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I am honored to welcome you to the second annual update regarding the UT School of Public Health San Antonio. We continue our forward march with open arms (to embrace all people), open hearts (to love the communities we wish to serve) and open minds (to learn from the people of South Texas).

In its first year, our school worked with the community to co-construct a social contract and co-design departments and educational programs, ensuring all aspects reflect our mission to place people, their health and their well-being at the center of all we do. We vowed to grow into a school ‘of the people, by the people for the people.’ To realize our vision of ‘whole health,’ we sowed the vital seeds of partnerships with key stakeholders at ºÚÁÏÍø of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, ºÚÁÏÍø of Texas at San Antonio, the San Antonio Metro Health District and Bexar County.

In our second year, we have laid the groundwork for our vision with the school’s solid and foundational building blocks. We completed the remodeling and revitalization of our building, which serves as the home of your school. We have hired four accomplished leaders as our inaugural departmental chairs to spearhead our educational efforts. We have established a team of experienced associate deans leading finance and administration, and research and partnerships, alongside faculty members who are community-driven in their efforts. We have continued to expand our community partnerships across the City of San Antonio and Bexar County with great intentionality and loving care.

We launched our signature Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program, welcoming our first cohort of thirty-five students in August this year. We are co-developing an innovative Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health (MD/MPH) dual-degree program partnering with the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, expecting to receive our first cohort of medical students in the summer of this year. During National Public Health Week in April, we unveiled an expanded and transformative vision for public health and well-being in San Antonio. Our vision thrives where families gather, in the heart of our neighborhoods and across the vibrant parks and green spaces that define our city. It draws inspiration from the rich arts and cultural heritage of South Texas, illustrating how creativity and tradition can drive innovation. By embracing this holistic approach, we invite leaders, organizations and community members to join us in shaping a healthier future for all.

In our current year, we will focus on building our doctoral programs and launch our flagship MD/MPH joint-degree program. We will continue to expand our faculty and grow our experiential learning and training efforts for the enrolled students. We hope to realize the full power and growth potential of our collaborative school as the plans for the recently announced ºÚÁÏÍø/UT San Antonio merger take shape. We anticipate building further on our budding community partnerships guided by all of us.

Through all this, I will continue to serve your school’s needs and you. I am always available to each of you to hear, listen, learn and understand how we can co-visualize our collective dreams of a healthy and thriving South Texas. I invite you to visit our campus, engage with our staff and faculty and contribute your ideas to inform the next leg of our collaborative journey as we build and manifest our shared heritage of the People’s School.

Vasan Ramachandran, MD, FACC, FAHA
Dean, ºÚÁÏÍø of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio