Victor Reyes, PhD
October 2020
Dr. Victor Reyes received his PhD from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) training in the graduate program in Microbiology and Immunology, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in immunology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. In 1992, Dr. Reyes joined the faculty at UTMB and is currently a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He is a member of the graduate program in Microbiology and Immunology.
Dr. Reyes’ research focuses on mucosal immune regulation, the immunobiology of Helicobacter pylori infection, and inflammatory bowel disease. He has published over 90 articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as over 20 book chapters. His research has received funding from such organizations as the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and the American Cancer Society. Dr. Reyes has served as a member of numerous national and international organizations and study sections including the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Affairs Merit Review Board, the Naval Research Institute Grants Program, and the Texas Gulf Coast Digestive Diseases Center. He is a member of the World Journal of Gastroenterology editorial board and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Network of Minority Research Investigators, among many others.
Dr. Reyes is widely recognized as a talented educator and serves as a course director and lecturer in multiple courses in the GSBS and the School of Medicine. Throughout his tenure at UTMB, Dr. Reyes has mentored over 80 high school, undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. Dr. Reyes is devoted to his role as a mentor and educator and strives to develop his mentees into successful professionals who uphold high ethical standards. He promotes cultural competence and continually seeks opportunities for his mentees to grow and present their research in different venues. He also emphasizes the importance of service to the institution and challenges his trainees to be independent, think critically, and reach out to those who have not had similar opportunities. Dr. Reyes models this dedication to service through his participation on over 60 institutional and departmental committees focused on scholarship, curriculum planning, recruitment, and research throughout his years at UTMB. As former chair in Graduate Education Committee, he participated in national conferences attended by underrepresented minority students, and he has also directed an undergraduate research symposium at UTMB to identify potential students for the GSBS.
Dr. Reyes’ excellence in teaching and mentoring has been recognized by numerous awards including the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award, the UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, the Mary and J. Palmer Saunders Professorship for Excellence in Teaching, and the Edith and Robert Zinn Professorship for outstanding mentorship within the GSBS. For his excellence in education and mentoring, please join the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in celebrating Dr. Reyes as the October 2020 GSBS Focus on Mentoring designee.