Message from the Program Director
Hello and welcome to the UT Health San Antonio Department of Pediatrics website!
My name is Michelle Arandes and I am the Residency Director for the Department of Pediatrics. The program in San Antonio is a mid-sized, general pediatric oriented program with a family feel and strong ties to the community. We have the distinction of being the longest standing pediatric training program in South Texas and are proud to be part of the UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine. We pride ourselves on our passion for innovation in education, being one of the first programs in the nation with a required curriculum in Quality Improvement, a developing Global Health Program, and a robust Longitudinal Advocacy Program. Our department and program value our trainees as an integral part of our mission to provide excellent clinical care, generate new knowledge in the form of clinical research, and educate future generations. To that end, we highly prioritize all aspects of the well being of our residents’ time with us. We have a robust wellness initiative and curriculum that is resident driven and responsive including a number of events and activities to build resilience and camaraderie. We also understand the challenges of integrating and balancing your clinical education with preparation for the next step in your career. We incorporate a number of level specific workshops and every trainee receives a full set of MedStudy Board Prep® Curricular materials including access to a Board Review Course. Our residents have the opportunity to work with a diverse population and are exposed to a broad range of pathology in patients ranging from neonates to adolescents. Our residents are also primary care providers, offering continuity of care to our patients in their own continuity clinics. We have a legacy of training Pediatricians for practice in our regional community and beyond. San Antonio is located in the heart of one of the fastest growing areas for children less than 5 years of age and between 5 and 13 years of age in the nation, providing an excellent and diverse patient care experience.
You may have seen some of the dynamic changes happening in San Antonio over recent years! The University of Texas Health Science Center has transitioned its branding to UT Health San Antonio and with that recommitted our promise to educate and serve our community, our patients, and our profession! The Department of Pediatrics has collaborated with our primary hospital partner, the University Health System, for over 50 years to develop a comprehensive pediatric care model for San Antonio, Central, and South Texas. The University Health System’s 900 million dollar capital campaign supported the construction of two new facilities: one in the South Texas Medical Center and the other in downtown San Antonio. Both locations are served by a network of over 20 community and school based clinics located across San Antonio and the surrounding area. Our pediatric outpatient and subspecialty practices as well as our new after hours Express Med clinic for children are located in the state of the art outpatient facility on the Robert B. Green campus in downtown San Antonio. In April 2014, University Health System opened its new 10-story, one million square foot patient tower in the South Texas Medical Center. LEED Gold Certified, this facility brings our total inpatient beds to over 100 including the Pediatric Emergency Department, Inpatient Pediatrics, Medical and Trauma ICU, and a separate Comprehensive Care Cardiac Unit. A 65-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Level 2 nursery along with our extensive term nursery bring us close to 200 inpatient beds. These new facilities have been the first in San Antonio to bring all levels of general and subspecialty pediatric, pediatric surgical, and mother-baby care under one roof, including outstanding regional trauma and burn care, solid organ transplant, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and cardiothoracic surgery. Both our inpatient and outpatient services operate with a fully integrated electronic health record (EHR) system. In addition, we are anticipating continued expansion of the Women and Children’s facilities at UHS – an exciting new plan for the future! As one of the largest departments at UT Health SA, we have over 150 engaged faculty across the range of general pediatrics and broad subspecialty areas. In addition, we have 5 fellowships including Child Abuse Pediatrics, Critical Care, Endocrinology, Hematology/Oncology, and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine as well as access to Academic General Pediatrics and Pediatric Palliative Care fellowship training.
The Department of Pediatrics will be interviewing for a class of 15 categorical positions. If you would like to learn more about our residency program and the transformative changes happening in health care for our city, please do not hesitate to email me. I look forward to talking with you soon, and I am very excited for what lies ahead for our program and for the care we deliver to our community of children.
Sincerely,
Michelle Arandes, MD, FAAP
Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric Hospitalist
Residency Training Director, Pediatrics
Email: Arandes@uthscsa.edu