Welcome Rene Vela to the Department of Pediatrics team!
Rene joins us as Office Manager for the Department of Pediatrics.
In this role, Rene will provide comprehensive administrative support to the Chair and Chairman’s Office while providing leadership and oversight of the Department’s administrative functions. Additionally, he will supervise administrative personnel, and provide strategic direction in support of Departmental goals and objectives, ensuring efficiency, professionalism, and confidentiality.
In the coming weeks, Rene will meet with administrative staff and divisional leaders to get to know the team and assess administrative functions across the Department including existing processes, needs, and unique challenges within each division and to collaboratively identify opportunities for improvement.
Meet Rene:
“Hi everyone, my name is Rene. I’m really excited to be joining the Pediatrics team. Before coming here, I worked in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at UTMB, most recently as a Senior Business Coordinator.
In that role, I supported departmental operations across academic, clinical, and research activities by coordinating administrative workflows, managing projects, and working closely with leadership to support departmental initiatives. I also spearheaded several process improvement efforts and led cross-departmental projects focused on improving efficiency, communication, and overall operations.
I regularly prepared reports and data summaries to support leadership decision-making, assisted with budget coordination and financial tracking, and helped organize meetings, events, and departmental activities. I also supported the department’s marketing and outreach initiatives by gathering materials and attending outreach events to help promote the department and engage with the community. Additionally, I worked closely with the UTMB Marketing team to elevate the department’s website and support special marketing initiatives aimed at improving visibility and engagement.
Earlier, I also served as a Research Coordinator, supporting the Vice Chair for Research and his team. In that role, I ensured inventory was accounted for, processed purchase requests for new equipment, and provided administrative support for their research initiatives.
Prior to that, I served as a Business Coordinator within the same department, where I supported administrative operations, assisted with budget development and procurement, and helped coordinate recruitment, onboarding, and training for administrative staff while working closely with leadership and institutional partners to support departmental goals.
I’m really looking forward to working with everyone and supporting the team.”
Please take a moment to introduce yourself and help Rene feel welcome as he settles into the Department and his new role. Rene is located in the Pediatrics Administrative suite, room 3.300E.
Welcome to the team, Rene – we’re glad to have you with us!