Obstetrics and Gynecology

Faculty & Staff

Faculty

K. Michael Butterman, MD, FACOG: Clinical Assistant Professor; (956) 296-1460; Karl.Buttermann@utrgv.edu

K. Michael Butterman, MD, FACOG

K. Michael Butterman, MD, FACOG
Clinical Assistant Professor
Obstetrics & Gynecology
HCEL 3.124 (Harlingen)
Email: Karl.Buttermann@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Denise De Los Santos, MD, FACOG: Clinical Assistant Professor; (956) 296-1460; Denise.DeLosSantos01@utrgv.edu

Denise De Los Santos, MD, FACOG

Denise De Los Santos, MD, FACOG
Clinical Assistant Professor
Obstetrics & Gynecology
OFFC DHR (Edinburg)
Email: Denise.DeLosSantos01@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Dr. De Los Santos was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. She went to PSJA North High School and was accepted into the Medical School Early Acceptance Program, which allowed her to matriculate to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio at age 20 after 3 years of undergraduate education at the University of Texas-Pan American. She graduated with an undergraduate degree from UTPA with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, and UTHSCSA with her Doctorate in Medicine. After completing an OB/GYN residency at New York Downtown Hospital in Manhattan and Danbury Hospital in Danbury, CT.

Dr. De Los Santos is excited to be back home to help the next generation of RGV physicians. She is currently the Assistant Medical Student Clerkship Director and is active in medical student education.

Ayda Garza-Montalvo, MD, FACOG: Clinical Assistant Professor; (956) 296-1460; Ayda.GarzaMontlvo@utrgv.edu

Ayda Garza-Montalvo, MD, FACOG

Ayda Garza-Montalvo, MD, FACOG
Clinical Assistant Professor
Obstetrics & Gynecology
HCEBL 3.124 (Harlingen)
Email: Ayda.GarzaMontlvo@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Dr. Garza-Montalvo is a graduate of Harlingen High School and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at Yale University. She attended UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, where she earned her MD. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at Parkland Memorial Hospital and returned to the valley where she has been in private practice since 1995.

Theodore Held, MD, MPH, FACOG: Clinical Assistant Professor; (956) 296-1460; Theodore.Held@utrgv.edu

Theodore Held, MD, MPH, FACOG

Theodore Held, MD, MPH, FACOG
Clinical Assistant Professor
Obstetrics & Gynecology
HCEBL 3.124 (Harlingen)
Email: Theodore.Held@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Dr. Held has been a practicing OBGYN for over 20 years and is an assistant professor of OBGYN at UTRGV. Prior to joining the faculty at UTRGV, Dr. Held served as the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Austin’s Healthcare District, where he was responsible for designing and overseeing implementation of healthcare delivery system reforms for the underserved in Austin/Travis County, including group prenatal care programs, contraceptive access programs, street and homeless medicine outreach, and population health monitoring and evaluation. He graduated from UTMB medical school, and completed his residency at the University of Kentucky in Lexington in 1996. His career has largely been focused on the care of the underserved with a specific focus on contraception access and public health care system redesign. He completed a Master’s in Public Health in 2013 at the University of Texas School of Public Health- Austin Regional Campus.

Lyuba Levine, MD, MMSci, FACOG: Professor and Chief, Div. of Gyn-Oncology; (956) 362-2428; Lyuba.Levine@utrgv.edu

Lyuba Levine, MD, MMSci, FACOG

Lyuba Levine, MD, MMSci, FACOG
Professor and Chief, Div. of Gyn-Oncology
Obstetrics & Gynecology
OFFC DHR (Edinburg)
Email: Lyuba.Levine@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 362-2428

Dr. Levine comes to UTRGV to continue and expand her clinical and basic science research, particularly translational research trials for patients diagnosed with gynecologic malignancies. Being clinically involved in her patients’ care has allowed her to provide enrollment in collaborative group trials and to lead local, investigator-initiated trials to improve care and outcomes for cancer patients. Dr. Levine’s main focus in cancer care is to improve the quality of life during and after completion of treatment.

