Thursday, January 23, 2025
Strategic Growth

About Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, merger next steps

About Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, merger next steps

JANUARY 23, 2025 — Dr. Francisco G. Cigarroa is a renowned physician, academic leader, and public servant whose career reflects an unwavering commitment to health care excellence, innovation, and service. A third-generation physician, Dr. Cigarroa earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School in 1983. He completed his general surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident, followed by prestigious fellowships in pediatric and transplant surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his surgical training, he conducted groundbreaking research on fetal growth factors, in the laboratory of Patricia Donahoe, MD, FACS at Mass General.

Upon completing his training, Dr. Cigarroa joined the faculty of UT Health San Antonio in 1995, where he quickly rose to prominence as Director of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Transplantation. He established a multidisciplinary pediatric transplant program recognized for exceptional outcomes in kidney, liver, and intestinal transplants. His leadership in this field has had a lasting impact on transplant medicine in South Texas and beyond.

In 2000, Dr. Cigarroa was appointed President of UT Health San Antonio. His tenure was marked by significant achievements, including modernizing the clinical practice, expanding research initiatives, and securing transformational philanthropic support.

In 2009, Dr. Cigarroa became Chancellor of The University of Texas System, where he championed initiatives that reshaped public higher education in Texas. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Dell Medical School at UT Austin and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and its School of Medicine, securing permanent funding for the region through the Permanent University Fund for the first time in history.

After concluding his tenure as Chancellor in 2015, Dr. Cigarroa returned to UT Health San Antonio as Director of the Pediatric Transplant Program and, later, Director of the Transplant Center. His leadership transformed the center into one of the nation’s most innovative and successful transplant programs, recognized for innovation and exceptional patient outcomes at both the Malú and Carlos Alvarez Center for Transplantation, Hepatobiliary Surgery, and Innovation and the University Health Transplant Institute, which has been recognized as one of the most elite transplant programs in the United States.

Dr. Cigarroa’s contributions to medicine and education have earned him numerous accolades, including membership in the United States’ National Academy of Medicine, Mexico’s National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations. He has been honored with the Massachusetts General Hospital Trustees’ Medal and the American Medical Association’s highest award for medical education. He serves on important local and national boards focused on education, health education, the arts and improving the quality of life.

Next Steps in the Merger Process

Dr. Taylor Eighmy and Dr. Cigarroa will prioritize defining an ambitious long-term vision that will serve as the cornerstone for the health science center and health system enterprise to advance research and innovation, foster interdisciplinary excellence and amplify the transformative impact on health outcomes and economic growth in Texas and beyond.

A top priority for Dr. Cigarroa is to strengthen collaboration with essential partners, such as University Health System—one of the largest public health systems in the nation and the primary teaching hospital of UT Health San Antonio—to enhance patient care and improve health outcomes across the region. Dr. Cigarroa’s partnership with University Health showcases the power of collaboration, uniting UT Health San Antonio’s world-class faculty with University Health’s commitment to clinical excellence. Together, they have propelled the University Health Transplant Institute to national prominence, achieving elite status and setting a benchmark for excellence in patient care. In one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas, the focus on expanding care, advancing specialty services, and increasing access to comprehensive health care remain critical priorities.

Eighmy and Cigarroa will be updating the community in the coming weeks about integration planning.

For the latest updates, detailed information, and insights on the integration process between The University of Texas at San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio, visit www.UTSanAntonioTogether.org.



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UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.


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UTSA & UT Health San Antonio integration

UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.