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| (Left to right) Anne Shepard; Bob Shepard, chair of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; Leonel Vela, M.D., M.P.H., regional dean of the RAHC; and William L. Henrich, M.D., M.AC.P., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at the Health Science Center, visit at the dinner celebrating the RAHC’s fifth anniversary. | |
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Leaders of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio celebrated the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) at a dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the Harlingen campus.
The following day, the UT Health Science Center dedicated its third building at the RAHC, the
Academic and Clinical Research Building, a state-of-the art, $25.5 million clinical research facility
The first RAHC facility at Harlingen was dedicated in 2002 with 1,000 people present, including Gov. Rick Perry. The new Academic and Clinical Research Building, dedicated Nov. 29, is the third RAHC facility, complementing the RAHC Medical Education Division adjacent to it in Harlingen and the RAHC Medical Research Division in Edinburg.
President Cigarroa celebrated the support of many that led to the RAHC’s establishment and first five years of development. “Back in 2001, during the 77th regular legislative session, Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. worked hard, as did Sen. Juan 'Chuy' Hinojosa, back then a member of the Texas House of Representatives, and all our Rio Grande Valley House delegation, to help us secure the $25.5 million in tuition revenue bonds to construct this new building,” Dr. Cigarroa said.
Sen. Lucio authored the legislation that established the RAHC. House sponsorship of the bill was accomplished by Sen. Hinojosa, then a representative. Sens. Lucio and Hinojosa spoke at the dedication, along with Reps. Eddie Lucio III and Aaron Pena; Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell; Bob Shepard, chairman of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; and Regent Estrada.
