Aarykah Navarro/ THE RIDER
UTRGV will renovate the physical and occupational therapy programs with a projected $42 million cost, including previous funds and $26.3 million in debt funding to expand the facility in Harlingen, according to the University of Texas System Board of Regents.
Mark Lester, professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department, said the renovations will be used to carry out their goal of improving health care across the Rio Grande Valley.
“The purpose of this renovation, essentially, is to provide us with the teaching space and research space, so that we can execute our mission,” Lester said.
The building currently comprises 15,000 square feet, two laboratories, a classroom and office space for faculty and about 3o students. The rest of the building is not utilized and functional, so there are temporary walls between the occupied and unoccupied spaces, according to the department chair.
He added the renovations plan to include two large teaching laboratories for each cohort, 33 research labs, a therapeutic exercise lab for students to have hands-on learning experience, student study areas, gross anatomy capabilities and anatomy dry lab capabilities.
“UTRGV is definitely investing in these programs in order for us to again provide opportunities for students both from the Valley as well as outside the Valley,” said John Luna, associate professor and chair for the Occupational Therapy Department. “[It is] a state-of-the-art facility to enhance their opportunities to train as occupational therapists as well as physical.”
Aarykah Navarro/ THE RIDER
Lester said with the launch of the physical therapy program in 2023, it accepted its first cohort in June, consisting of 20 students, half of the normal cohort size. Once renovations are complete, the expected cohort will be about 40 students for physical therapy and 32 for occupational therapy.
“Our kind of mission statement is that we are regionally focused but, nationally, a competitive program,” Lester said.
He added the renovations will prevent students interested in the programs from transferring their undergraduate work to other schools to pursue the degree.
“When you send your students away to be trained elsewhere, there’s a smaller percentage of them that come back,” Lester said.
He said that since students go away to study, it limits the potential growth of the health care fields and patient care across the Valley.
“Students that are coming into our program really have the potential … to receive a first-class education leading here as entry-level practitioners that really can make a difference in the lives of those that they serve,” Luna said.
Both chairs emphasized the renovations are not only about the physical space but also about fulfilling their threefold mission of educating future generations of health-care practitioners, elevating clinical rehabilitation and expanding community outreach.
“We’ve got the mission to elevate research related to rehabilitation to improve clinical outcomes across generations, and we’ve got the mission to provide community outreach,” Lester said.
Construction is set to begin this summer, so classes are not majorly disrupted as workers will make noise, according to Lester. It is expected to be completed by late 2026 or early 2027
