Letter from the President

Change is here

Take a moment to look at the above photo. In two years, that overhead view of our campus will be very different; in five years, I guarantee it will be almost unrecognizable.

Since 1941, Texas Biomed has grown and evolved on 200+ acres of ranchland originally owned by our founder Tom Slick, Jr. Meanwhile, the great city of science that Tom envisioned has grown around and with us.

Now, Texas Biomed is undergoing the most dramatic transformation of its 83-year history – modernizing facilities and expanding capacity to deliver on our mission to protect you, your family and the global community from the threat of infectious diseases. This includes our most vulnerable populations in our efforts to enhance the health of everyone.

We have made significant strides in modernizing the campus. In addition to renovations, we have completed the first two new buildings of our 10-year Strategic Plan launched in 2019. The buildings are part of the Animal Care Complex, which will have a significant IMPACT on our nation’s ability to prevent and prepare for pandemic threats, while also raising the bar for animal care.

2024 will be even bigger. By year’s end, we will have invested almost $200 million since I arrived in 2017 to modernize and expand our campus and programs. By 2028, that will grow to $350 million.

This year, we are excited to break ground on our new Animal Health Center, which will enable our extraordinary staff to provide care in state-of-the-art facilities. We are beginning extensive upgrades of our critical infrastructure – moving power lines underground, installing high-speed fiber internet and modernizing our water and sewer systems to support campus growth. We are installing a microgrid, which will produce and store energy, allowing our critical power systems to remain self-sufficient if the state grid falters.

We are pushing hard to achieve our bold vision as a world leader in infectious disease-related biomedical research. A key part of that vision is our planned centerpiece building: the Global Center for Bioscience (GCB). I hope you will join our efforts to transform, not just our campus, but the way scientific research and education is conducted to benefit all people. We believe in collaborative, team science that transcends disciplines and countries, which will lead to healthier outcomes for everyone. The GCB is being designed as an open, welcoming place that connects our local students and neighbors with our researchers and the global scientific community.

I am hopeful that as you read this edition of TxBiomed magazine, you’ll come away understanding the critical contributions our scientists are making in human health. It’s also important to realize how building a strong community locally and internationally is at the core of everything we do.

For example, this edition’s COVER STORY features our work on bird flu, especially the highly pathogenic strain that appeared in Texas dairy cows for the first time this spring and has infected several people in the U.S.

As I write, multiple variants of bird flu are continuing to make headlines, underscoring the importance of the expertise and facilities Texas Biomed can offer the nation to prepare for pathogens that pose a pandemic threat.

Meanwhile, others are FOCUSing on what pathogens may be lurking in seemingly unlikely places – natural history collections. Only by knowing what is out there, can we adequately prepare.

I am thrilled to introduce you to our new FACULTY recruits. Our team is growing in strategic research areas as we work toward our Strategic Plan goal of doubling our faculty size.

Our education programs have significantly diversified thanks to generous partnerships with leaders such as Valero, H-E-B and the American Cancer Society. We are committed to providing our COMMUNITY learning opportunities and to training the next generation of brilliant scientific problem solvers – the next Einstein or Curie could come through our doors.

We are proud to be part of a strong local network that helped win an influential federal program – an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) hub – placing San Antonio on the national stage with leading biotech regions. Through this program, we are making CONNECTIONS to improve how healthcare solutions are developed and delivered to real patients.

San Antonio’s bioscience sector is unique because we are such a collaborative city, always willing to help each other. We took this spirit to Washington, D.C. as part of the annual SA to DC trip, where city officials and leaders across multiple sectors meet with elected representatives and key agencies. I was pleased to help lead this year’s healthcare and bioscience delegation and highlight our strengths.

Finally, we are marking a major milestone. Jamo Rubin, M.D., has served as chair of the Texas Biomed Board of Trustees for the last eight years and in May he passed the baton to Craig Boyan, President of H-E-B. Please read about the IMPACT Dr. Rubin has made during his historic tenure. We are sincerely grateful for his dedication and leadership that has set Texas Biomed on its current trajectory. We are equally lucky to have Mr. Boyan step up to continue the momentum during what will be a period of explosive growth and modernization.

Facilities are expanding. Faculty is expanding. Education programs are expanding. Partnerships with industry, government and academic organizations are expanding. Texas Biomed is full steam ahead.

Of course, we can do none of this without your support. Thank you for helping build on the successes of our past so we can move boldly forward. Like Tom Slick, we are playing the long game and preparing for the next 80 years. Together, we will continue his vision that big ideas, coupled with investments in science and discovery, make the world a safer and healthier place for us all.

In gratitude,

Larry Schlesinger, M.D.
President & CEO, Texas Biomed