Dr. Javier La Fontaine has been appointed the inaugural dean of the UTRGV School of Podiatric Medicine (SOPM), effective July 1, 2022.
UTRGV Photo
Changes are afoot at the UTRGV School of Podiatric Medicine.
The university announced Tuesday that Dr. Javier La Fontaine will serve as the inaugural dean of the school beginning July 1.
La Fontaine has served as associate dean of academic affairs for the podiatry school since January and played a role in the school being granted candidacy by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education, a release said.
La Fontaine worked at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas as a professor in the department of plastic surgery before joining UTRGV, it said. He also served as fellowship director of limb preservation at Parkland Hospital and has worked with a variety of Texas higher education institutions and medical systems.
“We are fortunate and thrilled to have someone of Dr. La Fontaine’s caliber leading this new program, and we wish him the very best,” UTRGV President Guy Bailey wrote.
The UTRGV School of Podiatric Medicine will be the first of its kind in the state and one of only 10 in the nation.
The Harlingen-based school has been touted as an answer to prevalent health conditions in the Rio Grande Valley, among them obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The school is currently recruiting for its initial 40-student class.
“This is an exciting time for the Rio Grande Valley, the state of Texas and the nation as we begin the journey to prepare the next generation of podiatric medicine leaders,” La Fontaine wrote.
Though La Fontaine is the school’s first permanent dean, he was preceded by Dr. Lawrence B. Harkless, who served as interim dean of the school since 2019.
Harkless came out of retirement as a founding dean and professor emeritus at Western University of Health Sciences College of Podiatric Medicine to take the post.
“Over the last three years, Dr. Harkless worked tirelessly to help build the SOPM from scratch and put us in position to launch the program this summer. We are forever indebted to his hard work and dedication,” Bailey said.
