South Texas Health System expands physician pipeline with 65 new medical residents

South Texas Health System welcomed 65 new physicians-in-training to its Graduate Medical Education Consortium earlier this month, expanding the Rio Grande Valley’s physician pipeline as healthcare providers continue working to address physician shortages across South Texas. 

The incoming class officially began residency training July 1 and includes physicians entering family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, transitional year and the health system’s newly established general surgery residency program. 

Residents will complete their clinical training at South Texas Health System McAllen, South Texas Health System Edinburg, South Texas Health System Children’s and South Texas Health System Heart while providing supervised patient care throughout the Valley.

The expansion comes as healthcare providers across Texas continue working to strengthen the physician workforce and improve long-term access to care, particularly in rapidly growing regions like the Valley. 

The addition of a general surgery residency program also marks the latest expansion of South Texas Health System’s graduate medical education efforts, which have grown from two residency programs to five over the past three years.  

“The growth of the STHS GME Consortium’s residency programs over the last three years reflects STHS’ unwavering commitment to addressing the healthcare needs of the Valley by training and retaining talented physicians,” Dr. Youssef Majed, designated institutional official and chief academic officer for the STHS GME Consortium, said in a news release. “The addition of our new general surgery residency program and the arrival of 65 new residents mark exciting milestones in our mission to shape the future of healthcare in South Texas.”  

The incoming class includes 20 first-year internal medicine residents, 13 transitional year residents, 12 physicians in the new general surgery residency program, 10 first-year family medicine residents and 10 first-year emergency medicine residents. 

Throughout the year, residents will rotate through inpatient and outpatient specialties while caring for diverse patient populations across the health system. 

Their education will also include academic and clinical partnerships with Texas A&M University, ASAS Health and Nuestra Clínica del Valle, along with faculty mentorship, research opportunities and community health initiatives designed to prepare physicians to serve medically underserved communities.  

“By expanding residency and fellowship opportunities and attracting talented physicians from around the world, we are creating a pipeline of future healthcare leaders dedicated to serving our communities,” Lance Ames, CEO of South Texas Health System Edinburg and South Texas Health System Children’s, said in the release. “With each new class of residents, we move closer to building a healthier future for the Valley.”

The incoming residents represent medical schools across the United States as well as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Venezuela, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, India, Sudan, Iran and several other countries.

Several physicians also graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, reflecting the growing contribution of locally trained doctors to the region’s healthcare workforce. 

Hospital leaders said they hope many of the new residents choose to establish their careers in the Valley after completing their training, helping expand long-term access to healthcare for local communities.  

“These residents represent the future of healthcare, and we’re honored to be part of their journey,” Emma Montes-Ewing, CEO of South Texas Health System McAllen, said in the release. “As they care for patients, serve our communities and grow into tomorrow’s healthcare leaders, they will leave a lasting impact on the Valley. We hope many will choose to build their careers here, helping ensure local families have access to the high-quality care they deserve for generations to come.”