UTRGV has received approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create its new School of Podiatry which will allow medical students to major in Podiatric Medicine.
According to a news release from UTRGV, the school of podiatry will allow students to pursue careers in the medical and surgical care of the foot and ankle.
Interim Dean for the School of Podiatry Dr. Lawrence Harkless explains the importance of getting this approval by the board.
“Every program has to be approved by the professional accrediting body… to make sure there are standards and all those things they have to abide by to allow them to have the credibility necessary to be a profession,” Harkless said.
According to Dr. Harkless, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Colleges has given their approval for the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine program (DPM) in November, and the only accreditation still pending is from the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME), which he believes will be received in October of 2021.
According to Dean of UTRGV School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. John Krouse, the School of Podiatry here at UTRGV will be the first podiatry school in the state of Texas and the 10th program in the country.
Krouse explains why a podiatry school here at UTRGV is so important to students who go into the medical field.
“Students from the [Rio Grande Valley] have needed to go elsewhere if they wanted to become a physician…by us now having this program in the Valley,” he said. “We feel more confident that students who train in our program will decide to stay and practice in this area.”
UTRGV alumnus Ricardo Gonzalez said he is interested in applying once the School of Podiatry opens and thinks having the specialty at the university will be a major addition to the school and South Texas.
“For UTRGV to establish a School of Podiatry, I think that can only solidify the reputation of UTRGV as kind of a powerhouse in not only medicine but [in] healthcare as a whole,” Gonzalez said. “Podiatry everywhere is very important but more so here in the valley just because of the number of not only diabetics, but older diabetics that we have”
According to Dr. Harkless, the School of Podiatry should be ready for its first group of students in 2022 who will graduate in May of 2026.
This is Rodolfo Alvarado for Vaquero News.
