Francisco G. Cigarroa
Encyclopedia
Francisco Gonzalez Cigarroa (born December 1, 1957) is a medical doctor
and Chancellor of the University of Texas System
. He is also the first Hispanic
to serve as president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
(UTHSCSA).
A Mexican American
native of Laredo, Texas
, Dr. Cigarroa graduated from J. W. Nixon High School
. After completing high school, he earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University
in 1979 and received his medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
at Dallas in 1983. He was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the national honor medal. During his twelve years of postgraduate training, Dr. Cigarroa was chief resident at Massachusetts General Hospital
, the teaching hospital
of Harvard Medical School
in Boston
, and completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital
in Baltimore
.
Dr. Cigarroa was appointed Chancellor of the University of Texas System in January 2009. He is the first Hispanic to ever lead a major university system
in the United States. Before this appointment he had been President of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
He was elected an Alumni Fellow to the Yale Corporation for a six year term commencing July 1, 2010.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and Chancellor of the University of Texas System
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System encompasses 15 educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are academic universities and six are health institutions. The system is headquartered in Austin and has a total enrollment of over 190,000 students...
. He is also the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
to serve as president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is an institute of health science education and research, located in the South Texas Medical Center....
(UTHSCSA).
A Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
native of Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, Dr. Cigarroa graduated from J. W. Nixon High School
J. W. Nixon High School
J.W. Nixon High School is a public high school located in Laredo, Texas and is part of the Laredo Independent School District. The school was built in 1964, as the second high school in the city of Laredo....
. After completing high school, he earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1979 and received his medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is one of the biomedical research institutions of the University of Texas System, incorporating three degree-granting institutions, four affiliated hospitals, including Parkland Memorial, the teaching hospital, and biomedical research...
at Dallas in 1983. He was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the national honor medal. During his twelve years of postgraduate training, Dr. Cigarroa was chief resident at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
, the teaching hospital
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
of Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland . It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
Dr. Cigarroa was appointed Chancellor of the University of Texas System in January 2009. He is the first Hispanic to ever lead a major university system
University system
A university system is a set of multiple, affiliated universities and colleges that are usually geographically distributed. Typically, all member universities in a university system share a common component among all of their various names...
in the United States. Before this appointment he had been President of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
He was elected an Alumni Fellow to the Yale Corporation for a six year term commencing July 1, 2010.