Dell Med Investment Brings More Physicians, Specialized Care and Research to Central Texas

Dell Med Provides Update on Value of Travis County Taxpayers’ Investment

AUSTIN, Texas—Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin presented its annual update to the Central Health Board of Managers on Sept. 23, highlighting continued growth in access to care.

More than a decade after Travis County voters chose to invest in a local medical school, the partnership is bringing more doctors to Austin, expanding access to mental health and specialty care, and bringing research and prevention programs directly to people with low income in their communities.

In 2022, the Central Health Strategic Plan identified major gaps in care for Travis County residents with low income, including specialty care and behavioral health. A Central Health needs assessment conducted ahead of the plan found that many patients waited months, and in some cases more than a year, to see a specialist. Since then, Central Health has launched more than 30 new specialty and diagnostic service lines. The $35 million annual investment in Dell Med supports the broader effort to bring more physicians and specialized expertise to the region and to continue closing those gaps.

“Central Health and Dell Medical School bring complementary strengths to the same goal, which is to improve health for people in Travis County,” said Dr. Claudia Lucchinetti, dean of Dell Medical School. “Central Health deeply knows our community and has built the infrastructure to understand and respond to health needs. Dell Med brings capabilities of academic medicine, educating physicians, advancing research and discovery, and bringing new clinical expertise to the region. When those strengths come together, we can build a stronger physician pipeline, create new possibilities for prevention and treatment, and bring more specialized care within reach.”

Growing the Physician Workforce

Dell Medical School’s physicians and trainees are adding capacity where Travis County needs it most, and its clinical practice, UT Health Austin, is reaching more Central Health patients:

• Dell Med has attracted 625 physicians to Austin since 2014, up from 560 at last year’s update. That is about 1 in 8 doctors practicing in Travis County.

• Physicians hired in the past year include new doctors in heart care, psychiatry, women’s health, internal and family medicine, and digestive care.

• Dell Med trains 504 residents and fellows (doctors completing their training after medical school) across more than 50 programs, nearly double the 259 it trained in 2015. Trainees spend 75% of their time in care settings that serve people with low income. Most trainees stay: 63% go on to practice in Texas, including 53% in Central Texas. Nationally, 58.6% of residents go on to practice in the state where they train.

• UT Health Austin cared for 5,914 MAP (Medical Access Program) patients in the past year, a 14% increase from the year before. It also cared for 1,174 Medicaid patients, a 31% increase.

• Dell Med recently created a Department of Family Medicine to strengthen primary care training in the region.

Strengthening Mental Health Care

Central Health’s fiscal year 2027 budget, approved by the Travis County Commissioners Court on Sept. 15, includes $54 million in new mental health investments. Dell Medical School is supporting mental health care alongside that work.

• Dell Med is supporting the development of a planned mental health crisis center for Travis County through clinical design, data analysis, and workforce training.

• Eight Dell Med psychiatrists provide care at CommUnityCare Health Centers and Integral Care. A Dell Med psychologist and psychiatrist were recently added to provide women’s mental health services at CommUnityCare Health Centers.

• Under a 2025 agreement with Central Health, MAP patients can receive highly specialized psychiatric care at UT Health Austin, including bipolar disorder care, autism support, trauma treatment, and reproductive mental health.

• Since 2023, Dell Med’s Amplify Center has screened 442 young adults ages 16 to 29 and enrolled 321 in support services. After 90 days of treatment, 64% reported fewer depression symptoms.

“Mental health is one of the biggest gaps in Travis County’s health system, and closing it will take all of us,” said Dr. Pat Lee, president and CEO of Central Health. “Central Health is making a historic investment this year to build the crisis care and mental health services our community needs, and Dell Med brings expertise, physicians, and specialized care that’s critical to supporting that work. Together, we are building a more connected system where people can get the right kind of care they need sooner and closer to home.”

Bringing Research and Prevention to the Community

For patients with limited resources, having clinical trials and screening programs close to home can determine whether they can take part at all.

• Dell Med has secured more than $387 million in research awards since 2021. Its national ranking for National Institutes of Health research funding rose from 115th in 2022 to 56th in 2025.

• Cancer screening, prevention, and navigation programs funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas have served more than 40,000 people with low income to date, including more than 28,000 Central Health patients. Breast, lung and colorectal screening programs have identified 127 cancers. MAP patients account for nearly half of lung cancer screening participants and more than a third of colorectal cancer screening participants.

Resources

View the Dell Med presentation: https://cdn.intelligencebank.com/us/share/BnK4M4/74AZO/LYAA3/original/09.23.26+Dell+Med+CH+Presentation

About the Partnership

The Dell Medical School and Central Health partnership was established after Travis County voters approved Proposition 1 in 2012. Proposition 1 committed funding for improved health care, including support for a new medical school.