Internal Medicine Mission

The Department of Internal Medicine strives to improve the quality of health care through excellence in the education of students, physicians, and the public, the advancement of biomedical knowledge through discovery, integration, and translation to the clinical setting, and the provision of comprehensive, compassionate, and accessible patient care.

UT Mobile Van, Brownsville, Texas

The south Texas border is an area where many people have little access to health care or the means to pay for it. The mobile clinic van, under the Department of Internal Medicine, helps provide health care to this rural population in Cameron County. The clinic is staffed by Physician Assistant Paul Toscano and Medical Assistant Flor Valdez.
Inside, a modern exam room and small lab allows patients of all ages to get acute care, physical exams and screening for diabetes and hypertension. The staff also offers EKGs, immunizations and patient education for many prevalent conditions. The clinic stays at each location for two months at a time. The locations are chosen in areas that are medically underserved ( MUAs). The mobile clinic’s operations are overseen by several physicians who are also available for consult on more complicated cases via Telemedicine. These physicians are located at either the Medical Center in Houston or in Brownsville.
The telemedicine system consists of a specialized camera, a high speed internet connection, a specialized dermascope and a specialized stethoscope. The consulting MD can interact with the patient and the van's medical staff and both hear and see the output from the stethoscope and the dermascope.

Clinical Education

Our goal is to develop physicians who approach medicine with compassion, professionalism, and intellectual discipline.

Research

The research programs of the Department of Internal Medicine are fueled by the desire to improve our understanding of human health and disease and to develop innovative means to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases.

Patient Care

The Department's clinical services span the continuum of primary care to subspecialty care and even intensive care medicine monitored from remote sites.

Dr. David McPherson named chair of Internal Medicine

The University of Texas at Houston Memorial Hermann Center for Healthcare Quality and Safety was created in November 2007 with ongoing extramural grants and support from the UT Health Science Center at Houston and the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. The Center continues to grow recruiting new faculty (who may be appointed in any Health Science Center School) and by adding members from outside UT who maintain substantial and ongoing research collaborations with us.