Distinguished Lecture Series

The Military Health Institute annually hosts distinguished leaders in military health to foster research and collaboration with UT Health San Antonio faculty. Past speakers include Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, who presented on “The Case for Disruptive Leadership,” Colonel Andrew Morgan, who presented on his “Journey to Space,” Colonel Jeffery Tiede, who spoke about Human Performance, as well as Lieutenant General Place, who spoke on the “Future of Military Health Research.”

Dr. James Peake, LTG, USA (Ret), Fall 2023 Distinguished Lecture
Lieutenant General Ron Place, Distinguished Lecture Spring 2022
Dr. Robert Miller, Lt. Gen., USAF, Spring 2023 Distinguished Lecture
Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, Fall 2022 Distinguished Lecture

Leadership Talks and Grand Rounds

The MHI participates in several leadership talks and grand rounds presentations throughout the year. These presentations take lessons learned in the military health system and apply them to civilian settings. MHI is dedicated to promoting excellence in healthcare and routinely engages with the the university departments, University Hospital, and surrounding military collaborators. Recently, the MHI Director, Dr. Byron Hepburn, gave a talk on leadership during a disaster, which is especially timely given the recent COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch it here:

Joe and Patty Robles Endowed Post Doctoral Fellowship in Military Health Research

The MHI Fellowship in Military Health supports a post-doctoral scholar in their pursuit of improving the health of service members, veterans, and their families. The fellowship is competitive and selected bi-annually. The fellowship provides significant opportunity to interface with key leaders from the military health community in order to advance their academic career as well as the mission of the MHI.

Please click here to see the accomplishments of past MHI post-doctoral fellows.

Dr. Alisha Smith, Ph.D.

Dr. Alisha Smith is the new post-doctoral fellow supported by the Joe and Patty Robles Endowed Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Military Health Research. Dr. Smith performed her graduate training in Dr. Sunil K. Ahuja’s laboratory at the VA Center for Personalized Medicine and Department of Medicine at UTHSA. She completed her PhD in the Microbiology and Immunology department at UTHSA.

Military Health Interest Group (MHIG)

MHIG membership is comprised mostly of Health Professions Scholarship (HPSP) students at UT Health San Antonio who will attend military residency programs after the completion of an undergraduate medical education. Their interests include learning more about the military culture and understanding the challenges that our wounded, ill and injured (and their families) are facing.

As a group, the UT Health San Antonio Military Health Interest Group plans speaking engagements, performs community outreach activities, volunteers for military appreciation events such as  Veteran’s Day ceremonies, fundraises for military-affiliated charities, and in general, serves as a community for students, veterans, and civilians with a passion for the unique demands of military healthcare. The UT Health San Antonio Military Health Interest Group also hosts a promotion ceremony once a year to honor those 4th year medical and dental military HPSP students that will be receiving their military promotion with graduation from professional school.

Recently, the MHIG hosted a panel discussion with military wounded warriors, which gave us great insight into the healthcare needs of the veteran population, as well as an Introduction to the GME Selection Process, presented by Dr. Brian Faux.

Caring for the Military, Veterans, and their Families

The Military Health Institute is proud to provide education for our current and future healthcare providers on how to best serve our military affiliated community. Recently, MHI presented, “Caring for the Military, Caregiver, and their Family,” at the Family Medicine Grand Rounds at the Robert B. Green Clinic in downtown San Antonio. This presentation was also adapted and filmed to create a 45-minute video detailing military culture, common sequalae of military members and veterans, and the importance of the military caregiver in the healthcare plan. The video is now available on YouTube. Please contact the Military Health Institute if you are interested in learning more about the importance of advancing your knowledge about the military affiliated community.