UT San Antonio announces transformational $30 million gift from the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation for the Kate Marmion School of Public Health

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) has announced a transformational $30 million gift from the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation to support the mission of The University of Texas at San Antonio School of Public Health and improve the health and well-being of communities across South Texas.

This gift to the university and its academic health center, UT Health San Antonio, represents a transformative investment that meaningfully advances the mission of this initiative and strengthens the university's commitment to improving the health of South Texas. In recognition of the Foundation's generosity and partnership, the UT System Board of Regents approved the naming of the Kate Marmion School of Public Health in honor of Kate Marmion, the daughter of Janey Briscoe Marmion and granddaughter of former Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and Janey Slaughter Briscoe.

Established in 2022 under the joint vision of the late William L. Henrich, MD, former president of UT Health San Antonio, and UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy, PhD, the Kate Marmion School of Public Health serves as the region's comprehensive academic home for public health – educating future professionals, advancing research, and addressing comprehensive health issues for all across South Texas.   

The $30 million commitment will exponentially improve health outcomes for individuals and families across South Texas, especially in rural communities where access to quality healthcare remains limited. The gift also reflects the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation's focus on improving the health of rural Texans. By establishing far-reaching endowments to support the community outreach work of the school, along with new fellowships and scholarships to advance the development of a passionate public health workforce, the gift will serve Texas in perpetuity.

A significant portion of the investment will be directed toward targeted health interventions that accelerate the development of evidence-based solutions to identify unique community needs, remove barriers to healthcare, and deliver meaningful, measurable improvements in rural health across the region.

"This profound investment from the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation is a powerful testament to its enduring commitment to education, healthcare innovation and the well-being of Texans," Eighmy said. "For generations, the Foundation has represented vision, resilience and service, illuminating a path for progress across Texas. Today, we build on that legacy and expand our reach to transform public health in South Texas in ways that will change and improve lives for generations to come."

South Texas faces significant health challenges, including higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions that place a substantial burden on individuals and communities. These issues are compounded by limited access to healthcare and other community-level challenges that affect overall health and well-being. Addressing these health challenges with systematic and multifaceted public health strategies and infrastructure remains a core mission of the Kate Marmion School of Public Health.

"The Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation is privileged to make this gift to The University of Texas at San Antonio School of Public Health," said Dolph Briscoe IV, President of the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation. "A tremendous health care need exists in South Texas, and we are humbled by the opportunity to support the amazing faculty, staff, and students at UT San Antonio in this critical effort. Our board is very honored by the naming of the School of Public Health in memory of my cousin, Kate Marmion. I know that Kate, her mother and my aunt Janey Briscoe Marmion, and our grandparents, Governor Dolph and Janey Briscoe, would be deeply touched by this commemoration and excited about the magnificent work the school will do for the people of South Texas."

Through this support, the school will continue to grow by expanding its faculty, launching new programs and deepening partnerships across San Antonio, Bexar County and South Texas.

"Transformational gifts such as this elevate our university in profound and enduring ways," said Francisco Cigarroa, MD, senior executive vice president for health affairs and health system at UT San Antonio. "This remarkable gift transcends far beyond a name. It honors Kate Marmion's memory and love of South Texas, strengthens our mission and charts a path of hope and opportunity for generations. Its impact will be felt in the homes of families who will receive better care, in the classrooms where future public health leaders will be trained, and in communities where prevention, resilience and dignity can truly take root. Our shared commitment to improving lives has aligned the priorities of our university and the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation in a deeply meaningful way, accelerating our ability to serve, to heal, and to advance the well-being of the people of South Texas. This gift will make lives better for generations to come."

Serving as the inaugural dean of the Kate Marmion School of Public Health, Vasan Ramachandran, MD, FACC, FAHA, leads the nationally recognized Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Study. He has been honored by the American Heart Association and the Association of American Physicians for advancing the science of public and rural health.

Ramachandran proudly stated that the gift will further propel and magnify efforts to advance public health education and community engagement in South Texas and thereby improve the health of Texas and the nation.   

"We are profoundly grateful for this transformational gift, which allows us to confront the underlying factors that drive persistent health disparities in South Texas," Ramachandran said. "This support accelerates our work to develop effective public health and healthcare interventions, strengthen community partnerships and create lasting improvements in health for the people and places most in need."

This transformational gift will position the Kate Marmion School of Public Health to continue providing state health improvement initiatives, including rural health, chronic disease prevention, and child health. It will also augment workforce pipelines that prepare and deploy health professionals to serve underserved regions across Texas.

This gift not only accelerates evidence-based solutions that can adapt to real-world constraints present in various communities but strengthens community-developed interventions designed to improve outcomes for diverse populations. This support will also help sustain critical engagement with state and local health departments to advance health for all Texans.

Through this gift, the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation continues its legacy of service and leadership in Texas. The Foundation affirms its commitment to improving lives in rural South Texas by investing in the School of Public Health, which is dedicated to addressing some of the state's most persistent public health challenges, with a particular focus on South Texas.

The Kate Marmion School of Public Health serves South Texas by addressing rural and community health issues, as well as improving access to care. The school provides a unique public health education by integrating advanced health research and offering academic programs that build public health leaders who are dedicated to serving the local and regional community to mitigate our greatest public health challenges. The school began accepting students in its Master's Program in Public Health (MPH) in 2024 and plans to offer a doctoral program in the near future. To learn more, visit https://uthscsa.edu/public-health/. Stay connected with the Kate Marmion School of Public Health on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

SOURCE UT Health San Antonio