, Senior Vice President of UT Health RGV

(956) 296-2732

Michael.Hocker@utrgv.edu

Michael B. Hocker, MD, MHS

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Michael B. Hocker, MD, MHS
Dean, School of Medicine, Senior Vice President of UT Health RGV
Email: Michael.Hocker@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-2732

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Dr. Michael B. Hocker, Dean of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, assumed his post on June 28, 2021.

Dr. Hocker comes to the Rio Grande Valley from the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University where he served as the senior associate dean and designated institutional official (DIO) of graduate medical education. In that role, Dr. Hocker oversaw 51 residency and fellowship programs. Previously, he served as the Vice-Chair of Operations for Emergency Medicine and assistant DIO for graduate medical education. He also holds the J. Harold Harrison M.D. Distinguished Chair in Emergency Medicine.

Prior to joining MCG, Dr. Hocker spent 14 years at Duke University School of Medicine, where he helped start what is now considered one of the country’s top emergency medicine training programs. He also earned a Master of Health Science in Clinical Leadership from Duke. In 2016, the Duke Division of Emergency Medicine honored his leadership with the naming of the Michael B. Hocker, MD, Duke Emergency Medicine Division Leadership and Service Award.

Dr. Hocker is a master clinician and Board certified in Emergency Medicine, he completed his internship at the UC Davis East Bay Surgical Program in Oakland, California, and his residency training in emergency medicine at the University of Massachusetts.

A former U.S. Navy flight surgeon, he graduated from Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Dr. Hocker and his family are excited about joining the UTRGV community and making South Texas their home, where they will be closer to his mother, Jean, and stepfather, Richard, who currently live in Harlingen.

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Michael Patriarca, MBA, MS

Executive Vice Dean, School of Medicine, Vice President, UT Health RGV

(956) 296-1995

Michael.Patriarca@utrgv.edu

• Roles and Responsibilities

Michael Patriarca, MBA, MS

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Michael Patriarca, MBA, MS
Executive Vice Dean, School of Medicine, Vice President, UT Health RGV
Email: Michael.Patriarca@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1995

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Mr. Michael Patriarca, MBA, MS, is the Executive Vice Dean for the UTRGV School of Medicine and Vice President of UT Health RGV.

Prior to joining UTRGV, Mr. Patriarca spent time at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where, since early 2015, had served as the Director of Finance in the Office of the Dean for the School of Medicine & Provost. In this role, he was responsible for the funds flow, budget, and capital budget for the School of Medicine. Prior to joining UT Southwestern, Mr. Patriarca spent 8 years at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, where he held various leadership roles across the finance, operations, practice plan, resource allocation and planning functions within the Office of the Provost/Dean of the School of Medicine.

Mr. Patriarca earned his undergraduate Finance degree from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University and holds an MBA from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. He is currently working towards a Master’s of Science in Business Analytics, scheduled to be completed in 2021.

 

Key Roles and Responsibilities

 

• Serves as the chief operations officer for the UTRGV School of Medicine and represents the dean on administrative, business, and financial matters with affiliate hospitals and organizations.

 

• Leads the financial and administrative functions of the School of Medicine by providing strategic direction and goal setting for operational executives in areas such as finance, human resources, information services, planning, facilities, and operations.

 

• Serves as a member of senior leadership groups for all major decisions affecting the School of Medicine. Provides information and counsel to the executive leadership team on fiscal and administrative matters related to institution-wide planning, policies, and procedures.

 

• Negotiates and builds alliances and contracts with healthcare affiliates and government agencies on a local, national, and international level to solidify and maintain connections with strategic partners.

 

• Represents the School of Medicine at a number of high-level committees related to strategic interests, institutional governance, and affiliate hospital and research partners.

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Sofia Hernandez, MPA

Chief of Staff and Strategic Initiatives

(956) 296-1951

Sofia.Hernandez@utrgv.edu

• Roles and Responsibilities

Sofia Hernandez, MPA

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Sofia Hernandez, MPA
Chief of Staff and Strategic Initiatives
Email: Sofia.Hernandez@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1951

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Sofia Hernandez is the Chief of Staff and Strategic Initiatives for the UTRGV School of Medicine. Before joining UTRGV, she was the Vice President for Government Affairs and Graduate Medical Education at DHR Health. Hernandez has more than 25 years of experience working in health care and public policy. She has worked for United Healthcare, Hidalgo County, and State Senators Juan Hinojosa, Eddie Lucio, Judith Zaffirini, and the late Carlos Truan.

Sofia earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin. She also earned her MPA from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Provides senior-level administrative oversight and executive decision-making in matters impacting the School of Medicine.
  
  
• Oversees the ongoing development and execution of the school's strategic plan and monitors a continuous quality improvement program.
  
  
• Promotes community engagement and represents the school at local, state, national, and international levels in activities that will positively impact the reputation and influence of the school and university.
  
  
• Leads and evaluates assigned areas such as Strategic Planning and Initiatives, Marketing and Communications; and special events.
  
  
• Effectively engages all stakeholders, assists the Dean in the development and implementation of a comprehensive and integrative strategic plan for the school in alignment with the university strategic plan and ensures these plans are implemented in the assigned areas.

