UT Regents launch national search, name advisory committee for next UT Medical Branch president

AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife today announced the appointment of search advisory committee members who will advise the regents on selecting the next president of The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).

Committee members were appointed in accordance with Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations, which include a provision for representation by various constituencies internal and external to the institution. They include faculty, administration, alumni, students and community members.

UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs John Zerwas, M.D., will chair the committee. 

“UTMB is not only a leading health institution in Texas, it has global influence and impact, and we’re confident it will attract top presidential candidates from around the country,” said Chairman Eltife.  “I am grateful to Chancellor Milliken and the search advisory committee for taking on the important assignment of advising us on new leadership for UTMB.”

“UTMB’s longstanding reputation as a leading academic medical center, and its strength in education, research and health care, has always been a great source of pride for Texas. Its contributions to ending the pandemic put it on a world stage daily,” said Chancellor Milliken. 

The UT System will soon announce a website to provide information regarding the search, including a regularly updated proposed timeline of search activities, and provide an opportunity for members of the public to privately submit candidate nominations. 

Representation on the Presidential Search Advisory Committee includes:

Committee Chair:

  • John Zerwas, M.D. - UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

UT Regents

  • Vice Chairman Janiece Longoria
  • Regent Jodie Lee Jiles
  • Regent Christina Melton Crain

UT Institution Presidents

  • Peter W.T. Pisters, M.D., MHCM - UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center President
  • William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP - UT Health Science Center - San Antonio

UTMB Faculty and Staff

  • José D. Rojas, Ph.D., RTT-RPFT - Associate Professor and Chair of Respiratory Care, School of Health Professions
  • Shannan L. Rossi, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Pathology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
  • Matthew Dacso, MSc, M.D. - Associate Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine; Chair ad interim, Department of Emerging Disease and Global Health, School of Medicine
  • Majka B. Woods, Ph.D. - Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Medicine
  • Ms. Tilly Clark - Assistant Director, Special Use Facilities, Office of the President

UTMB Student

  • Ms. Madeline Rock - Student, School of Medicine

UTMB Alumnus

  • Thomas J. Purgason, M.D., FACP, P.A. - Immediate Past President, School of Medicine Alumni Association

Community Members

  • Mr. John Kelso - President, Sealy & Smith Foundation; President, J.W. Kelso Company, Inc.
  • Mr. Ross Moody - Chairman, National Western Life Group, Inc.

Charles Mouton, M.D., provost and dean of the John Sealy School of Medicine will serve as interim president of UTMB until a new president is selected.

“I look forward to serving on the search committee to find a new president to lead UTMB into the future,” said Sealy & Smith Foundation President John Kelso.

About The University of Texas System

For more than 130 years, The University of Texas System has been committed to improving the lives of Texans and people all over the world through education, research and health care. With 13 institutions, an enrollment of 243,000 students and an operating budget of $25.2 billion (FY 2023), the UT System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions produce more than 67,000 graduates annually and award more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees and more than 60% of its medical degrees. Collectively, UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics accounted for more than 10.6 million outpatient visits and more than 2 million hospital days in 2021. Research expenditures across UT institutions reached a record $3.5 billion last year, a number that ranks No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the nation based on federally sponsored research expenditures. The UT System also is one of the largest employers in Texas, with more than 22,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates and members of the National Academies – and more than 93,000 health care professionals, researchers and support staff.

About The University of Texas Medical Branch
For more than 130 years, UTMB has stood with Texas—training today and tomorrow's health care workforce; working to better understand and treat illness and injury; providing care of for Texas families; and innovating new ways to improve health. UTMB opened in 1891 as the nation’s first public medical school and hospital under unified leadership—already a pioneer. What began as one hospital and medical school building in Galveston is now a major academic health sciences center of global influence; a world-renowned research enterprise; and a growing, comprehensive health system with hospitals on four campuses and a network of clinics. UTMB has a $3.3 billion annual statewide economic impact, in terms of business volume, personal income and durable goods purchases. More than 46,000 jobs in Texas are directly or indirectly attributed to UTMB. UTMB includes schools of Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions, Public and Population Health, and Graduate Biomedical Sciences.  It has four institutes for advanced study; a major medical library; a network of hospitals and clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care; and numerous research facilities. UTMB is a part of The University of Texas System and a member of the Texas Medical Center.

News Contact Information

Catherine Frazier: cfrazier@utsystem.edu • 512-499-4360 (direct)