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| UT Health Science Center President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., was recently inducted into the Mexican American/Hispanic Physicians Association Hall of Fame. | |
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The University of Texas Health Science Center President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., was inducted into the Mexican American/Hispanic Physicians Association Hall of Fame during the organization’s 25th anniversary gala Feb. 23.
Also inducted into the hall of fame were Michael Blanchett, M.D., with the Barrio Clinic, and Theresa De La Haya, R.N., M.P.H., vice president of University Health System’s Texas Diabetes Institute. “The purpose of the honor is to recognize medical professionals for their contributions to their profession and the community,” said MAHPA Executive Director Barbie Hernandez.
Mario Bosquez, an author and columnist in New York, received MAHPA’s Don Quixote Award.
Dr. Cigarroa is first Hispanic president of a health science center in U.S. President of the UT Health Science Center since 2000, Dr. Cigarroa is the first Hispanic in the United States to lead a health science university. He also serves this year as chairman of the board of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. The nationally known pediatric and transplant surgeon was educated at Yale, Harvard and John Hopkins universities. He was inducted into the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in 2006.
Drs. Ernesto and Norma Parra nominated Dr. Cigarroa for this honor. Norma Parra, M.D., a San Antonio family physician and medical director of the CentroMed community medical clinics, met Dr. Cigarroa while both were undergraduate students at Yale. “We were both science majors, so we did the daily walk up a cold, snowy hill together every day,” Dr. Parra said.
“Dr. Cigarroa is a great friend, an excellent physician and his reputation at all of the schools he has attended has always been outstanding,” Dr. Parra said. “Dr. Cigarroa represents our community in a very positive light. He is not only on the right track with the Health Science Center, but he is also very in tune with the community. He has so many commitments and knows many people, but he doesn’t forget you. He always makes you feel special when he sees you.”
