Poonam Gogia, M.D., F.A.C.P., (center) receives her service pin from Dean Henrich (left) and Regional Dean Vela (right). The clinical associate professor also is the medical student clerkship director for internal medicine at Su Clinica Familiar.
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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, held a fifth-anniversary appreciation dinner to honor faculty on June 18 in Harlingen.

At the event, Dean William Henrich, M.D., M.A.C.P., discussed the state of the School of Medicine, and Leonel Vela, M.D., M.P.H., professor and regional dean of the RAHC, spoke about the RAHC’s accomplishments over the past five years and plans for the future.

Serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley
The RAHC is a campus 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.

Also receiving an award from Dr. Vela (left) and Dean Henrich (center) was Marion R. Lawler Jr., M.D., (right) clinical associate professor and medical student clerkship director for the department of surgery’s division of cardiothoracic surgery at Cardiovascular Associates of Harlingen.

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.