Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president of the Health Science Center, signed an agreement Sept. 19 in Tamaulipas to develop a master’s degree program in infectious diseases at the Mexican state’s medical school.
Dr. Cigarroa and a delegation from the Health Science Center traveled to Ciudad Victoria, capital of Tamaulipas, for the signing ceremony with Dr. Jesús Lavín Santos del Prado, rector of the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas (UAT).
“Infectious diseases know no borders,” Dr. Cigarroa said. “Both of our great nations are facing these dangers on a daily basis, and it is our duty to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all people. This is one of our top priorities, and we must have the latest state-of-the-art academic and medical support through programs such as these as we continue to serve the people of our region.”
The joint project is supported by a U.S.-Mexico Training, Internships, Exchanges and Scholarships Partnership Initiative grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), specifically its Association Liaison Office for Cooperative University Development.
Invited guests included Dr. Rodolfo Torre Cantú, secretary of health for the state of Tamaulipas, and Dr. Miguel Salazar, director of the National Institute for Infectious Diseases in the Federal District.
The master’s degree program will focus on tuberculosis and other infectious diseases that occur with regularity along the U.S.-Mexico border. UAT faculty will teach the courses at the UAT campus in Reynosa, across from McAllen, with curriculum development support and other resources from the Health Science Center.
The program will enroll 20 UAT students in a four-semester curriculum and include a clinical component that will allow seven students to study at Health Science Center campuses.