Scholar Alumni
Jack Alperin, M.D.
Brief biography here...A specialist in disorders of blood clotting and transfusion medicine, Dr. Alperin has been recognized as an exceptional teacher and clinician.
His many teaching awards include the Golden Apple Award presented by the Junior Medical School Class of 1988, the First Place Teaching Award presented by the Alumni Association of the Department of Internal Medicine in 1994 and the Alumni Appreciation Award for Excellence in Teaching from the UTMB School of Medicine Alumni Association in 1998. Earlier this year he received recognition for Commitment to Continuing Education from the School for Specialists in Blood Banking and the Blood Bank Staff.
Dr. Alperin is a member of the faculty in the Division of Hematology and Oncology within the Department of Internal Medicine and is the associate director of the UTMB Blood Banks within the Department of Pathology. He was appointed a professor in Internal Medicine and in Human Biological Chemistry & Genetics in 1983 and in Pathology in 1993.
Robert E. Beach, M.D.
Brief biography here...Dr. Robert Beach is the Assistant Dean for Educational Development and director of the Office of Educational Development . In addition, he is the course director for the Practice of Medicine and the Renal, Fluids, and Electrolyte courses. Dr. Beach is also the director of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.
He has been the recipient of the Golden Apple award, the James W. Powers award, and the outstanding teacher award in Internal Medicine and Family Medicine Residency programs on numerous occasions. He has been named to Outstanding Physicians in U.S. and Who's Who in Medical Education. In addition, he continues to conduct research and serves on committees devoted to improving patient care at UTMB.
Osler Project: In order to provide individualized instruction and modeling of Oslerian Medicine, Dr. Beach has developed the Osler student rotations that include preceptorships, electives, and Basic Science/Humanities selectives. During these 4 week rotations, students are assigned periods with each Osler scholar on a weekly basis. The academy and students meet each week to have a scholarly discussion or presentation regarding patient care, the scientific basis of clinical medicine, or topics in medical ethics/professionalism relevant to activities of that week.
Daniel Breitkopf, M.D.
Brief biography here...Dr. Breitkopf received his MD degree from the State University of New York-Downstate College of Medicine and completed residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Vermont. In 1997, he joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, serviing as associate professor.
Dr. Breitkopf is the holder of the Faculty Distinguished Professorship in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UTMB and serves as the residency program director. His clinical and research interests include gynecologic sonography, minimally invasive surgery and medical education. He has directed postgraduate courses for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and currently serves as ACOG's representative to the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Dr. Breitkopf is an inaurural inductee into the UTMB Academy of Master Teachers.
Alfredo F. Gei, M.D.
Brief biography here...Dr. Gei joined the UTMB faculty in 2001 as an assistant professor in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He lectures to third-year medical students and family practice residents and supervises the endocrinology course for second-year medical students. Dr. Gei also mentors second-year medical students and teaches nursing students in the midwifery program. He has received such honors as the Leonard A. Charpentier, M.D., Professorship Award for Excellence in Resident Education and the Outstanding Medical Student Teaching Award. He has also earned a National Faculty Award from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Gei received his M.D. from the University of Costa Rica Medical School in 1988 and joined the university's three-year obstetrics and gynecology residency program in 1989. Prior to his residency, the Italian-born Gei worked in Costa Rica as an intern at the National Children's and Mexico hospitals in San Jose, and during his social service year, as the supervisory physician of the Ambulatory Medical Attention Unit, Primary Care Health Center of Limon, as well as in the Pediatrics and Emergency departments at Tony Facio Hospital in Limon. In 1992, Gei became the attending physician in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Max Peralta Hospital in Cartago and at a San Jose gynecology clinic. One year later, Gei arrived in Houston where he repeated his residency training at Baylor College of Medicine. He came to UTMB in 1998 as a fellow in maternal-fetal medicine and later joined the faculty.
Mark Holden, M.D.
Brief biography here...Dr. Holden graduated from UTMB's School of Medicine in 1985 and joined the internal medicine faculty three years later, becoming actively involved as a clinician instructor. The Houston native has contributed to the education of many students and residents in Internal Medicine and has directed four courses at UTMB, including Practice of Medicine 2, Great Syndromes, and Renal, Fluids, and Electrolytes.
He organized the implementation of the Osler Student Societies at UTMB in 2006. Dr. Holden has been recognized for his clinical skills, bedside teaching, and curriculum development, and waws a founding member of the University of Texas Academy of Health Science Education. He serves as the Vice Chair for Undergraduate and Continuing Education for the Department of Internal Medicine.
When selected for the McGovern Academy, Dr. Holden indicated that, "Being appointed as an Osler Scholar is an incredible honor for me, especially considering the excellence of the scholars and the number of outstanding faculty we have at UTMB. As physicians, we all identify with the history of Osler as a role model for high-quality and compassionate care. I am very excited about the opportunity to participate in the academy, to further my own learning, and to enhance the education of others.
Frederick S. Huang, M.D.
