Academic Enterprise Announcements

The Center for Correctional Health (CCH), a new university-level initiative led by Olugbenga B. Ojo, MD, MBA, FACP, SFHM, CCHP, CCHP-CP, from the Department of Internal Medicine and the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Physician Executive for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Hospital Galveston. The CCH will allow UTMB to build on our unique knowledge and experience and play a vital role in improving the delivery of care to this important and vulnerable population.

UTMB's School of Nursing received full 10-year accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The CCNE Board of Commissioners determined that, the baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at UTMB met criteria for accreditation by the CCNE.

Amy Gonzalez, MD, FAAP, will serve as Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment in the John Sealy School of Medicine (JSSOM), effective June 1. Dr. Gonzalez’s passion for education and her steadfast commitment to student success will serve her — and our school — exceptionally well in this new leadership role.

Michael B. Whitehead, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, has been named Chair of the Department of Physician Assistant (PA) Studies in the John Sealy School of Medicine. Dr. Whitehead has served as the Interim Chair since January 2025. A member of our PA faculty since March 2021, Dr. Whitehead served as Associate Program Director in the department prior to this appointment.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center at UTMB is a transformative step in our institution’s commitment to innovation, health system excellence, and patient-centered care. As an academic medical center, UTMB has both the opportunity and the responsibility to shape the future of AI in medicine. The AI Center will serve as the institutional platform to meet this responsibility with integrity, scientific rigor, and vision.

Matthew Hutter, MD, MPH, MBA, will join UTMB as Chair of the Department of Surgery in the John Sealy School of Medicine this September. Dr. Hutter is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the quality movement in surgery and in the field of metabolic and bariatric surgery.

We are thrilled to announce that the UTMB Standardized Patient (SP) Program located in the Health Education Center (HEC) has achieved full accreditation from the Association of SP Educators (ASPE) in human simulation. This prestigious recognition highlights our institution's dedication to excellence in healthcare education.

Richard (Rick) Pyles, PhD, and Shikha Wadhwani, MD, MS, FASN, have been appointed as Assistant Research Officers. Dr. Pyles will serve as the inaugural Assistant Research Officer for Research Development and Administration. Dr. Wadhwani will serve as the inaugural Assistant Research Officer for Clinical Research.

Dr. Jacquelyn Svoboda, Associate Professor and holder of the Joseph B. and Mary Alice Collerain Professorship was named Assistant Dean for Educational and Practice Innovations, effective June 1, 2025, in the School of Nursing.