Welcome to UTHealth Houston and to this pivotal next step in your academic career. Now, more than ever, it is critical to have talented, dedicated individuals committed to the science and service of health care—and I thank you for joining this field. You have chosen an educational institution that places its value on your success and your fulfillment; that invests in you as a person. These next years will be both challenging and enriching and will prepare you to make significant contributions in your chosen professional field.

UTHealth Houston is the most comprehensive academic health center in The University of Texas System and educates more than 5,000 health professionals every year. Our School of Dentistry is more than 100 years old and rich in tradition; our Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers an innovative curriculum of postgraduate training in partnership with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; our McGovern Medical School is one of the largest in the nation and is home to Houston’s renowned faculty practice, UT Physicians; our McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics offers a first-of-its-kind curriculum critical to improving health delivery, quality and safety; our School of Public Health has a statewide presence with six campuses; programs at our Cizik School of Nursing consistently rank among the best in the nation; and we are proud to announce that the doors will open soon to students at our new School of Behavioral Health Sciences.

Training at UTHealth Houston will also provide you access to a broad patient population as well as opportunities to collaborate with students and faculty from all seven of our schools, our affiliated partners, and our neighboring institutions. Upon completion of your training, you will find that your classmates have become your lifelong friends and colleagues; your advisors and professors will have become your mentors.

As you join the UTHealth Houston family, know that you have tremendous resources at your service. The faculty and staff are here to provide you with more than education – we are also here to support and guide you on your professional journey. In return, I ask that you give us your very best – for your benefit and for the benefit of your classmates. We need bright minds like yours to provide innovative solutions to the most pressing health problems of our time. I know that you will make us proud.

Thanks to each of you for trusting us with your education and, again, welcome to UTHealth Houston.

President, Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, M.D.