Bobrow to serve as UTHealth Houston’s first vice president for healthcare innovation

Bentley J. Bobrow, MD, has been appointed UTHealth Houston’s first vice president for healthcare innovation.

Bobrow, the Nancy, Clive and Pierce Runnells Distinguished Professor in Emergency Medicine, will advance the university’s goals of providing state-of-the-art health care in the 21st century, with a special focus on space medicine, said Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president of academic and faculty affairs and Roger J. Bulger, MD, Distinguished Professor at UTHealth Houston.

Space medicine is a burgeoning field, and UTHealth Houston is uniquely positioned to address the health challenges of aviation and space travel through innovation and collaboration, Morano said. Bobrow will be charged with growing the university’s existing space medicine training and research programs and creating partnerships across The University of Texas System, NASA, SpaceX, and other organizations and industries to advance space medicine.

Bobrow transitions to this new role after five years as professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. Samuel D. Luber, MD, MPH, an emergency medicine physician, longtime academic leader, and Memorial Hermann Chair at McGovern Medical School, will serve as chair ad interim to ensure continuity of the Department of Emergency Medicine’s exceptional education, research, and clinical programs while a national search for a permanent chair continues.

Since joining UTHealth Houston from the University of Arizona College of Medicine in 2019, Bobrow has furthered a culture of collaboration and a commitment to excellence and innovation. Pioneering the Department of Emergency Medicine’s space medicine program, which includes a first-of-its-kind fellowship focused on acute medical care in space, is among the many examples of his dedication to the advancement of health and science.

The enhancement of medicine through the integration of evidence-based practices and public health policies has been central to Bobrow’s vision, and he will build upon that vision as he works with other leaders across UTHealth Houston’s seven schools to develop a preeminent space medicine institute. In addition, he will coordinate with UT Physicians leaders to create an urgent care facility at Bellaire Station and lead programming and expansion efforts, including telehealth and mobile health.