Dr. John P. Howe Named President Emeritus at UTHSC – San Antonio

AUSTIN – John P. Howe, III, M.D., today (Nov. 12) was named president emeritus of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio by the UT System Board of Regents. The title of president emeritus is an honorary designation for exemplary service.

Dr. Howe served as president of the health science center from 1985 to 2000. During his presidency, research funding grew from $32 million to $124 million, while the institution’s operating budget grew from $134 million to $330 million. He also presided over the construction of 12 buildings and facility expansions on campus. During his 15-year tenure, more than $250 million in philanthropic gifts were raised and roughly 10,000 students graduated from the health science center.

“Dr. Howe laid the platform for the transformation of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio into a great place to teach, to learn, and to do nationally and internationally recognized research,” UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., said.

“He understood the importance of the Health Science Center to South Texas and its future, expanding the scope and reach of the institution and making tremendous progress in the development of the Regional Academic Health Centers. He is most deserving of this honor and we are very grateful for his service with the UT System and his continuing service to the greater good,” Cigarroa added.

Dr. Howe is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and cardiology. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Boston University School of Medicine in 1969. After serving two years in the Army Medical Corps, he completed the Health Systems Management Program at the Harvard Business School. He served as vice chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School at Worcester before being named president at the health science center.

“For more than 15 years, John Prentice Howe, III, M.D., presided with distinction over the Health Science Center.  On his watch the institution expanded in scope and excellence, and his leadership benefited the people of Texas.  We are very pleased that the Board of Regents has named Dr. Howe president emeritus, joining our first president emeritus, Dr. Frank Harrison.  This is Dr. Howe’s rightful place in Health Science Center history,” said William L. Henrich, M.D., president of the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The John P. Howe, III, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Health Policy at the health science center is named in his honor. In 1998, he was named Mr. South Texas by Laredo civic leaders, a tribute reserved for those who have made significant contributions in South Texas.

Dr. Howe is currently president and chief executive officer of Project HOPE, an organization that provides health educational opportunities worldwide in an effort to solve health problems.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the leading research institutions in Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $753.4 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $16.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio's economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $37 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 26,750 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and other health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit WWW.UTHSCSA.EDU.

About The University of Texas System
Serving the educational and health care needs of Texans for more than 125 years, The University of Texas System is one of the nation’s largest higher education systems, with nine academic campuses and six health institutions. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $11.9 billion (FY 2010) including $2.5 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. Preliminary student enrollment exceeded 202,000 in the 2008 academic year. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates nearly three-fourths of the state's healthcare professionals annually. With more than 84,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.