Dr. Levine obtained her M.D. at St. George’s University in 1996 and completed a Master’s in Medical Science (2003) and a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology (2004) at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Dr. Levine’s experience as a principal investigator of Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) trials at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and as a co-investigator of the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN)/CDC study puts her in a unique position to enroll cancer patients in national trials and provide state-of-the-art care.

Dr. Levine has received a number of awards for her contributions, including Resident Research Award, Consumer Award, Chairman’s Award, Hospital Academic Fellowship Award, Women’s Reproductive Health Research Scholarship, and the Junior Faculty Development Award, and was the holder of the Edward V. Hannigan Professorship in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UTMB.

Dr. Levine’s peer-reviewed publication topics have included primary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the vagina, implications of tyrosine phosphoproteomics in cervical carcinogenesis, cancer cachexia, and anabolic interventions.

Joseph 'Tony' Ogburn, MD, FACOG: Professor and Chair; (956) 296-1460; Tony.Ogburn@utrgv.edu

Joseph 'Tony' Ogburn, MD, FACOG

Joseph 'Tony' Ogburn, MD, FACOG
Professor and Chair
Obstetrics & Gynecology
HCEBL 3.124 (Harlingen)
Email: Tony.Ogburn@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Dr. Tony Ogburn is a professor and the chair of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He was previously a professor in the Department of Obstetrics at the University of New Mexico (UNM) where he was on faculty since 1997. He was also the chief medical officer at the University of New Mexico-Sandoval Regional Medical Center.

He attended medical school at the University of Florida and completed his residency in OB-GYN at the University of California-Irvine. Following his residency, he worked for the Indian Health Service in Gallup, New Mexico for six years. He served in a number of educational leadership roles at UNM including residency program director and Assistant Dean of Graduate Medical Education. He continues with an active clinical practice with a focus in general gynecology and family planning.

He has published over 50 scientific articles with an emphasis on family planning, educational evaluation and curriculum development, and improving access to underserved populations. He is the immediate past chair of the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology and founding treasurer and president-elect of the Society of Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is a board member of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics. He is a board examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is a former ACOG McCain Fellow and until moving to UTRGV served as the legislative chair and member of the Advisory Council for ACOG District 8. He is a member of the ACOG Committee on Indian Affairs, serving as the chair of the committee from 2007-11 and the current director of education. Dr. Ogburn is a member of the ACOG Committee on Healthcare for Underserved Women and is on the ACOG Global Operations Advisory Group.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ogburn has advocated for improved access and health care for underserved populations. He spent six years in Gallup working with the Indian Health Service serving the Navajo reservation and he has volunteered on Indian reservations in the United States and at a maternity hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. He is a strong advocate on the state and national levels for improved access to quality health care for the underserved.

Pamela Parker, MD, FAAFP, FACOG: Clinical Assistant Professor; (956) 296-1460; Pamela.Parker@utrgv.edu

Pamela Parker, MD, FAAFP, FACOG

Pamela Parker, MD, FAAFP, FACOG
Clinical Assistant Professor
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Email: Pamela.Parker@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Dr. Pamela Parker received her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia after completing her BS/RN degree from California State Los Angeles and MS-Family Nurse Practitioner training from the University of Utah. She completed residencies in both family practice and OB-Gyn and is Board Certified in both specialties. She has practiced both specialties at various community health centers, private practices, in-patient eating disorder unit, family planning clinics and university Student Health Centers across the country. She has had clinical appointments at A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine and School of Dentistry, and PIROG residency at the Phoenix branch of the University of Arizona. Dr. Parker has previously been a medical consultant for the Northern Arizona Center for Sexual Assault and member of the Sexual Assault Team at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. She has provided guidance and consultation as the Medical Director for the Cal Poly Mobile Women and Infant’s mobile unit since 2017. Dr. Parker has been a member of the International Education and Humanitarian Outreach Committee of the ASCCP since 2017. She has a Diploma in International Medicine and Public Health, and continues to pursue opportunities to provide women’s health care/obstetrics in the international setting.

