UT System Board of Regents Introduces School of Podiatry

In February the University of Texas Board of Regents approved U-T-R-G-V’S proposal to open a School of Podiatric Medicine.The School of Podiatry was chosen by the U-T-R-G-V Leadership after analyzing and assessing the major health issues in the Rio Grande Valley.

Interim Dean of the School of Podiatric Medicine at U-T-R-G-V-, and Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, Lawrence Harkless says that students should not have a reason to leave Texas to study Podiatry.

So about, between forty and forty-five students leave Texas every year to obtain a DPM degree to become a Podiatrist, and that is expensive, and we have seventeen Medical Schools here, there is no reason that we should not have one in Texas…

Dr. Harkless says this will be the first school of Podiatric in the state of Texas as well as the tenth school of Podiatry in the country. THE U-T-R-G-V- School of Podiatry will be added to the already existing School of Medicine at the Edinburg Campus.

Biomedical Science Junior, Jocelyn Guerrero says that implementing these programs is going to be amazing for everybody.

I think there is this stigma that: Oh! We have to leave the Valley. We have to Go to Another University to find opportunities… So, I think that implementing these new programs is going to be amazing for everybody because they have more opportunity and more availability here in the Valley…

Dr. Harkless says the Podiatric School plans on admitting forty students per year to the program. Although the Board of Regents approved the U-T-R-G-V School of Podiatry, the next step is for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to review the program within the next year. If approved it will be followed by a three-step process of professional accreditation by The Council on Podiatric Medical Education before they can receive a Candidate Status Approval and start admitting students.

Post-Graduate Biology student, Christian Sanchez says those are good additions.