Department of Medical Education
The LSOM Department of Medical Education supports our departments and individual faculty members through enhancing education-related faculty development, program development and scholarship in order to achieve and sustain excellence in Medical Education.
Chair of the Department of Medical Education, Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Surgery in the Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, Associate Director for Workforce Development, Mays Cancer Center
Dr. Daniel L. Dent is the Chair of the Department of Medical Education, Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Surgery in the Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, and the Associate Director for Workforce Development for the Mays Cancer Center at University of Texas (UT) Health San Antonio. His clinical practice is in trauma, critical care, and acute care surgery. He is a native of Orlando, Florida who completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Duke University and obtained his medical degree from the University of South Florida. As a student, he worked summers and holidays for the Walt Disney Company for 11 years. He subsequently completed his residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis; his residency included an additional year of research in Trauma and Nutrition Support.
Professor, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Program Director
Sylvia Botros-Brey, MD, MSCI, is a Professor in the Departments of Urology, OB/GYN and Medical Education. She has served in multiple leadership roles throughout her career both nationally and internationally, and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Academy of Educational Scholars and Assistant Dean for Faculty at the Long School of Medicine. She has over 50 peer reviewed publications and her current research focus is understanding which factors promote optimal clinical learning environments through the use of an innovative educational modality called Forum Theatre.
Department Administrator, Department of Medical Education; Associate Department Administrator, Department of Surgery
Mr. Cone is a technically sophisticated professional with expertise in people and project management, business and leadership development, leadership and training, system and program implementation, and quality and process improvement. Proficient in focused efforts and achieving performance goals and desired outcomes, formulating and implementing effective, fact-based, strategic solutions to meet a diversity of needs. Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. Interested in organizations that proactively approach business and service opportunities from a preventive, patient/consumer-focused perspective. Research interests center around social and physical environmental and protective factors involving health motivations and decisions.Technically sophisticated professional with expertise in people and project management, business and leadership development, leadership and training, system and program implementation, and quality and process improvement. Proficient in focused efforts and achieving performance goals and desired outcomes, formulating and implementing effective, fact-based, strategic solutions to meet a diversity of needs. Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. Interested in organizations that proactively approach business and service opportunities from a preventive, patient/consumer-focused perspective. Research interests center around social and physical environmental and protective factors involving health motivations and decisions.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Education Director of Research Mentoring Initiatives, GSBS Director of Administration, MD/PhD Program
Jennifer Davila is the Director of Research Mentoring Initiatives in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where she oversees faculty and student training programs that strengthen mentoring capacity and professional development. She also serves as Executive Director of the Research Mentoring Academy and leads Mentoring Masters, an evidence-based workshop series (CIMER) for research and clinical faculty. Since 2016, Dr. Davila has additionally served as Administrative Director of the MD/PhD Program, supporting the training and success of physician-scientist trainees. Her work reflects a deep commitment to mentorship, professional growth, and building a thriving academic community.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Education, Assistant Director for Workforce Development, Mays Cancer Center
Dr. Ángel González serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Education and the Assistant Director for Workforce Development at the Mays Cancer Center. Prior to this appointment, Dr. González held positions at New Jersey City University and Stony Brook University, which involved the strategic planning and administration of initiatives that focused on broadening the participation of students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. He has experience utilizing data-driven and evidence-based approaches to develop and implement programmatic activities and initiatives that foster educational engagement. Dr. Gonzalez holds a doctorate in Social/Health Psychology from Stony Brook University, NY. Under the advisement of Dr. Bonita London, his doctoral research focused on the experience of underrepresented college students and the impact discrimination has on their academic success and psychological well-being.
Associate Professor, Diseases of the Nose and Paranasal Sinuses, Service Chief, Otolaryngology, Audie Murphy Veterans Administration Medical Center
Kevin Christopher McMains is currently working as an Assistant Professor at UT Health Science Center San Antonio. He had completed his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He is a Board Certified Specialist in Otolaryngology.
Instructor/Research, Department of Medical Education
Dr. Ramiro Ramirez is an Instructor of Medical Education at UT Health San Antonio, where he works with Dr. Ronald Rodriguez to develop and launch the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine program at UT Health. He earned his PhD in Mathematics from Texas Tech University, where he specialized in biomathematics, and dabbled in research in category theory and algebraic topology.