Dr. Parker’s interests include contraception, cervical cytology, eating disorders, hearing loss in diabetics, obstetrics, and international medicine. She has been an invited speaker at several national conferences in Audiology, as well as women’s health speaker on premenstrual syndrome.

Saul Rivas, MD, MSPH, FACOG: Clinical Assistant Professor; (956) 296-1460; Saul.Rivas@utrgv.edu

Saul Rivas, MD, MSPH, FACOG

Saul Rivas, MD, MSPH, FACOG
Clinical Assistant Professor
Obstetrics & Gynecology
OFFC DHR (Edinburg)
Email: Saul.Rivas@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Dr. Saul Rivas is an Assistant Professor and the Medical Student Clerkship Director in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He received his medical degree from Texas A&M College of Medicine and completed residency training at the University of New Mexico. He had previously completed a Master of Science in Public Health degree at the University of Texas School of Public Health and worked in epidemiological research and public health at MD Anderson Cancer and the Texas Department of State Health Services, respectively.

Dr. Rivas has a strong interest in providing care to underserved populations and plays an integral part in the effort to provide women's care through the UTRGV Unimovil. He is the Director of the Immediate Post-Partum LARC program at the Women's Hospital at Renaissance; one of the few hospitals in the state and the only hospital in South Texas to provide this service. Dr. Rivas has been an invited speaker at several regional and national meetings in the area of long acting reversible contraception.

Dr. Rivas was recently named the National Academy of Medicine Norman F. Gant/American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Fellowship recipient for 2019-2021.

Jennifer Salcedo, MD, MPH, MPP, FACOG: Clinical Associate Professor and Program Director; (956) 362-3594; Jennifer.Salcedo@utrgv.edu

Jennifer Salcedo, MD, MPH, MPP, FACOG

Jennifer Salcedo, MD, MPH, MPP, FACOG
Clinical Associate Professor and Program Director
Obstetrics & Gynecology
OFFC DHR (Edinburg)
Email: Jennifer.Salcedo@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 362-3594

Dr. Jennifer Salcedo is an Associate Professor and Program Director in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). She was previously an Associate Professor in the Division of Family Planning, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health, at the University of Hawaii where she served as an Associate Program Director and Director of the Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program in Abortion & Family Planning. There she also held adjunct faculty appointments in the Office of Public Health Studies and the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Salcedo received her medical degree and MPH at Northwestern University, completed residency training at the University of California, Irvine, and finished a fellowship in family planning at the University of California, Los Angeles. During fellowship, she received an MPP through UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, with a concentration in health. She has held leadership positions in the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, American Society of Reproductive Medicine, and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Dr. Salcedo’s research interests include emergency contraception, health care systems improvement, and medical education. She is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and recently received the ABOG focused practice designation in pediatric and adolescent gynecology.

Elissa Serapio, MD, MPH, FACOG: Clinical Assistant Professor; (956) 296-1460; Elissa.Serapio@utrgv.edu

Elissa Serapio, MD, MPH, FACOG

Elissa Serapio, MD, MPH, FACOG
Clinical Assistant Professor
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Email: Elissa.Serapio@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Dr. Elissa Serapio received her undergraduate degree at Stanford University. She completed Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She then completed a fellowship in family planning at UCSF and the Leadership Training Academy with Physicians for Reproductive Health. During fellowship, Dr. Serapio pursued additional training in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and obtained a Certificate in Advanced Training in Clinical Research.

