Henrich transformed UT Health
T’s impossible to overstate Dr. William Henrich’s contributions to San Antonio and health care as president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
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Henrich had a form of blood cancer called myelodysplasia. He died last week from complications with his second stem cell transplantation. He was 77.
This is a profound loss for his family, his colleagues and our community. Henrich led with vision and heart, transforming and elevating UT Health to an unprecedented level.
UT Health made great strides under Henrich’s resolute leadership, and in turn, he helped shape the $44 billion health care and biotechnology industries into the largest economic sector in our city. San Antonio now offers world-class medical research and health care, and is home to topranked programs in cancer, obesity and diabetes, dementia and aging.
UT Health San Antonio’s annual portfolio of sponsored program awards and research activity is on a rapid upward trajectory at $413 million. It has six professional schools, a budget of nearly $1.5 billion and a workforce of more than 8,500 (expected to increase by 1,500 during the next five years). The sixth professional school, the University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio, is in collaboration with the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Henrich was candid about his cancer diagnosis and journey. As a doctor and a patient, he demonstrated how science creates a better tomorrow. Twelve years ago, he underwent a successful stem-cell transplant, thanks to his son. He was also deeply connected with other patients.
A board-certified nephrologist, Henrich focused on reducing health disparities in our region. He believed patients undergoing treatment for cancer and other health conditions should have the option to receive the most advanced treatment in San Antonio.
Henrich led UT Health San Antonio through the most significant expansion in its 65-year history; $1 billion in ongoing construction projects will continue to change San Antonio’s health care and biomedical research landscape. Projects expected to be completed this year and next include the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital, and the $100 million Center for Brain Health. UT Health at Kyle Seale Parkway opened this week. This past fall, UT Health San Antonio was one of seven institutions to land $46 million in federal funding geared toward translational research — scientific discoveries that lead to drugs or treatments. UT Health also joined a coalition of Texas cities to land one of three national hubs for a new federal health research agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
In September, Henrich told the Express-news, “Texas and its institutions will now stand at the center in facilitating progress so that the leading-edge science projects of today and tomorrow can get traction. This is the first hub for bioscience discovery being established in the center of the country, and Texas is the epicenter.”
Henrich described San Antonio and the surrounding South Texas area as “truly a real treasure for clinical research.”
Yes, and he was also a treasure. He took UT Health’s mission of making lives better to heart. None of Henrich’s achievements are relegated to the past. The momentum of his life’s work goes on, and so does his inspirational legacy.
As a result, city now offers world-class research and health care