UT Tyler Celebrates Family Medicine Residency 40th Anniversary
October 6, 2025 | Elizabeth Wingfield
The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine held a reunion to celebrate the family medicine residency’s 40th anniversary. The residency, established in 1985, was the first graduate medical
education program in East Texas.
“This is a remarkable achievement—not only for UT Tyler but for all of East Texas,” said Dr. Sue Cox, School of Medicine dean. “This program has been a cornerstone in addressing physician shortages across the region. Its graduates have touched countless lives through compassionate, community-centered care, and they will continue to shape the health of their communities for generations to come.”
It was the only residency program in East Texas for more than a decade, training family physicians to address a significant provider shortage. Since its founding, the program has graduated 275 physicians, many of whom have remained in East Texas.
“Family medicine is at the heart of primary care,” said Dr. Emmanuel Elueze, associate dean for graduate medical education and professional development, and designated institutional official. “We are proud to celebrate this milestone and honor the faculty, residents and alumni who have built such a lasting legacy.”
Dr. James “Ryan” Menard, the program director, graduated from the family medicine residency in 2010. He was drawn to the program’s welcoming environment and mentorship from faculty members—some of which he still works alongside today.
“From the very beginning, this residency has been about people—the camaraderie among residents, the commitment of the faculty and the strong sense of community here in East Texas,” said Dr. Menard. “As someone who trained here and returned to lead, it’s remarkable to see the continuity of this program. Many of our graduates come back as faculty, and in 40 years, we’ve only had four program directors. That speaks to the strength of the culture and the training environment.”
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.