This article is featured in the December 2024 issue of San Antonio Medicine Magazine.
As the golden sun peeks over the Hill Country skyline, UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital begins to stir with the promise of a new day. A physician-scientist steps purposefully through the sleek glass entrance into an atrium bathed in natural light. Their path leads to an expansive lab equipped with the latest in diagnostic technology, ready for breakthroughs to come.
During morning rounds, clinicians greet patients in spacious private rooms designed to feel more like serene suites than medical spaces, offering a sense of calm and comfort in every interaction. As the day winds down, our physician-scientist pauses, reflecting on a fulfilling journey. Here at UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital, this is more than a day’s work — this is where pioneering science and compassionate care unite to foster an environment of healing, discovery and hope.
“UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital brings unparalleled, comprehensive patient care and cutting-edge clinical research directly to the heart of South Texas. Our goal is to not only advance the science of medicine but ensure our community has access to the latest breakthrough treatments close to home. We are setting a new standard for health outcomes in our region,” said UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jeff Flowers, MBA, FACHE.
From the beginning, the hospital’s planning team knew they wanted a place where deep commitment to patient care merged seamlessly with cutting-edge research and use of the latest technology. Every aspect of the facility was thoughtfully designed to foster clinical innovation while prioritizing patient well-being. Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Viles, DNP said the hospital was specifically designed to support care teams in all their missions – clinical, educational and research.
“We had a great deal of faculty and provider participation in the planning process, in all the clinical and research areas, to really be able to augment the entire continuum of research that we offer at the university,” said Viles.
Continuity of care during clinical trials
A top priority was providing continuity of care for patients involved in clinical trials, many of whom are highly immunocompromised or have other comorbidities. For example, working together with the Institute for Drug Development within the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, front-line clinical trials require frequent pharmacokinetic monitoring. This involves conducting numerous blood tests to identify medication levels over time in a patient’s system. At the new hospital, patients can have testing completed and processed immediately in one convenient location.
“Rather than stopping and starting in an ambulatory clinic setting, this gives us the option to treat those patients through the entire continuum. It offers a better experience to our patients, and it offers a better experience to the primary investigators for our clinical trials,” Viles said.
The hospital also provides a protective environment (PE) unit, meeting the highest safety requirements for an in-patient setting. Patients staying at the hospital for long periods of time such as those undergoing stem cell transplants, cellular therapy or other oncology services, can be continuously monitored and have immediate access to a higher level of care delivery.
A first for UT Health San Antonio, this hospital will be able to support experimental pharmacy research through fully United States Pharmacopeia (USP)-compliant non-sterile compounding, or food compounding, along with typical sterile compounding. Additionally, the hospital’s 22,000 square-foot laboratory is nearly double the capacity needed for a hospital this size, providing ample room for researchers and hospital personnel.
At the forefront of new technologies, treatments
Associate Vice President for Research Operations Kimberly Summers, PharmD, said researchers are gearing up to initiate clinical trials as soon as the hospital achieves accreditation by The Joint Commission, which is anticipated in spring 2025.
“UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital will be at the forefront of adopting new technologies and providing leading treatments for our patients. As an academic-research hospital, we have the potential to significantly enhance patient care by delivering innovations and discoveries from our UT Health San Antonio investigators directly to the bedside, seamlessly integrating these advancements with the clinical care of our patients,” said Summers.
In the 2024-2025 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings UT Health San Antonio ranked No. 51 among the world’s top 1,000 universities with clinical medicine research programs and No. 32 among U.S. health care institutions in the 2024 Nature Index for their research output. The hospital’s affiliation with UT Health San Antonio means it can integrate research and education into its operations, offering specialized services and treatments previously unavailable in this region.
“The academic connection ensures that leading experts in various medical fields are deeply involved in both patient care and research,” she said.
Current and future efforts will be significantly enhanced, particularly in areas that disproportionately affect our South Texas community.
“This includes expanded research in complex diseases such as cancer, aging, brain health and neurosciences. These focused efforts will drive advancements in understanding and treating these critical health issues, ultimately benefiting our community,” Summers said.
Exceeding expectations in cancer care, research
Oncology patient care and research, in conjunction with the Mays Cancer Center, is expected to account for the majority of the clinical services at the hospital. Cancer research is an interdisciplinary effort, and this innovative multispecialty hospital elevates their research capabilities, said Lei Zheng, MD, PhD, executive director of Mays Cancer Center and vice president for oncology at UT Health San Antonio.
Some of the upcoming clinical trials made possible through their connection to the new hospital include novel CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapies and innovative surgical procedures that can only be conducted in a hospital setting.
“We will make the hospital a national resource where personalized, culturally sensitive clinical care and scientific discovery are conducted, focusing on the unique population of San Antonio and South Texas,” Zheng said.
Quoting Sir William Osler, the father of modern medicine, Zheng said the practice of medicine “is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business.”
“Our academic connection makes UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital a place where the best art of medicine is practiced for the benefit of our patients,” said Zheng.
Tomorrow’s treatments today
While cancer research is at the forefront for the hospital, it has the capability to accommodate many types of UT Health San Antonio research.
“Anything that is going on for research at our university, we can augment at the hospital,” Viles said. “These are tomorrow’s standard-of-care treatments, and we’re offering them today. Regardless of setting, whether it’s oncology or other specialties, these medications and treatments represent the most advanced treatment that we can provide.”
UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital was created by the community, for the community as a hub of discovery where tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs take shape today. The hospital’s opening marks not the end of the planning, but the beginning of an ongoing journey, continually evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of our South Texas community.
“We are committed to continually assessing the health care needs of our community, and that’s the core purpose of our hospital,” Viles said. “We’re here to support the health care needs of not only our community but also the surrounding communities, which extend all the way to the southern and western borders.”
UT Health San Antonio, UTSA merger another achievement
In another monumental achievement, the UT System Board of Regents announced in August that UT Health San Antonio and The University of Texas at San Antonio will merge in 2025, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The merged university will be the third largest in Texas, uniting unique strengths to offer Texans unmatched opportunities in education and health care. This powerful alliance will enhance the university’s reach and accelerate the translation of innovative research into clinical practice, expanding its impact and shaping a brighter, healthier future for all.
Find out more about the UT Health San Antonio and UTSA merger at https://utsanantoniotogether.org/.
Learn more about the new UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital at https://uthealthsahospital.org/.
San Antonio Medicine is a publication of the Bexar County Medical Society. It is distributed to more than 5,100 physicians and medical professionals throughout Bexar County. Read more about the Bexar County Medical Society and the San Antonio Medicine Magazine publication at http://www.bcms.org/.