John C. DeToledo, MD

Dean of the School of Medicine

In almost every state in our country, medicine is being practiced by graduates of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine.  We have an exciting story to tell… a story retold and reinvented each time a graduate makes a mark on the world.

Since 1969, we have graduated more than 4,000 physicians. Our original charter was to place more physicians in West Texas, an area of the state where many counties had none. Today, we are proud that more than 20 percent of the practicing physicians in West Texas graduated from our medical school and/or residency programs.

Our departments conduct research and foster scientific discovery that translate into better health solutions. From aging, cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases, and women’s health – just to name a few – the School of Medicine’s strategy to enhance research programs is through supporting the faculty, students, residents, and staff with every available professional resource and expertise. A major initiative for the school is to provide quality lab space, recruit creative, innovative research faculty, and to develop graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for lifelong careers in medical research. Accomplishments in recent years include: the renovation and construction of research  and teaching space in Amarillo, Odessa, and Lubbock including expansions of simulation center capabilities of multiple campuses which allows students from all disciplines to acquire a variety of skills through multi-modality instruction. The school engages in continued and aggressive faculty recruitment with attractive start-up packages, substantial increases in endowed chairs and external funding to ensure that our students are educated by a skilled and talented faculty.

Texas Tech Physicians is the medical practice of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, which means our clinics deliver academic medicine - where knowledge and pioneering research connect with compassionate patient care. The wide range of specialties and sub-specialties comprising the practice allow us to touch the lives of more then 270,000 patients each year.

I hope you share with me in the excitement of the many changes and positive efforts being made to make the School of Medicine a premier place to work, study, and receive the latest medical care and treatment in West Texas!