The International Bancshares Corporation (IBC) Foundation has awarded $2 million in total endowments to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and to The University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio. The donation allows the university to create four endowed professorships, at $500,000 each:
- The IBC Foundation Endowed Professorship in Health Promotion Research at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio.
- The IBC Foundation Endowed Professorship in Nursing Administration and Informatics at the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing.
- The IBC Foundation Endowed Professorship in Health, Behavior and Society at the University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio.
- The IBC Foundation Endowed Professorship in Health Policy and Health Services Administration at the University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio.
“Faculty are the backbone of the institution; they hold us together,” said Robert Hromas, MD, FACP, acting president of UT Health San Antonio, at the check presentation ceremony on Feb. 26. “By allowing us to recruit more outstanding faculty, the IBC Foundation is building up not only the economic interests of San Antonio, but the future generations of physicians, public health workers and nurses who will continue to impact the landscape of San Antonio.”
The IBC Foundation is a private foundation affiliated with IBC and its subsidiary banks and is dedicated to supporting charities that enrich the community and improve the health and wellness of people in Texas and Oklahoma. UT Health San Antonio and the School of Public Health will use the endowments to recruit and retain the highest-quality educators, researchers and scholars. These professorships will foster interdisciplinary research addressing real-world challenges such as health care disparities, environmental sustainability, technology and social justice.
“We believe the professorships we’re sponsoring will last forever and grow into a legacy,” said Dennis Nixon, chief executive officer of International Bank of Commerce and
chairman of International Bancshares Corporation. “The great science coming from the faculty you employ here will be the future of this university and this community and it’s a privilege to be part of that.”
Hromas emphasized the importance of these endowments in that they give faculty the security to “create real advances” in medicine, public health, nursing and research, and allows them to pursue novel research and break-through therapies and pioneer new medical technology.
“This gift will fund those that are at the cutting edge of research and medical care,” Hromas said. “It will fund educators teaching future medical students, nurses and public health professionals how to use the latest advancements, like artificial intelligence, and it will support the work of those that are out in the field helping the needs of the community.”