2025 Spring STAR Educator Recipient: Tatiana Cordova, MD
Tatiana Cordova, MD
Associate Professor
Department of Family and Community Medicine
Nomination Submission:
Dr. Cordova serves as a women’s health educator for our residents and medical students in Labor and Delivery, newborn care, Kennedy prenatal clinic, women’s clinic, and the adult detention center. She educates on women’s health in didactics and teaches procedural skills. She has also expanded the curriculum to include education on laws that affect women’s health care. She has taught a medical student elective on women’s health and access to care. She is an Advanced Obstetric Life Support Course Teacher for multiple classes of interns from UTHSCSA and Christus. She runs the newborn and maternity care curriculum in collaboration with outside departments for education of residents and medical students. She also educates and mentors undergraduate students interested in Family Medicine and Women’s Health. She is known for her openness to provide mentorship and availability. She is at the forefront of developing our POCUS curriculum and has personally attended specific training and translated that to practice. She teaches in large and small groups of residents both for POCUS procedurally and diagnostically. She employs the skills in labor and delivery and on the busy Family Medicine Inpatient Service. She role models interprofessional collaboration and has done this with the dentistry school to connect with primary care and advocate for interprofessional training and teams. She continues to do this advocacy on the inpatient wards both neonatal, intrapartum, and adult services. She has advocated for providers and patient access and served through the AAFP and TAFP while using these opportunities to educate residents and include them in advocacy. These opportunities she has created have enriched the lives of undergraduate and graduate learners.
Dr. Cordova exemplifies educational excellence through her unwavering commitment to teaching, mentorship, and patient care across a variety of clinical and academic settings. At the UT Health San Antonio student-run clinic at the San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries Transitional Living and Learning Center (SAMM TLLC), she is a consistent and vital presence. When clinic leadership faced a gap in volunteer supervision, Dr. Cordova stepped in without hesitation, helping to ensure the continuity of both patient care and student education. She mentors interdisciplinary student teams—including those from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dental, and physician assistant programs—providing thoughtful guidance during patient evaluations and delivering constructive feedback on presentations and documentation. Her ability to balance clinical efficiency with meaningful teaching ensures a positive experience for both patients and learners, even during the clinic’s busiest evenings. Beyond her contributions at SAMM, Dr. Cordova plays a pivotal role in the Department of Family Medicine’s maternity care education. She leads workshops, teaches in the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) course, and supervises residents on maternity call, offering timely, actionable feedback. Her leadership extends to quality improvement, as she serves as a liaison to the Maternal Quality Assurance and Process Improvement Committee at University Hospital, ensuring that family medicine practices align with institutional standards. Additionally, Dr. Cordova contributes to academic scholarship through presentations at the South Texas Regional Family Medicine Grand Rounds, often co-presenting with residents in a balanced, collaborative manner. Her evidence-based, practical teaching style makes her a respected educator and role model.