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Angela R. Cook, PhD, MNHP, RN, OCN, CCRP

Interim Senior Associate Dean, Research; Associate Vice President for Clinical and Translational Research

Angela.Cook@utrgv.edu

• Roles and Responsibilities

Angela R. Cook, PhD, MNHP, RN, OCN, CCRP

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Angela R. Cook, PhD, MNHP, RN, OCN, CCRP
Interim Senior Associate Dean, Research; Associate Vice President for Clinical and Translational Research
Email: Angela.Cook@utrgv.edu

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Dr. Angela R. Cook joined the UTRGV School of Medicine in 2021 as the Associate Vice President for Clinical and Translational Research. 

Dr. Cook earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Northern Iowa, her Master's in Nursing and Healthcare Practice at the University of Iowa, and her Doctorate in Nursing and Healthcare Practice at The University of Texas at Austin.

Before joining UTRGV, Dr. Cook served as executive director of research at The University of Kansas Health System, director of shared research services for the UT System, and director for clinical research at the UT Medical Branch in Galveston.    

Dr. Cook utilizes her years of experience to help guide strategic efforts for clinical and translational research. Her work improves studies in areas such as neuroscience, cancer, and diabetes.

Dr. Cook works with faculty and the community through a clinical trials program that translates knowledge gained from the laboratory into new diagnostic tests and treatments for improving patient outcomes in the Rio Grande Valley - and beyond.

 

Key Roles and Responsibilities

 

• Establishes the clinical research infrastructure and ensures that the faculty, staff, and
students engaged in clinical research are committed to the highest standards of
ethics, integrity, and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies for
clinical research.

• Promotes and facilitates success in the clinical research mission for the School of
Medicine and the research learning of its students.

• Leads efforts for mission integration across all UTRGV schools to become a research-intensive university.

• Provides strategic planning and vision to advance the strengths of our
clinical and translational research mission to the benefit of our
community.

• Collaboratively review and prioritize departmental research portfolios

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Michael Sander, MD

Chief Physician Executive

Michael.Sander@utrgv.edu

• Roles and Responsibilities

Michael Sander, MD

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Michael Sander, MD
Chief Physician Executive
Email: Michael.Sander@utrgv.edu

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Dr. Michael Sander, a native of Weslaco, is a Chief Physician Executive at the UTRGV School of Medicine. 

Dr. Sander earned his medical degree with honors from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. For his orthopedic surgery residency, he attended The University of Iowa Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. He then completed his orthopedic sports fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Dr. Sander continued his medical training and obtained board certification from the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. 

Dr. Sander currently serves as a board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon at UT Health RGV. He provides advanced treatment to patients with a variety of orthopedic conditions, and he specializes in helping patients regain mobility and functionality with the goal of long-term success.

 

Key Roles and Responsibilities

 

• Leads and directs the collaboration with management, medical staff, and
other constituents to improve clinical operations, ensure quality and safety,
build strategy, and grow patient volume across UT Health RGV.

• Provides physician leadership in development of health system programs,
including UT Health RGV Specialty Care center (cancer/surgery center).

• Understands the issues and challenges facing the clinical, education and
research elements of UTRGV SOM, assures clinical environment supports all
missions, with a full understanding of and ability to respond effectively to
elements that drive competitive advantage.

• Champions lean thinking, approaches, and methods of process improvement,
and ongoing monitoring to continue improvement.

• Integrates clinical administrative leadership plans into existing channels to
identify, develop, and mentor future leaders across the enterprise.

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Joe A. Galvan, JD, MBA

Deputy Chief Legal Officer

(956) 296-1936

Joe.Galvan@utrgv.edu

• Roles and Responsibilities

Joe A. Galvan, JD, MBA

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Joe A. Galvan, JD, MBA
Deputy Chief Legal Officer
Email: Joe.Galvan@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1936

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Joe Galvan is the Deputy Chief Legal Officer—Healthcare for UTRGV. Since 2017 he has served as primary legal counsel for the UTRGV School of Medicine and the Division of Health Affairs. Joe has over two decades of experience working in university health science centers and providing advice and counsel on complex legal issues affecting academic medical centers and teaching hospitals. He previously served as Associate Vice President and Deputy Chief Legal Officer for The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston where he managed the day-to-day operations of the Department of Legal Affairs. He also served as Managing Counsel for Health Affairs at Texas A&M University System, serving as counsel to Texas A&M Health Science Center.

Joe earned his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law and his MBA from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Provide accurate, knowledgeable, and timely legal advice based on experience, research and analysis on a broad range of regulatory/compliance, transactional, and litigation-related issues arising in medical and allied health education and related clinical practices, and on UTRGV’s affiliations with external group practices and hospitals (including without limitation, Stark and Anti-Kickback; HIPAA; physician reimbursement including governmental and private payers; accreditation-related issues; false claims; tax; antitrust; tissue and organ transplantation; collections; risk management; privacy-related issues, and investigation and management of potentially compensable events and medical malpractice claims).
  
  
• Ensure all aspects of UTRGV’s medical and allied health clinical practices meet applicable regulatory requirements.
  
  
• Draft and review legal documents including without limitation contracts, memoranda of law, policies, procedures and litigation-related documents.
  
  
• Support and provide legal advice for strategic planning, development and maintenance of clinical operations for the School of Medicine.
  
  
• Organize, plan, prioritize, and review work product of supervised employee(s); offer guidance to supervised employee(s).

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