Dear UT Health community:
Yesterday (Jan. 30), UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven shared a statement with the leadership of each of The University of Texas System institutions regarding the presidential executive order on immigration. Read Chancellor McRaven’s message.
“We make lives better” is a succinct phrase that is at the heart of our UT Health San Antonio mission statement and describes what we do: to make lives better through excellence in education, research, health care and community engagement.
Fulfilling our mission requires us to be an inclusive community as we educate a diverse student body to become excellent health care providers and scientists; engage in research to understand both health and disease; and provide compassionate and cultural proficient health care. Our success is predicated on being a welcoming community focused on meeting the needs of our patients. Patient-centeredness is core to who we are.
I know there is anxiety and uncertainty arising from President Trump’s executive order last Friday on immigration. Many universities are calling for more complete information and greater clarity from our government leaders. For us at UT Health San Antonio, I encourage members of our community from affected countries who seek guidance, or those who have plans to travel to the countries affected by President Trump’s executive order, to reach out to our Office of International Services (http://uthscsa.edu/ois/). These capable colleagues can assist and can offer specific referrals to legal counsel if requested. Most importantly, I ask that we all remain steadfast in our commitment to inclusiveness and to making lives better. This is our compass for our forward progress at UT Health.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP
President and Professor of Medicine