MAY 12, 2025 — Longstanding leader in research and clinical psychology Jennifer Sharpe Potter has taken on the role of UTSA interim vice president for research. Potter will concurrently serve as senior vice president for research at UT Health San Antonio, making a significant step toward the full merger and integration of the two institutions slated for September 1.
Potter brings a wealth of experience to UTSA, including over 16 years of service and leadership at UT Health San Antonio, where she also serves as a professor of psychiatry.
Prior to these roles, Potter worked as a research director at Harvard Medical School.
“It has been an honor to serve the UT Heath San Antonio research community over the years, and I’m thrilled now to join UTSA,” said Potter, who is now splitting her time between campuses. “It is wonderful to be on the UTSA campus and to feel the vibrancy of the community. For our two institutions to come together and collaborate even more freely represents an incredible inflection point and opportunity. We have wide open spaces here to continue to grow and develop our research.”
To drive high-impact research at UTSA, Potter aims to bolster support and resources for researchers.
“I want researchers to know that they work at a university that's committed to them across their career trajectory,” she said. “Our job is to build the infrastructure so that the research can grow, develop and have an impact on the world. We will continue to boost the services that support research, in both quantity and quality.”
Potter is currently conducting a listening tour with researchers and academic leaders across UTSA to explore areas of potential growth and service needs.
In addition to her research leadership roles, Potter is a longtime advocate for evidence-based, affordable treatment for substance use disorder. She serves as executive director of Be Well, Texas, a nonprofit organization housed at UT Health San Antonio that offers a range of services statewide, including treatment, housing and recovery support services for Texas residents struggling with substance use, addiction or mental health issues.
“The work of Be Well embodies how science can truly make an impact on the world, and it also embodies my perspective of how a university can serve its community,” Potter said. “It is an incredible privilege to work for a state-funded, public university dedicated to service, where we continuously look for new ways to be a part of the solution to what challenges Texas.”
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