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Director of Medical Education

October 14, 2019
Dear Campus Community,
 
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Thelma Hurd as UC Merced’s Director of Medical Education, effective Nov. 1, 2019.
 
In this very important position, Dr. Hurd will be responsible for leading UC Merced’s efforts to further develop medical education programs and initiatives. This will include leading discussions with regional partners to identify ways UC Merced can participate in medical education in the region, supporting undergraduate pre-med programs on campus and pipeline programs in the region, and exploring options for a post-baccalaureate program on campus, among other efforts.
 
Dr. Hurd will also contribute to the growth of human health sciences at the UC Merced campus, working closely with the Health Sciences Research Institute and others to conduct and participate in collaborative research with the Central Valley populations served by UC Merced and UCSF Fresno. Some of her time will be spent teaching surgery at the undergraduate and graduate levels at UCSF Fresno and collaborating with the Latino Center for Medical Education and Research on expanding pipeline programs.
 
Her research has focused on health disparities in underserved populations. She founded the South Texas Esperanza y Vida Program, a breast and cervical cancer education/screening program for Hispanic residents of Texas-Mexico border region counties, and she is a member of the Enhancing Minority Participation in Clinical Trials (EMPaCT) project. Her clinical research has focused on markers of breast cancer progression and special surgical techniques, such as skin sparing mastectomy and lymphatic mapping/sentinel node biopsy.
 
Dr. Hurd has been recognized by several agencies and organizations for her outstanding contributions to healthcare and community outreach. Her outreach efforts have included supporting teachers with curriculum development and implementation, developing student-led research projects that focus on rural health disparities, and delivering many lectures to high school students in the region.
 
She is a nine-time recipient of the Best Doctors in America designation, and she is a member of several societies, cooperative groups and journal/editorial boards. She completed her undergraduate education at Brown University, and her medical school and general surgery residency training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She has held faculty positions at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, the Breast Surgery Department at Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, N.Y., and the Department of Surgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY).
 
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Hurd and wishing her the best in her new role.
 
Sincerely,
 
Gregg Camfield
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost