Faculty & Staff

Medical Education

Nikhilesh Anand, MD, MBBS

Assistant Professor of Medical Education

956-296-2303

Nikhilesh.Anand@utrgv.edu

Research Profile

Nikhilesh Anand, MD, MBBS

Nikhilesh Anand, MD, MBBS
Assistant Professor of Medical Education
Medical Education
ETBLC 2.143
Email: Nikhilesh.Anand@utrgv.edu
Phone: 956-296-2303

Nikhilesh Anand, M.D., is a licensed physician with clinical experience and training in psychiatry, and he holds a Doctor of Medicine in Pharmacology. He completed a three-year residency in pharmacology and therapeutics, has three years of experience as a resident physician in psychiatry and addiction medicine, and served two years as a duty doctor at a stem cell research facility specializing in neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Anand focuses strongly on research in psychopharmacology, behavioral health, and the rational use of medicine.

Over the past decade, Dr. Anand has been dedicated to medical education. He served as an Assistant and Associate Professor of Pharmacology and System Director of Neurobehavior at the American University of Antigua College of Medicine (AUACOM), Antigua. He also held roles as an Assistant Professor and Course Director of Pharmacology at All Saints University School of Medicine, Dominica. His extensive experience includes teaching pharmacology and various medical subjects using both system-based and organ-based integrated curricula. Dr. Anand holds ECFMG Certification, having passed all USMLE steps, which affirms his expertise in the foundational knowledge required for medical students to succeed in these exams. Dr. Anand played a significant role in administrative and curriculum development in his position as academic scheduler and system director at AUACOM. He managed significant administrative responsibilities and played a pivotal part in curriculum development, specifically in introducing and revising programs and systems. This includes being a critical team member in establishing the Integrated Basic Science and Clinical Review (IBSCR) program and driving improvements in the Neurobehavior system. Dr. Anand contributed significantly to institutional service through various committees.

Dr. Anand's research primarily focuses on psychopharmacology, neurobehavior pharmacology, and the rational use of medicine. He has contributed to 15 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. His MD thesis introduced a novel method for calculating drug usage per patient per day, facilitating the rational use of medicine in clinical settings.

Mercy Azeke, EdD: Assistant Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-1301; Mercy.Azeke@utrgv.edu

Ricardo Belmares, PhD: Assistant Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-1155; Ricardo.Belmares@utrgv.edu

Ricardo Belmares, PhD

Ricardo Belmares, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medical Education
Medical Education
Email: Ricardo.Belmares@utrgv.edu
Phone: 956-296-1155

Ricardo Belmares, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Medical Education at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – School of Medicine. He teaches anatomy to pre-clerkship medical students.

He previously served as Assistant Professor at Texas Tech Health Science Center El Paso where he taught anatomy to medical students at Paul L. Foster School of Medicine and dental students at William D. Hunt School of Dental Medicine. He was the program coordinator for the Distinction in Anatomy program, course director for the Surgical Anatomy elective, and co-course director of the second-year medical school pre-clerkship curriculum. Dr. Belmares also served on several committees such as Admissions where he served as Chair, a voting member for Grading and Promotions committee, and served as a research mentor for over 30 medical students.

Dr. Belmares’ research is split between basic sciences and pedagogy. In basic sciences, he has broad interests in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, and histology resulting in top-tier journals such as Science and Nature. His latest focus has been investigating anatomical variation in border population which has led to novel findings in coronary branching, course of maxillary artery in infratemporal fossa, and histological studies in deep vein valves and collagen distribution in trabecular meshwork and optic nerve head.

In pedagogy, Dr. Belmares has developed imaging modules to prepare medical students for clerkship rotations, introduced an individualized learning plan for anatomy instruction, and streamlined the pre-clerkship curriculum to better prepare students for STEP and clerkship.

Dr. Belmares has also been active in many on-campus outreach programs such as EP HEAT to educate the community regarding many important health issues such as dispelling common medical myths about vaccines, diabetes, high blood pressure, and diet.

Maurice Clifton, MD, MSEd, MBA: Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-1508; Maurice.Clifton@utrgv.edu

Rajendra Rao Thambi dorai Conjeevaram, MD: Professor of Medical Education; Thambi.Conjee@utrgv.edu

Rajendra Rao Thambi dorai Conjeevaram, MD

Rajendra Rao Thambi dorai Conjeevaram, MD
Professor of Medical Education
Medical Education
Email: Thambi.Conjee@utrgv.edu

Rajendra Rao Thambi dorai Conjeevaram MD, is a Professor of Medical Education and teaches anatomy at UTRGV.

He previously served as Professor and Senior Consultant Pediatric surgeon in the Departments of Surgery at University Malaya and in the National University of Malaysia. In pediatric surgery, his special interests include neonatal surgery and Pediatric urology.

Thambi dorai received his Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery degree from Madras Medical College and Master of Surgery from University Madras, India. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of surgeons, Edinburgh in General surgery and Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS) in Pediatric surgery. He obtained his Diploma in Medical Education from University of Dundee.

All through his career as a Surgeon in the Academic departments of Surgery, he has taught basic anatomy and applied anatomy, General surgery and Pediatric surgery, to graduate medical students and residents. He has special interest in problem solving and clinical oriented teaching and has been involved in curriculum development for this purpose.

