Message from the President:
Saavedra appointed as AVP for Strategic Management
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Rebecca Saavedra has agreed to serve as Associate Vice President for Strategic Management, a new position that will be key in our efforts to plan UTMB’s future. She has accepted and will begin her new role effective February 1.
As
Associate Vice President for Strategic Management, Dr. Saavedra will
provide counsel and support to fellow members of the Executive
Leadership team to develop, manage and implement UTMB’s strategic
plan. In addition, she will lead efforts to enhance accountability,
assessment and performance studies, and will initiate, lead and
support institutional performance improvement initiatives. She will
also oversee the institutional policy review process.
Dr. Saavedra, who holds a doctorate in higher education and educational leadership from the University of Houston, is especially well-suited for the strategic management position. She has worked in health sciences education for more than 25 years. She began her career at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston before joining the UTMB School of Allied Health Sciences in 1987. Since then she has played a key role in Student Affairs leadership on our campus.
Rebecca has served UTMB in a number of roles, including Director of Campus Life and as UTMB Student Ombudsman. In 2001 she was appointed Associate Vice President for Student Services, with responsibility for enrollment services, student wellness, student life and the Jamail Student Center. She has served as the co-chair of the UTMB Professionalism Committee since 2002 . She was instrumental in implementation of the UTMB Honor Pledge, the Hector P. Garcia Cultural Competence Essay Competition and the UTMB Professionalism Summit. In November 2007 she co-authored an article in Academic Medicine, “The Journey to Creating a Campus-Wide Culture of Professionalism.” The article examines the impact of professionalism initiatives on UTMB’s campus. She has either chaired or been a member of many campus committees. She most recently chaired the UTMB Critical Incident Response Committee in response to the tragic events at Virginia Tech and submitted a report with recommendations that was accepted by the Council of Deans in September 2007. She is a strong and enthusiastic advocate for health sciences education and for UTMB, and I know she will be a valuable addition to our leadership team.
Please join me in congratulating and thanking Dr. Saavedra for taking on this new leadership role.
David L Callender, M.D.
UTMB President