Brief biography here...Dr. Frederick S. Huang, assistant professor and director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics , joined the UTMB faculty in 2001. He is a principal investigator with the Children's Oncology Group, which provides the latest treatments for childhood cancer. He is also a member of UTMB's Child Health Research Center and is conducting research on mucositis, a gastrointestinal injury resulting from the toxicity of chemotherapy cancer treatments. Dr. Huang teaches numerous courses in the university's schools of Medicine, Allied Health Sciences and Graduate Biomedical Sciences and has been recognized as an outstanding instructor, having received the Class of 1947 Excellence in Education Award and the Department of Pediatrics' Golden Rattle Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching.
Dr. Huang earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in 1994 and completed his residency in pediatrics at Baylor's affiliated hospitals three years later. He conducted his fellowship training in pediatric hematology/oncology at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Alice Anne O'Donell, M.D.
Brief biography here...O'Donell is a professor in the Department of Family Medicine who has spent much of her professional life teaching students and residents the art of compassionate care.
She began her medical career as a pediatrician and later expanded her medical background to include adult medicine. She has long been recognized as being at the forefront of curricular innovation in Family Medicine.
Dr. O'Donell is known for her mentoring and support for students and serves as a role model in her approach and personal interest in caring for her patients.
Francis B. Quinn, Jr., M.D.
Brief biography here...Dr. Quinn's biography is currently under development.
Barbara Thompson, M.D.
Brief biography here...Dr. Thompson earned her M.D. from UTMB in 1971 and completed the university's family medicine residency program in 1974. That same year, she became a diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice, receiving additional qualifications in geriatric medicine in 1987.
Thompson, who grew up in Amarillo, became interim medical director of UTMB hospital clinics and assistat dean for faculty practice in 2009. She is the Sealy Hutchings and Lucille Wright Hutchings Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Thompson also serves on the board of directors of UTMB HealthCare Systems, Inc., a nonprofit organization that acts as an HMO for special needs populations. She has been acknowledge by her colleagues for making her patients feel like participants in their care and for championing patient access to health care.
Tung Van Dinh, M.D.
Brief biography here...Dr. Dinh's biography is currently under development.
Student Alumni
- Class of 2012
- Varun Chowdhary
- Janese Laster
- Kelly Ochoa
- Gregory Valentine
- Margaret Wardlaw (MD/PhD)
- Class of 2011
- Claudia Gomez
- Chanel Granville
- Gloria Li
- M. Chandler Rainey
- Heather Relyea Ashley
- Class of 2010
- Mary Carroll
- Adam Djurdjulov
- Douglas Heiner
- Tara Kinra
- Katie Kucera
- Katrina Leonard
- Christopher York
- Class of 2009
- Sandra Caldwell
- Joshua Mourot
- Tara Neubrand
- John Ray
- Briana Sacco
- Class of 2008
- Jennifer Barnhill
- Brian Brendel
- Milagros Martinez
- Matthew Ramirez
- Class of 2007
- Jeffrey Cone
- Amy Doss
- Paula Doyle
- Justin Fields
- Ashley Gallagher
- Zelime Ward
- Arda Yalvac
- Class of 2006
- Carla DeJohn
- David Martin Rider
- David Ming
- Stephen Ratcliff
- Kristen Solana-Walkinshaw
- Class of 2005
- Ryan Scott Gregory
- Barbara De La Torre
Varun Chowdhary is part of UTMB's School of Medicine Class of 2012. Before coming
to UTMB, he attended Texas A&M University for his bachelor's in Biochemistry and
Physics. At UTMB, he has participated in several community service events. He founded
his main project, the Fit-n-Fun group, during his second year. It identifies overweight
children and encourages them and their families to participate in physical activity
and healthy living lectures at a local gymnasium. Its participation has grown considerably
over the past year, and is now a successful community program.
Janese Laster is a third year medical student at the University of Texas Medical
Branch. She is originally from Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from Spelman College
in Atlanta, Georgia with a degree in Psychology Pre-Medicine. Before matriculation
into medical school, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator with various
trials in pain management, orthopedics, etc.
Kelly Ochoa is a 3rd year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch
in Galveston, Texas. She graduated from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas
in 2008 earning a B.A. in Spanish and B.S. in Biology.
Gregory Valentine aspires to work in academic medicine with an emphasis on primary
care, specifically pediatrics and international medicine. He has been awarded the
American Medical Association's Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award, was named
an "Unsung Hero" by the Galveston Daily News in 2009, and is a current member of
the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He has volunteered in Romanian orphanages in the
summers since 2006 through Broken Heart Foundation where he serves as a mentor to
the orphans. While in Romania in 2009, he helped create the first written educational
materials covering wound care basics in both the Romanian and English languages
for a wound care organization that reaches over 500 patients a month. In addition,
as a first year medical student he founded Hands and Feet Medical Missions which
provides free healthcare to residents on the Texas/Mexico border as well as people
in Peru. This organization now has expanded to other medical schools throughout
Texas, and it has had over 2000 patient encounters since it first began.
