VPR Leadership

Sunil Ahuja, M.D. oversees activities related to enhancing and facilitating the research programs of investigators and their funding via peer-reviewed and mentoring programs such as GrantSeekers 2.0, the Researcher’s Enhancement Program, and the Collaborative Research Program.

•  ahujas@uthscsa.edu
•  Profile
•  GrantSeekers

Jason Bates, MBA, is the Director of the Clinical Trials Office at UT Health San Antonio. Mr. Bates’ primary role is focused on research operations and financial management. Mr. Bates has experience in research, including: regulatory, operations and financial management of phase II-IV clinical research trials.

•  batesjr@uthscsa.edu
•  Clinical Trial Portal

Robert A. Clark, M.D., MACP directs the Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science (IIMS), which comprises the academic home for the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). Program areas include Clinical Research Units, Pilot Projects, Technology and Drug Discovery, Biostatistics and Study Design, Biomedical Informatics, Regulatory Support, and Community Engagement. In addition, IIMS education, training, and career development activities include the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, Translational Science Ph.D. Program, and KL2 Mentored Career Development Program.

•  clarka@uthscsa.edu
•  Profile
•  IIMS

John Gebhard, Ph.D. is the Assistant Vice President for the Office of Technology Commercialization at UT Health San Antonio, where he defines the strategy plus execution on the development and commercialization of innovative technologies. Dr. Gebhard’s broad experience in the academic, industry and the non-profit sectors enables him to create innovative, sustainable partnerships with various members of the biotechnology ecosystem. John received his doctorate in cellular, viral and molecular biology at the University of Utah and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in viral pathogenesis at The Scripps Research Institute.

•  gebhard@uthscsa.edu
•  Office of Technology Commercialization

Sander Hacker, D.V.M. is the University Attending Veterinarian and Director for the Department of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR). DLAR provides oversight and management of all aspects of the research animal care and use program at UT Health San Antonio which includes animal procurement, housing, husbandry and veterinary care along with investigator consultation and veterinary technical support during development and performance of research studies in accordance with federal, state and local regulations and policies, and the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC).

•  hackers@uthscsa.edu
•  Laboratory Animal Resources

Jana Lesser, RN, Ph.D., is the director of the South Texas Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program and a tenured professor at UT Health San Antonio’s School of Nursing, the Director of the Center for Community-Based Health Promotion with Women and Children. For over twenty years, Dr. Lesser has conducted community-engaged projects with individuals and communities living with a myriad health and social inequities, for she has received both internal and external funding.

•  lesser@uthscsa.edu
•  Profile
•  South Texas AHEC Program

Linda López-George, M.A., leads the strategy for internal and external stakeholder engagement with the institution's research enterprise for the Office of the Vice President for Research. In addition, she manages programs under the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute, a state funded partnership with UTSA to increase research collaboration and competitiveness for extramural funding. Prior to her career transition to research administration, Ms. López-George held leadership roles in higher education advancement offices at both private and public universities. Her passion for public service and civic engagement currently includes appointment to the City Bond Oversight Commission charged with quarterly review and annual report to the City Council of the 2017 Bond Program. 

•  lopezgeorge@uthscsa.edu

Linda McManus, Ph.D. directs activities of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA), an institutional resource to enhance the environment for postdoctoral research training. OPA maintains postdoctoral trainee databases; communicates with postdoctoral trainees via weekly announcements; provides orientation, mentoring, grantsmanship, and career development workshops; offers career counseling to postdoctoral trainees; assists in trainee recruitment; represents the institution at the American Association of Medical Colleges; facilitates postdoc research day; and, supports activities of the local postdoctoral association.

•  mcmanus@uthscsa.edu
•  Profile
•  Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

Nicholas Musi, M.D., was named Director of the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute in 2013, Dr. Musi also serves as Director of the San Antonio Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), and Director of UT Health San Antonio's Center for Healthy Aging.

•  musi@uthscsa.edu
•  Profile
•  The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging

Mark Nijland, Ph.D. supports the VPR office in a broad range of activities. Specific responsibilities include: Research Information Technologies and Institutional Research Core Facilities. Dr. Nijland leads a small group of expert programmers and database architects focused on developing applications to enhance research support, reduce research faculty administrative burden and improve VPR integration with institutional business units. Dr. Nijland is the VPR/Institutional designee for The Federal Demonstration Partnership (Technical and Faculty Representative), Elsevier SciVal Experts and the UT Research Cyberinfrastructure Faculty Working Group.

•  nijland@uthscsa.edu
•  Profile
•  VPR IT

Ramiro Ramirez-Solis, Ph.D. directs the Institutional Research Core Facilities and leads enhancement, coordination and collaborations with our research partners in the biosciences industry. He also oversees the business operations, infrastructure and investments for the institutional research cores. Prior to joining UT Health San Antonio, Dr. Ramirez-Solis served as head of scientific operations for mouse pipelines at Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom for almost 10 years.

•  RamirezSolis@uthscsa.edu
•  Institutional Research Cores

Curt Schiebel, C.P.A., is the Director of Finance & Administration in the Office of the Vice President for Research. He supports the VPR in overseeing budgetary and administrative operations of the VPR’s office and reporting departments, provides guidance and direction to ensure compliance with institutional policy and procedures, and acts as a liaison between the VPR and the many academic and service departments across the organization. During his 25 years with the UT Health San Antonio, Mr. Schiebel has actively served on many institutional committees and has gained broad experience in research and education administration.

•  schiebel@uthscsa.edu

Joseph Schmelz, Ph.D. oversees the Conflict of Interest and Research Compliance programs, Clinical Trials Office (CTO), and the Research Protection Program including the Office of the IRB (OIRB) and the Office of the Institutional Animal Care Program (OIACP).

•  schmelz@uthscsa.edu
•  Profile
•  Research Compliance Programs

Sudha Seshadri, M.D., FAAN, FANA, was appointed as the Founding Director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's & Neurodegenerative Diseases. Dr. Seshadri enjoys a superb reputation in both science and clinical care and is a recognized thought leader in Alzheimer’s disease and has co-authored position papers disseminated by the National Academy of Sciences on Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Way Forward, and by the American Heart Association with a paper titled Defining Optimal Brain Health in Adults. 

•  seshadri@uthscsa.edu
•  Profile
•  Biggs Institute

Kimberly Summers, Pharm.D., oversees all research involving human or animal subjects to ensure appropriate regulatory and compliance oversight by directing the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), the research component of HIPAA, Office of Clinical Research (OCR) and the administrative offices that support these functions; develops written program guidance with respect to issues of compliance with federal and state regulations; monitors and interprets legislation and policies regarding research involving human or animal subjects and recommends modifications to institutional policy as needed.

•  summers@uthscsa.edu
•  Office of Clinical Research

Joel Tsevat, M.D., MPH oversees the Center for Research to Advance Community Health (ReACH Center), a multidisciplinary collaboration of researchers and clinicians working to promote the health of South Texas residents. In 2007, Dr. Tsevat was named distinguished alumnus of The University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio. On the national level, Dr. Tsevat is a past-president of the Society for Medical Decision Making and is nationally recognized for his research and leadership in the field of medical decision making. Dr. Tsevat’s research interests include health-related quality of life, in particular health status vs. utility (health values) assessment, HIV/AIDS, spirituality, cost-effectiveness analysis, and decision analysis.  He is a former associate editor of the Medical Decision Making and is a reviewer for many medical journals and has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, reviews, book chapters, and editorials.

•  Tsevat@uthscsa.edu
•  ReACH Center