Inaugural dean announced for new UT Tyler School of Health Professions

TYLER – Dr. Theresa Byrd has been selected as the inaugural dean of The University of Texas at Tyler School of Health Professions, beginning next month. “Dr. Byrd’s impressive depth of knowledge and 37 years of experience in health care education demonstrated that she was a perfect fit,” said UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk Calhoun as quoted in a news release. Formed in 2022, the UT Tyler School of Health Professions includes four academic departments: health care policy, economics and management; kinesiology; public health; and rehabilitation sciences. With a mission to train future health care professionals for East Texas, the new school ensures that native East Texans won’t have to leave the region to study health care and could help to meet projected health care needs in the future, according to the release.

Dr. Byrd has numerous publications in well-known journals, such as “Cancer” and the “American Journal of Preventive Medicine,” according to the release. She’s also received multiple awards from the Public Health Education and Health Promotion (PHEHP). She was previously chair of the Department of Public Health at the Texas Tech University School of Population and Public Health. “I look forward to serving as the School of Health Professions dean,” said Dr. Byrd as quoted in the news release. “I am deeply honored to have been selected for this role, and I am eager to train the future health care professionals of East Texas.”