Message from the President
"We wish you continued success and remind you that UTRGV will always be your home. You will forever be part of our Vaqueros family. Your friends, family, and everyone at UTRGV salute you — V's Up!"
— President Bailey
Let's celebrate #UTRGVSOM2025
"We proudly celebrate you for your sustained commitment to becoming a physician. Always remember your experiences here at UTRGV and never stop learning nor forget compassion in caring for your patients."
— Everardo Cobos, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Interim Dean, School of Medicine
Mission
We will transform the health of the Rio Grande Valley and beyond by providing advanced academic medicine through these five pillars:
- Innovative Education
- Life-Changing Research and Discoveries
- High Quality Patient-Centered Care
- Serving our Community
- Sustainability and a Culture of Entrepreneurship
Values
In addition to the UTRGV Values of excellence; shared governance; diversity, access and inclusion; leadership; inquiry, discovery and creativity; health and well-being; and engagement and impact; the School of Medicine’s core values include:
- Open Communication & Transparency: Share information openly across all levels (of the school) to engrain a collaborative and trustworthy environment.
- Community Focus: Commitment to improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities of at-risk populations through community and population-based interventions.
- Cultural Awareness: Integration of knowledge, awareness, and empathy to successfully work with the diverse and unique needs of any community.
- Empathy & Compassion: Care for and understand others to provide support and achieve positive outcomes.
- Good Stewardship: Selfless service (for the common good) to promote accountability and a culture of responsibility.
- Innovation & Transformation: Embrace change and promote creativity to shape the future of academic medicine.
- Integrity: Act with honor, honesty, and truthfulness. Know and do the right thing in all undertakings – learning, discovery, patient care, service, and entrepreneurship.
- Respect, Collegiality & Inclusive Citizenship: Treat people with respect and kindness to create a community of inclusivity, cooperation, and connectedness.
History of Medical Education in the Valley
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine is the realization of the decades-long effort of community leaders, legislators, and countless supporters to establish a first-class medical school in the Valley and provide high quality primary and specialty care in the community.
- In 1997, the Texas Legislature approved the creation of the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) under UT Health San Antonio, formerly UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, with sites in Harlingen and Edinburg.
- In 2002, the RAHC started training third and fourth year medical students.
- In 2009, the Texas Legislature approved for The University of Texas System Board of Regents to create a medical school for the Valley in the future, using the resources from the RAHC.
- Three years later, The UT System Board of Regents approved the creation of a new university and medical school in the Rio Grande Valley, using resources from two universities within the UT System — The University of Texas at Brownsville and The University of Texas-Pan American — and the RAHC.
- In 2013, the Texas Legislature authorized the formation of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and its School of Medicine.
- In 2015, the UTRGV School of Medicine received preliminary accreditation from the LCME, which allowed the school to recruit its first class.
- The UTRGV School of Medicine welcomed its charter class of 55 medical students in the summer of 2016, which graduated in 2020.
- The UTRGV School of Medicine has now graduated more than 230 medical students and trained over 400 medical residents.
Keynote Speaker
Jonathan Guajardo, M.D.
Staff Physician, Family Practice at AltaMed Institute for Health Equity
Order of Exercises
- Indtroduction to Ceremony Leonel Vela, M.D., M.P.H., Division Chief, Population Health; Chief Physician, Community Health Partnerships & Outreach; and Professor, Family and Preventive Medicine
- National Anthem Amanda Wheeler, Class of 2026, School of Medicine
Commencement Exercise
- Presiding Everardo Cobos, M.D., F.A.C.P., Interim Dean, School of Medicine
- Dean’s Greeting and Address Everardo Cobos, M.D., F.A.C.P., Interim Dean, School of Medicine
- Presidential Remarks Guy Bailey, Ph.D., President
- Keynote Speaker Jonathan Guajardo, M.D., Staff Physician, Family Practice at AltaMed Institute for Health Equity
- Presentation of Candidates for Doctor of Medicine Degree Sambandam Elango, M.D., F.A.C.S., M. Med.Ed, Associate Dean, Educational Affairs
- Conferring of Degrees Everardo Cobos, M.D., F.A.C.P., Interim Dean, School of Medicine
- Hooding of Candidates and Presentation of Diploma
- Recitation of Physician’s Oath Shuaibahmed Arab, Class of 2025, School of Medicine
- Ringing of the Bell Kennedy Lor’ynn Olson, Class of 2025, School of Medicine
- Closing Remarks Everardo Cobos, M.D., F.A.C.P., Interim Dean, School of Medicine
Leadership
Graduates
Doctor of Medicine
- Ryan Ketan Ajgaonkar
Austin, Texas - Toluwani Akinpelu
Calgary, Canada - Lois Chioma Akpati
Houston, Texas - Taha Al Hassan
Edinburg, Texas - Anthony Alanis
League City, Texas - Elizabeth Markley Aldridge
Dallas, Texas - Shuaibahmed M. Arab
Plano, Texas - Muhammad Ali Bangash
Brownsville, Texas - Ryan Patrick Bialaszewski
Brocton, New York - Cameron Caldwell
Aledo, Texas - Manny Edward Campos
Los Fresnos, Texas - Pamela Campos Peña
San Juan, Texas - Aaron C. Carrillo
McAllen, Texas - Christopher James Cavazos
Harlingen, Texas - Myung-Jin Cha
Seoul, Korea - Lesley Lizbeth Chapa
San Juan, Texas - Johnny Chen
Bedford, Texas - Carlos Hermenegildo Cisneros Jr.