His recent research projects include urethral replacement with tissue engineered products, drug therapy for urological dysfunction in spina bifida and genetics of Hirschsprung’s disease. He has 80 publications in peer reviewed journals and is a regular reviewer for peer reviewed journals.

He is enthusiastic on promoting publication and research culture among graduate medical students and residents and serves as editor for journals with this aim. He has supervised thesis of residents in surgery for over 30 years. He is an examiner for the Royal college of surgeons of Edinburgh and is involved in setting OSCE questions in basic sciences examination of the college. He is a life-member of both Medical education association of Malaysia and Academy of Medicine of Malaysia. He is an instructor for ATLS course of the American college of surgeons and a member of the Academy of Surgical Educators of the RACS.

Sambandam Elango, MD: Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-1954; Sambandam.Elango@utrgv.edu

Bharathi Gadad, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medical Education

956-296-2304

Bharathi.Gadad@utrgv.edu

Bharathi Gadad, PhD

Bharathi Gadad, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medical Education
Medical Education
ETBLC 2.141
Email: Bharathi.Gadad@utrgv.edu
Phone: 956-296-2304

Dr. Bharathi Gadad is an Assistant Professor in Behavioral Health at the Department of Medical Education at the UTRGV School of Medicine. She obtained her doctoral degree in neurosciences from India in 2007 and undertook postdoctoral training at the Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, until 2010. Transitioning to UT Southwestern Medical Center from 2010 to 2018, she made significant contributions to research at the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care. In 2019, she joined Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso as an Assistant Professor until 2023. Her research focuses on gender-based genetic and epigenetic alterations and brain cell signaling in major depression and suicide. Presently, her focus is on educating medical students about behavioral and mental health at UTRGV.

Seratna Guadarrama Beltran, PhD: Assistant Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-1447; Seratna.Guadarrama@utrgv.edu

Shizue Mito, PhD: Assistant Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-2301; Shizue.Mito@utrgv.edu

Pratip Mitra, MPharmSci, PhD: Associate Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-1595; Pratip.Mitra@utrgv.edu

Seval Ozkan Coban, PhD: Assistant Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-7706; Seval.OzkanCoban@utrgv.edu

Mohammed Razzaque, MBBS, PhD

Professor of Medical Education

956-296-2314

Mohammed.Razzaque@utrgv.edu

Mohammed Razzaque, MBBS, PhD

Mohammed Razzaque, MBBS, PhD
Professor of Medical Education
Medical Education
ETBLC 2.121
Email: Mohammed.Razzaque@utrgv.edu
Phone: 956-296-2314

Mohammed S. Razzaque, MBBS, PhD, is a professor at the Department of Medical Education at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He has a diverse academic background, having served as a professor of pathology at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and as an assistant professor of Oral Medicine at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). Razzaque obtained a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Chittagong University in Bangladesh and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from Nagasaki University in Japan. He completed his renal pathology training at Nagasaki University School of Medicine and worked as a consultant of renal pathology at Riyadh Military Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

As a faculty representative from Harvard University, Razzaque took part in the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Program in Rwanda, a global health initiative aimed at enhancing the quality and quantity of health professionals in Rwanda by fostering collaboration between a group of U.S. academic institutions, including Harvard Medical School, and the Government of Rwanda. Additionally, during his time as a visiting professor, he provided instruction and established research partnerships at Antwerpen University in Belgium, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Ahmet Yesevi University in Kazakhstan.

Razzaque's primary research focus is to comprehend the mechanisms behind disease conditions related to the abnormal regulation of phosphate homeostasis, such as chronic kidney disease, vascular calcification, and premature aging. Additionally, he aims to reveal the novel physiological regulation of phosphate by the bone-kidney axis. His research is financially supported by the National Institutes of Health, and Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.

Padmanabhan Rengasamy, PhD: Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-1901; Pad.Renga@utrgv.edu

Amin Shah, PhD: Assistant Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-1939; Amin.Shah@utrgv.edu

Steven Toller, MD: Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery; Steven.Toller@utrgv.edu

Alex L. Zuo, PhD, FACSM: Associate Professor of Medical Education; 956-296-3252; Alex.Zuo@utrgv.edu

Organization Chart Faculty & Staff

Department Chair

Sambandam Elango, MD, FACS, M MED Ed

Contact

Medical Education
1204 W Schunior St.,
Edinburg, TX 78541
Phone: (956) 296-1551
Email: MedEdu@utrgv.edu

Medical Education

Faculty & Staff

Medical Education

Nikhilesh Anand, MD, MBBS

Mercy Azeke, EdD

Ricardo Belmares, PhD

Maurice Clifton, MD, MSEd, MBA

Rajendra Rao Thambi dorai Conjeevaram, MD

Sambandam Elango, MD

Bharathi Gadad, PhD

Seratna Guadarrama Beltran, PhD

Shizue Mito, PhD

Pratip Mitra, MPharmSci, PhD

Seval Ozkan Coban, PhD

Mohammed Razzaque, MBBS, PhD

Padmanabhan Rengasamy, PhD

Amin Shah, PhD

Steven Toller, MD

Alex L. Zuo, PhD, FACSM

Department Chair

Contact

Campus Locations

Edinburg

Harlingen

Brownsville

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