Advisory Council

The Council of Deans serves as a strategic advisory body to the Texas Health Education Service (TXHES), bringing together the deans of Texas’s medical, dental, veterinary, and podiatric schools to guide statewide initiatives that strengthen the health professions pipeline. The Council provides leadership on admissions policy, applicant development, and data-driven workforce planning, ensuring that TXHES’s efforts align with the missions and evolving needs of each institution. Through collaboration and shared governance, the Council of Deans helps shape a coordinated, student-centered approach to preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals for Texas. All members have faculty appointments.

---

Nursing Advisory Council

View Nursing Advisory Council

 

Dental

UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry

Dr. Kelly Lemke
Director of Admissions & Associate Professor

UT Health Houston School of Dentistry

Dr. Ralph Cooley
Assistant Dean, Admissions & Student Services; Professor

Texas A&M School of Dentistry

Dr. Alicia Spence
Director of Recruitment & Admissions & Clinical Assistant Professor

 

Texas Tech University HSC El Paso - Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine

Dr. Richard C. Black
Dean of the Dental School

 

Medical

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine at Lubbock

Dr. Felix Morales
Associate Dean for Admissions

 

Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine

Dr. Dan Barlev
Associate Dean of Admissions & Instructional Associate Professor

UT Health San Antonio Lozano Long School of Medicine

Dr. Judianne Kellaway

Associate Dean of Admissions & Outreach; Retinal Diseases & Surgery

McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Dr. Ryan Hall
Assistant Dean of Admissions & Student Affairs, Associate Professor of Surgery

John Sealy School of Medicine at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Dr. Amy Gonzalez
Assistant Dean of Admissions & Recruitment, Associate Professor of Pediatrics

 

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Dr. Sherry C. Huang
Vice Provost & Senior Associate Dean for Education & Professor, Department of Pediatrics

 

University of North Texas Health Science Center - Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dr. Mike Kennedy
Assistant Dean for Admissions, Assistant Professor

 

Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine

Dr. Cynthia Perry
Associate Dean of Admissions

 

University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School

Dr. Travis Crook
Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Associate Professor - Department of Pediatrics

Fertitta Family SOM at University of Houston College of Medicine

Dr. Michelle A. Carroll Turpin
Associate Dean of Admissions & Outreach, Clinical Associate Professor

 

Sam Houston State University College of Medicine

Dr. Keith Ahee
Director of Enrollment Services

 

Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Jesus Vallejo
Senior Associate Dean of Admissions, Professor of Pediatrics & Medicine

University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine

Dr. Gisele Armond Abron
Associate Dean of Admissions & Enrollment Management, Assistant Professor - Medical Education

 

Podiatry

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Podiatric Medicine 

Dr. Javier La Fontaine
Inaugural Dean

 

Veterinary

Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Elizabeth Crouch
Assistant Dean for Professional Programs Admissions

 

Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Carolyn Arnold
Senior Associate Dean for Academic & Student Affairs, Professor of Equine Surgery