Dr. Serapio's research and program development interests include the care of patients facing complex/complicated pregnancies, quality improvement, and interventions to lessen health disparities. She loves medical education -- particularly curriculum development and teaching procedural skills. She is thrilled to be joining a department that is working to ensure that all women have access to high-quality, comprehensive reproductive health care services. Dr. Serapio is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Wayne Wilson, MD, MS, FACOG: Clinical Assistant Professor; (956) 296-1460; Wayne.Wilson@utrgv.edu

Wayne Wilson, MD, MS, FACOG

Wayne Wilson, MD, MS, FACOG
Clinical Assistant Professor
Obstetrics & Gynecology
HCEBL 3.124 (Harlingen)
Email: Wayne.Wilson@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Dr. Wilson attended the University of Texas at Austin and then went on to receive his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1980. He then completed an OB/GYN residency at the University of Texas Southwestern at Parkland Memorial Hospital and has been in private practice in McAllen since 1984. He was a Clinical Associate Professor at UTHSC San Antonio from 2012-2017 and has been on the UTRGV Medical School Admissions Committee since its inception. In his role as the Medical Student Community Coordinator, he recruits and is the liaison for the Ob-Gyn community physicians who serve as preceptors for the medical students. He is on the Board of Directors for El Milagro Clinic, a member of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the Texas Medical Association, and the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Staff

Jessica Cunningham, MEd: GME Residency Program Coordinator; Jessica.Cunningham@utrgv.edu

Jessica Cunningham, MEd

Jessica Cunningham, MEd
GME Residency Program Coordinator
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Email: Jessica.Cunningham@utrgv.edu

Myra De La Garza, MSN, APRN, FNP-C: Family Nurse Practitioner (Urogynecology); (956) 362-2461; Myra.Delagarza@utrgv.edu

Myra De La Garza, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Myra De La Garza, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner (Urogynecology)
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Email: Myra.Delagarza@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 362-2461

Myra De La Garza is a graduate of Mission High School and is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner at UT Health RGV. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Texas-Pan American in 2000 and her Masters of Science of Nursing in 2018 from Walden University. She is a member of the American Urogynecologic Society and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Myra has a strong background in Labor & Delivery and geriatric home health. She believes in developing relationships, in order to assist in providing personalized care that is unique to each patient.

Priscilla Flores: Administrative Assistant II; Priscilla.Flores@utrgv.edu

Priscilla Flores

Priscilla Flores
Administrative Assistant II
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Email: Priscilla.Flores@utrgv.edu

Melissa Garza: Administrative Assistant II; Melissa.Garza1@utrgv.edu

Melissa Garza

Melissa Garza
Administrative Assistant II
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Email: Melissa.Garza1@utrgv.edu

Syndi Ortiz: Assistant to the Clinical Chair; Syndi.Ortiz@utrgv.edu

Syndi Ortiz

Syndi Ortiz
Assistant to the Clinical Chair
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Email: Syndi.Ortiz@utrgv.edu

Faculty & Staff

Department Chair

Tony Ogburn, MD, FACOG
Chair's Welcome

Contact

Syndi Ortiz
Assistant to the Clinical Chair
Department of OB/GYN
HCEBL 3.124
Email: Syndi.Ortiz@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1460

Priscilla Flores
Administrative Assistant
Department of OB/GYN
Email: Priscilla.Flores@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1466

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Faculty & Staff

Faculty

K. Michael Butterman, MD, FACOG

Denise De Los Santos, MD, FACOG

Ayda Garza-Montalvo, MD, FACOG

Theodore Held, MD, MPH, FACOG

Lyuba Levine, MD, MMSci, FACOG

Joseph 'Tony' Ogburn, MD, FACOG

Pamela Parker, MD, FAAFP, FACOG

Saul Rivas, MD, MSPH, FACOG

Jennifer Salcedo, MD, MPH, MPP, FACOG

Elissa Serapio, MD, MPH, FACOG

Wayne Wilson, MD, MS, FACOG

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Jessica Cunningham, MEd

Myra De La Garza, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Priscilla Flores

Melissa Garza

Syndi Ortiz

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