The Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC), a campus of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, is holding a fifth anniversary appreciation ceremony to honor its dedicated faculty on June 18.

The celebration, which will include faculty, staff, medical students and medical residents, will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the RAHC Auditorium, 2102 Treasure Hills Blvd., in Harlingen, Texas. A community celebration to officially commemorate the RAHC’s fifth anniversary is planned for this fall.

Key speakers

Dean William Henrich, M.D., M.A.C.P., will discuss the state of the Health Science Center School of Medicine.
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During the ceremony, Dean William Henrich, M.D., M.A.C.P., will discuss the state of the Health Science Center School of Medicine. Leonel Vela, M.D., M.P.H., professor and regional dean of the RAHC, will speak about the RAHC’s accomplishments over the past five years and plans for the future.

Recognition of faculty and staff
Medical students and medical residents will present awards to outstanding faculty members, and faculty who have been with the RAHC since its beginning will receive special recognition.

Serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley
The RAHC is an outreach of the Health Science Center that serves Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The RAHC has a Medical Education Division in Harlingen and Medical Research Division in Edinburg. Both divisions are overseen by the Health Science Center.

The RAHC Medical Education Division provides the opportunity for medical students and medical residents from the Health Science Center to receive clinical training in this medically underserved part of Texas.

The Medical Research Division provides the opportunity for faculty members interested in the diseases and conditions prevalent in the Texas-Mexico border region to conduct cutting-edge research there.

In addition, there are numerous outreach collaborations between the Health Science Center and area schools and universities that offer opportunities and encouragement for local students to pursue an education in medicine, dentistry, nursing, the allied health sciences and medical research, then return to serve their communities.

Many accomplishments

Leonel Vela, M.D., M.P.H., regional dean and professor, will speak about the RAHC’s accomplishments.

“The RAHC has had many remarkable accomplishments in these first five years and it is truly a time to celebrate,” Vela said, noting that:

• Since the RAHC’s dedication in June 2002, more than 400 Health Science Center medical students have completed at least one clinical rotation in the Valley.
• 50 percent of the graduates from the RAHC’s internal medicine residency program are practicing in the Valley or border area or plan to practice there in the future.
• Over the first five years, the RAHC faculty has grown to 300 volunteer and part-time faculty members.

“Serving as regional academic dean for the RAHC and seeing it develop from the very beginning has been very rewarding,” Dr. Vela added. “It is truly gratifying to see our many efforts bearing fruit. One of the best payoffs is that our graduates are seeing the need and value of practicing medicine here in the Valley, where medical professionals are so desperately needed.”

An eye toward the future
“Our school, our Health Science Center and our students are all committed to building our educational and service programs in the Valley,” Dean Henrich added. “We pledge to do all we can to ensure that these multiple programs continue to strengthen. They are a great source of pride to everyone at our institution.”