Brownsville, Texas - Briana N. Cortez
El Paso, Texas - Uche Ada Comfort Ehiemua
Houston, Texas - Kelsey Mary Endari
Beaumont, Texas - Osiel Escobedo
McAllen, Texas - Jessica May Flores
Portland, Texas - Elio Emmanuel Garcia Sosa
Brownsville, Texas - Lucinda Inez Hinojosa Roy
Brownsville,Texas - Victoria Marie Jacobsen
The Woodlands, Texas - Andrew R. Kolodziej
Friendswood, Texas - Hermione Yamyo Monie
Mission, Texas - Fabian Paul Mota
Odessa, Texas - Joshua M. Ninan
Houston, Texas - Kennedy Lor’ynn Olson
Trophy Club, Texas - Isaac Perez
Edinburg, Texas - Michelle Marie Pham
Houston, Texas - Abhishekh Pokhrel
Houston, Texas - William E. Reckley
McAllen, Texas - Alejandro D. Rincon
Edinburg, Texas - Michael O. Roa
Brownsville, Texas - Cristian Saenz
Pharr, Texas - Nura Salhadar
Brownsville, Texas - Mia Rose Schmolze
Austin, Texas - Sidney Renae Selva
San Antonio, Texas - Rozena Shirvani-Arani
Edinburg, Texas - Sridhar B. Srinivasan
Plano, Texas - Asma Nasir Syed
San Antonio, Texas - Hector Trejo
Edinburg, Texas - Alisha A. Valdez
La Feria, Texas - Ericka A. Vazquez
Houston, Texas - Delilah J. Wahid
McAllen, Texas - Chase Matthew Watson
Shepherd, Texas - Alexa Lissete Zárate
Brownsville, Texas
Regalia & Customs of Commencement
The colorful regalia and traditional customs of college commencements trace their beginnings back to the origins of the contemporary university in medieval Europe. Modern American colleges and universities carry on many traditions that began at Oxford and Cambridge to demonstrate the continuity of learning over the centuries and to emphasize the importance attached to commencement exercises. Academic regalia refers to the distinctive attire worn by students, faculty, and other university officials at commencement.
The origins of academic dress date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, when universities were taking form. The ordinary dress of the scholar, whether student or teacher, was the dress of a cleric. Though the custom of wearing academic dress was brought to America in colonial times, it was not until 1895 that a standardized code of academic dress was established and followed by most colleges and universities. The gown, hood, cap, and additional ornaments are the main categories of academic regalia and are distinctive for each degree.
School of Medicine’s Gonfalon
The college gonfalon—or banner—with roots in the Middle Ages, was a symbol of units or family groups. Today, gonfalons are used at official university ceremonies as heraldic devices and are frequently carried during processionals at commencement.
At UTRGV, each college has a custom-designed banner signifying its academic unit. Each flag is rich in unique symbolism while also showing unity through size, shape, and color. The swoop at the bottom of each gonfalon represents the border of Texas, and the field of blue with gold stars of Texas represents the distributed nature of UTRGV—from Rio Grande City to South Padre Island.
Hippocratic Oath
I do solemnly swear, by whatever I hold most sacred: That I will be loyal to the profession of medicine and just and generous to its members. That I will lead my life and practice my profession in uprightness and honor.
That into whatsoever house I shall enter, it shall be for the good of the sick to the utmost of my power, holding myself far aloof from wrong, from corruption, from the tempting of others to vice. That I will exercise my profession solely for the cure of my patients, and will give no drug, perform no operation for a criminal purpose, even if solicited; far less suggest it. That whatsoever I shall see or hear of the lives of all persons which is not fitting to be spoken, I will keep inviolably secret.
These things do I swear. While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art, respected by all, in all times. But should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot!