Welcome from Brownsville Campus Dean, Dr. Belinda Reininger
The UT Health School of Public Health in Brownsville is proud to serve the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. This bi-national region is known for its rich culture, year-around outdoor activities, tropical setting, Texas-Mexico history, and beautiful people and wildlife. The Rio Grande Valley is also one of the most affordable places to live in the U.S. with a growing population of over 1.3 million people. Also, the region is known for its tremendous health disparities.
Our campus was founded in 2001 with the goal of addressing local health issues through research and intervention. As one of the first locally-based, research institutions to characterize the health issues faced by the region, the campus partnered with key organizations and individuals in the region to implement culturally appropriate, outcome-focused interventions. Since the beginning the faculty, students and staff have worked to be leaders in epidemiologic and intervention research focused on Hispanic populations, and specifically populations on the US-Mexico border.
Our faculty include national and international experts on cohort studies, chronic disease, infectious disease, lifestyle interventions, and cancer prevention. We are committed to ensuring that our research findings are translated into practice in clinical and community settings. Towards that end, we are proud to have a large and active Collaborative Action Board with whom we partner to ensure that research is relevant and meaningful to those who call the Rio Grande Valley home.
Many of our students are from this region. As part of the educational process, students are encouraged not only to take their classes but also to become involved in research and community intervention projects led by the campus. Our smaller campus feel allows students to directly contribute to and learn from community-engaged projects. Our active Graduate Student Association also ensures the learning does not stop at the classroom door, as this group participates in volunteer activities across the region to make a difference.
Our staff of over 150 individuals are leaders of change. Their tireless efforts to address the social determinants of health and the health disparities faced by people living in the region is paying off where we are showing improvements on such topics as diabetes and obesity. As a campus, we are committed to making the Rio Grande Valley the healthiest place to live in Texas.
We offer several graduate degrees including a MPH, DrPH in Health Promotion, and a PhD in Epidemiology. In addition, we offer a MD / MPH degree with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine and a 4+1 degree for undergraduate students with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Finally, we are incredibly proud to partner with the UTHealth Houston McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics to offer space and logistical support for their delivery of a MS in Bioinformatics in the Rio Grande Valley. We are committed to providing high quality education to the current and future health workforce.
We encourage you to learn more about this region, the tremendous opportunities we have to offer and come be a part of our public health family.
Sincerely,
Belinda Reininger, DrPH
Professor and Campus Dean