About Us

Andrew Tsin, Ph.D.

Andrew Tsin, Ph.D.

Sr. Associate Dean of Research

Dr. Andrew Tsin, the Associate Dean of Research in the School of Medicine brings a wealth of experience to his new role at UTRGV. Dr. Tsin previously served as a faculty member at UT San Antonio where he helped to bring millions in grant funding to UTSA. In his current role at UTRGV, Dr. Tsin's department is responsible for the review and submission of grant and contract proposals to federal agencies and other sponsors. Dr. Tsin has over 35 years of experience leading and managing the central administration of research grants and contracts.

Location: McAllen Biomedical Research Building, 1.305

Email:

Andrew.Tsin@utrgv.edu

Phone:

956-296-1757

Jennifer Cahn, Ph.D.

Jennifer Cahn, Ph.D.

Grant Research Officer

As the Grant Research Office for the SOM, Dr. Jennifer Cahn assists SOM researchers in their search for funding and as a resource on both internal and external guidelines. She served as grant writer at our legacy institution in Brownsville under the School of Science, Mathematics and Technology and prior to that as assistant to the Director of Institutional Advancement. Dr. Cahn can be reached at her Harlingen office and is happy to travel to any of the UTRGV sites to discuss your ongoing research and ways to help find funding for individual research, interdepartmental programs, clinical research and related projects. The Office of the Associate Dean of Research, which determines priorities in grant writing support, particularly encourages collaborative and interdisciplinary projects.

Location: Harlingen Clinical Education Building 3.116E

Email:

Jennifer.Cahn@utrgv.edu

Phone:

956-296-1707

Jorge Teniente

Jorge Teniente

Director of Special Programs

Mr. Jorge L. Teniente provides management expertise in support of major projects for the Office of the Associate Dean of Research. These projects include the SOM Research Symposium, Student Research Colloquium, Seminar Speaker Series, among others, and also provides administrative support to the Health Affairs IRB and New Program Development for the Health Affairs Division.

Jorge holds a BBA in Management and a Master's in Public Administration both from the The University of Texas-Pan American. He brings over 20 years of experience managing different programs and departments both at UTRGV and UTPA.

Location: McAllen Biomedical Research Building, 1.306

Email:

Jorge.Teniente@utrgv.edu

Phone:

956-296-1764

Veronica Vera

Veronica Vera

Grants and Contracts Program Manager

Ms. Veronica Vera is the Program Manager for pre and post award activities at the School of Medicine under the Department of the Associate Dean of Research. Ms. Vera has 14 years experience in the area of finance and grants and contracts administration. During her time at UTRGV and the legacy institution, Ms. Vera has been responsible for providing guidance on interpreting federal and institutional policies for PI's and research personnel. Ms. Vera earned both her Bachelor’s in Business Administration and an Associate’s in Arts in Business Administration from University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College.

Location: Harlingen Clinical Education Building 3.144.29

Email:

Veronica.Vera@utrgv.edu

Phone:

956-296-1542

Edith Ramos Kolahdouz, MBA

Edith Ramos Kolahdouz, MBA

Program Coordinator

Mrs. Edith Ramos Kolahdouz assists SOM researchers to find research funding opportunities, provide administrative support to the McAllen Biomedical Research Facility, and facilitate funding for SOM medical student research.

In past roles, she has provided support to the Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and Institutional Biosafety Committee at both the University of Texas at San Antonio and UTRGV. She has experience in administrative matters related to research compliance areas including human subjects protection, responsible conduct of research, and export controls.

As part of the Office of the Assistant Dean of Research, she enjoys working closely with faculty and medical students to help find funding for a wide variety of projects.

Edith holds a BBA in Management from The University of Texas Pan-American and an MBA from Texas A&M University Kingsville.

Location: McAllen Biomedical Research Building, 1.307

Email:

Edith.Ramos01@utrgv.edu

Phone:

956-296-1765

Aniella Olivarez Perez, MBA

Aniella Olivarez Perez, MBA

Administrative Associate

Mrs. Aniella Olivarez Perez assists both the Associate Dean of Research Office as well as the Molecular Science Department with administrative needs, manages multiple fund accounts, and provides administrative support for the McAllen Biomedical Research Facility in partnership with several other SOM departments.

In past roles, she has been a Nutrition Coordinator for a food service company and has assisted with various Nutrition Research projects at the University of Texas at Austin campus. She has experience in compliance, managing multiple fund accounts, inventory management, and supervising a team of employees.

Aniella holds a BS in Nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from UTRGV.

Location: McAllen Biomedical Research Building, 1.401

Email:

Aniella.Perez01@utrgv.edu

Phone:

956-296-1705

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Office of the Associate Dean of Research UTRGV School of Medicine