Contact: Will Sansom
Phone: (210) 567-2579
E-mail: sansom@uthscsa.edu

Four early admissions agreements were signed Nov. 1 in Brownsville by Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president of the Health Science Center, and Juliet V. Garcia, Ph.D., president of U.T. Brownsville/Texas Southmost College. Earlier the same day, President Cigarroa visited U.T. Pan American in Edinburg to reaffirm the Dental Early Admissions Program (DEAP).
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Identification of academically outstanding South Texas students … early advising on undergraduate courses to take as prerequisites … reducing the time it takes one student to get an undergraduate, then a professional, degree … entering practice as a health care provider in one’s home region.

These are important aspects of four early admissions agreements signed Nov. 1 in Brownsville by Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president of the Health Science Center, and Juliet V. Garcia, Ph.D., president of U.T. Brownsville/Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC).

Earlier the same day, President Cigarroa visited U.T. Pan American in Edinburg to reaffirm the Dental Early Admissions Program (DEAP) that has been in place with UTPA since 1990. Dr. Cigarroa and UTPA President Blandina Cárdenas, Ph.D., signed documents containing several changes to the program to ensure the students who enter Dental School early are well qualified academically to complete the dental curriculum.

In Brownsville, the new agreements established several slots for early acceptance of academically outstanding UTB/TSC students into the Health Science Center:
• Dental School doctor of dental surgery program
• Physical therapy master’s degree program
• Occupational therapy master’s degree program
• Physician assistant studies master’s degree program

“Educational opportunities such as these are vital to the care we provide,” Dr. Cigarroa said. “I’m not just speaking as a university president, but also as a medical practitioner.” Dr. Cigarroa, a native of Laredo, is a pediatric and transplant surgeon.

“The new partnership with UTHSC at San Antonio immediately opens doors for our students to realize their aspirations in popular medical fields,” Dr. Garcia said. “As importantly, the impact of creating these pathways in health care for UTB/TSC students will be felt by all in our region.”

The DEAP casts a net for young students who desire to become dentists and have the academic acumen to match. Selection is based, in part, on grade-point average and dental school admissions test score. It is a 3 + 4 program. UTB/TSC students will finish their undergraduate education in three years instead of four, and shift to the Health Science Center for Dental School. After completing the freshman year at the Dental School, a student will receive her UTB/TSC degree.

This time savings is made possible because UTB/TSC is willing to accept specific first-year courses from the Health Science Center programs as counting toward the Bachelor of Science degree in biology at UTB/TSC.

The occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant studies early admissions programs are all 3 + 3 programs. “For the dedicated and committed student, this program will provide a golden opportunity for a successful transition into professional education and training,” said Giovanni De Domenico, Ph.D., professor and chair of physical therapy at the Health Science Center.

“What excites me most is the fact that, from their first year at the university, students at UTB/TSC will receive curriculum guidance that includes our prerequisite courses,” said Gale Haradon, Ph.D., professor and chair of occupational therapy at the Health Science Center. “So often, students don’t decide until a later time in their academic career to enter occupational therapy, and then they need to take additional courses, which cost them time and money.”

In Edinburg, UTPA President Cárdenas said the Dental Early Admission Program is a win-win situation for the Valley. “Our students have access to health care education and the community ultimately has access to health care,” she said.

Scott Gunn, Ph.D., DEAP program director at UTPA, said the program has a long history at UTPA.

“The program was started in August of 1990 and has a strong history of success with 33 participants to date. The program boasts seven practicing dentists and eight current dental students,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to produce new dentists to serve the state of Texas and especially the medically underserved region of South Texas.”

“The program is exciting to the Dental School because we identify these students so early, we develop relationships with them and their colleges that benefit their education and the profession, and we better help them in Dental School since we know them,” said D. Denee Thomas, Ph.D., associate dean for student affairs in the Dental School. “Also, we are looking to find diversity on many levels for our classes. There is a big shortage of dentists for the future, and the Valley contains many underserved areas. We expect that many of these students will want to return to their homes in the Valley to practice.”