Taylor Eighmy, president of the University of Texas at San Antonio, will also be the acting president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio starting on Feb. 1.
UT System’s Chancellor James B. Milliken announced the official appointment on Thursday, stating that Eighmy has demonstrated effective leadership in his eight years at the San Antonio university. Eighmy will become the first president of the recently merged UTSA-UT Health San Antonio integrated university.
Eighmy’s appointment marks a significant milestone in the effort to merge the two institutions, UTSA said in a press release Thursday.
“At this time, there are clear advantages to having one president with decision-making authority, and we believe this move best positions the new UTSA for long-term success,” Milliken said in the release. Milliken added Eighmy has done well leading the transition period through the merger, which was announced in the fall.
Dr. Robert Hromas, who has served as the acting president of UT Health San Antonio since March following the unexpected passing of Dr. William L. Henrich, will return to his role as dean of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine.
Eighmy said his initial focus as the president of the merged university will be to develop a single, comprehensive leadership cabinet structure to help in the ongoing integration efforts.
“This historic merger presents an unprecedented opportunity to establish one of the nation’s most distinguished universities, uniting the strengths of two world-class institutions,” Eighmy said.
Shortly after his appointment, Eighmy announced he is appointing Francisco G. Cigarroa as the senior executive vice president for health affairs and the health system at UT Health San Antonio — a newly established role begins on March 1.
Eighmy said Cigarroa’s “lifelong commitment to excellence and unmatched expertise” makes him the ideal partner to help Eighmy successfully lead the integration of the institutions.
“Dr. Cigarroa is a really terrific leader, and I am very excited to work closely with him as we go forward,” Eighmy said. “His proven ability to navigate the evolving dynamics of health care delivery, biomedical research, and higher education ensures the institution remains at the forefront of medical discovery, patient care and academic achievement…”
A yale graduate and third-generation physician, Cigarroa first joined the faculty of UT Health San Antonio in 1995, where he quickly rose to director of pediatric surgery and pediatric transplantation. In 2000, Cigarroa was appointed president of UT Health San Antonio.
Nine years later, Cigarroa accepted the position of chancellor of the University of Texas System, playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the Dell Medical School at UT Austin and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and its School of Medicine. After concluding his tenure as chancellor in 2015, Cigarroa returned to UT Health San Antonio as director of the pediatric transplant program and, later, director of the transplant center.
It is his expansive experience in higher education, academic medical centers, and patient care that make Cigarroa “exceptionally suited to lead our health affairs and expanding health system enterprise during this transformative time,” Eighmy said.
Cigarroa said he is “deeply honored to step into this substantive role at such a momentous time in our history,” adding that his and Eighmy’s mission is clear: “to make lives better by serving Texans with the absolute best that academia, research, and patient care have to offer.”
The $2.2 billion combined institution will be the third-largest research university in the state with almost 16,000 employees, nearly 40,000 students and $6.5 billion in annual economic impact on San Antonio and Bexar County.
The UT System said it decided to merge the institutions “to fully leverage the individual contributions of UT Health San Antonio and UTSA,” both of which have made major contributions in health care, biosciences, national security and data science in San Antonio.
The merger won’t be entirely finalized until 2026, but work on the process has already begun. Eighmy told the San Antonio Report that some aspects of the merger would be done more quickly, while others could take as long as five years.
“We’re taking two wonderful, outstanding institutions that will become legacies, and creating a new university that we have a chance now to build a foundation for something that will be a world-class institution in short order,” he said.