Dr. Ramirez completed his postdoctoral training through the NIH-funded IRACDA SABER Fellowship Program. During his fellowship, he focused on applying machine learning to biomedical and clinical workflows as well as received formal training in teaching.
His current work centers on bridging advanced AI methodologies with medical education and clinical practice, designing curriculum and computational tools to help future clinicians use AI effectively.
Professor of Urologic Science and the Chairman of the Department of Urology
Dr. Ronald Rodriguez is a highly experienced urologic surgeon with expertise in urologic oncology, primarily focusing on prostate and kidney cancer. He is a world expert in the use of cryoablative technologies for kidney and recurrent prostate cancer and performs both open and laparoscopic surgery. He conducts basic research in a variety of urologic conditions and his research group is internationally recognized in the development of adenoviral gene therapy for urologic malignancies. He continues to oversee a basic research group and has a clinical practice focused on urologic cancer.
Adjunct Professor, Department of Medical Education
Sarah Sebton earned her Masters of Public Health and Masters of Public Administration from New York University (NYU) in 2017. Sarah has worked for many nonprofit and government entities in her career, including The Health Federation of Philadelphia, Smile Train, Mount Sinai Health System, and the Travis County Healthcare District. Sarah also served as a Public Health and Wellness Officer in the Texas State Guard for over 4 years. In January 2020, Sarah joined University Health as the Director of Trauma-Informed Care, leading the health system’s internal transformation to become a trauma-informed organization. Outside of her work, Sarah is a proud rabbit and dog mom, is in training to become a sommelier, and volunteers at a conservation park with rhinos and giraffes.
Assistant To The Chair, Department of Medical Education
Associate Professor/Clinical, UT Health San Antonio
Emily Wang is a clinical associate professor at UT Health San Antonio. She received her bachelor’s degree in 1996 from University of California at Berkeley and then completed medical school and residency training at UT Health San Antonio in 2003. She began her clinical career as a private practice hospitalist in Austin. She subsequently returned to UT Health San Antonio and South Texas Veterans Health Care System as a general internist with outpatient and inpatient roles from 2008 to the present. Her areas of interest include peri-operative medicine, consultative medicine and transitions of care and patient flow into the hospital, survey- based medical education research and mistreatment of healthcare team members. She has received multiple regional and national medical educational grants, given regional and national presentations and workshops and has multiple publications in these areas. She serves as a national committee member for the Alliance of Academic Internal Medicine Program Directors Survey and Research committee. She is an Associate Program Director for the UT Health San Antonio internal medicine residency with over 100 residents, Program Director for the UT Health San Antonio Academy of Educational Scholars and is proud to provide patient care to Veterans at Audie Murphy VA Hospital.
Associate Professor and Research in Department of Surgery, Director of Surgical Education and Director of UT Health Johnson Center for Surgical Education
Dr. Willis is an Educational Scientist with a background in cognitive psychology, specifically learning theory, teaching, and instructional design. Dr. Willis engages in research with the aim of creating more effective and efficient learning environments. Dr. Willis’s research interests include coaching language, evaluation, trainee selection, and psychomotor skills acquisition. Dr. Willis also directs the Johnson Center for Surgical Innovation, the simulation training center in the Department of Surgery.
Professor
Executive Director, Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration (LINC)
Joseph A. Zorek, PharmD, BCGP, FNAP, is Executive Director of UT Health San Antonio’s Quality Enhancement Plan—Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration (LINC)—which was nationally recognized in 2022 with the Award for Institutional Excellence and Innovation in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Health Care by the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions. Joe is also a tenured Professor in the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, where he teaches advanced pharmacotherapeutics to graduate students and strives to elevate health professions education through creative and impactful scholarship. Joe co-authored the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative national consensus guidance on developing quality interprofessional education (IPE) and is currently representing the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy on the national workgroup assembled to update the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice. In partnership with IPEC and with support from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, Joe also co-led development and validation of the IPEC Institutional Assessment Instrument, a tool designed to measure institutional characteristics associated with high-quality programmatic IPE. Joe was inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow in 2021, the same year he published “Interprofessional Practice in Pharmacy: Featuring Illustrated Case Studies” with McGraw-Hill Education, a textbook intended to highlight—for high school and undergraduate students considering careers in healthcare, early learners in pharmacy, and educators and students throughout the health professions—the myriad ways pharmacists leverage their expertise to advance the safe and effective use of medications as contributing members of interprofessional teams.