FEATURED: Dr. Michael B. Hocker, Senior Associate Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO) for Graduate Medical Education at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University, on Friday, May 14, 2021, was announced as the new Dean of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine. He will be taking over the duties of John H. Krouse, MD, PhD, MBA on Monday, June 28, 2021. Krouse announced in 2020 that he would be stepping down as Dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine and as Executive Vice President of Health Affairs for UTRGV to serve in a faculty position. Hocker has ties to the Rio Grande Valley, noting that he and his family are excited about joining the UTRGV community and moving to South Texas, where they will be closer to his mother, Jean, and stepfather, Richard, who currently live in Harlingen.

Photograph Courtesy UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY

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FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernández; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and Sergio Contreras, President and CEO, Rio Grande Valley Partnership. On Saturday, March 27, 2021, Pharr city leaders welcomed Texas’ two U.S. senators along with 19 other U.S. senators to get a firsthand view of the Pharr International Bridge, which recently received a Presidential Permit amendment approved by then-President Donald Trump for the second span expansion of the bridge.

Photograph Courtesy CITY OF PHARR FACEBOOK

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FEATURED: Edinburg City Attorney Omar Ochoa, at podium, fields questions from the audience at Edinburg City Hall on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, during a press conference hosted by the Edinburg City Council – including from left, Mayor Richard Molina and then-Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez featured in the background –  to explain the local impact of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-34, issued earlier that day, regarding COVID-19-related operating limits for any businesses or other establishments in Texas.

Photograph Courtesy CITY OF EDINBURG FACEBOOK

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FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Achael P. Patel, MD, Neuroscience, DHR Health; Gustavo Ramos, MD, Neuroscience, DHR Health; Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg; Carlos Cárdenas, MD, Chair, Board of Managers, DHR Health, and Gastroenterology; Saroja Viswamitra, MD, DHR Health Rehabilitation Hospital; Juan Padilla, MD, Neuroscience, DHR Health; and Patrick T. Noonan, Jr., MD, Neurointerventional Radiology, DHR Health. This image was taken on February 1, 2020, at the DHR Health Neuroscience Institute.

Photograph Courtesy DHR HEALTH FACEBOOK

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FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Richard Sánchez, Associate Vice President for Governmental Relations, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Verónica Gonzáles, Vice President for Governmental and Community Relations, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, presented a portrait of the inaugural class of students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine in Edinburg to Hidalgo County Judge Ramón García and the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court in appreciation for the financial help from the county. The county pledged to support the medical school with annual contributions of $1 million for 10 years, beginning in 2014. 

Photograph By EVANA VLECK

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Featured: Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, D-Brownsville, was one of more than a dozen statewide figures on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, to participate in The Future of Health Care Symposium hosted by DHR Health at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance.

Photograph Courtesy DHR HEALTH FACEBOOK

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FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Ronnie Larralde, Executive Director, Edinburg Chamber of  Commerce; former Hidalgo County 464th District Court Judge Ysmael Fonseca; and Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, who also serves as Chair, House Committee on Transportation. The image was taken on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, during the grand opening ceremony of Canales’ District Office, which is located in the Edinburg Chamber Depot, 602 W. University Drive. Earlier this month, Fonseca testified in support of House Bill 695, which calls for the establishment of the Rio Grande Valley School of Law. Canales is a joint author of the bill, which was approved on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, by the Texas House of Representatives, and now goes to the Senate for their action.

Photograph By NAYELI ZENTEÑO

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FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Carlos Cárdenas, MD, Chair, Board of Managers, DHR Health, and Mario Lizcano, Administrator of Corporate Affairs, DHR Health, on Wednesday, November 11, 2020 – Veterans Day – helped welcome and honor DHR Health employees and hospital patients who have served in the U.S. military. The tribute, which observed all COVID-19 precautions such as face mask coverings and social distancing, was hosted by DHR Health at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, 118 Paseo Del Prado, in Edinburg.

Photograph Courtesy DHR Health Facebook

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FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville; Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission; Leslie Ward, President, AT&T Texas; Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco; and J.D. Salinas, III, Director, Internal Affairs, AT&T Texas, and former County Judge for Hidalgo County. This image was taken at the South Texas College Regional Center for Public Excellence, located at 3100 South Cage Boulevard in Pharr, on Thursday, January 23, 2020.

Photograph By PETER SALINAS

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FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Sergio Sánchez, Program Director and Show Host at NEWS TALK 710 KURV and kurv.com; Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen; Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen; Rep Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission; and Rep. Ryan Guillén, D-Rio Grande City. The five men were participating in the 86th Texas Legislature Session Wrap-up Luncheon on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at the Radisson Hotel McAllen Airport, 2721 S. 10th St in McAllen.

Photograph Courtesy MCALLEN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FACEBOOK

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