LaTanya Love, MD, named interim president of UTHealth Houston

LaTanya Love, MD, an esteemed leader known for fostering academic success and enhancing the overall student and employee experience, has been named interim president of UTHealth Houston, effective March 1.

The University of Texas System announced Love’s interim role on Friday, Feb. 14.

Love, who currently serves as the university’s executive vice president of Student and University Affairs and dean of Education at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, will step into the role while The University of Texas System conducts a search for the university’s next president.

“I love this university and am honored to serve our students, trainees, faculty, and staff in this interim role as we advance the mission of UTHealth Houston,” Love said.

Last fall, Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, announced his intention to step down after more than 12 years at the helm – the longest tenure of any UTHealth Houston president. Under his leadership, UTHealth Houston experienced tremendous growth with expanded research, strengthened clinical partnerships, and advanced medical education. This included modernizing the curricula, expanding enrollment, and increasing national and international rankings among the university’s schools. Research expenditures grew by 77%, and the clinical enterprise flourished.

“It has been an absolute privilege to serve as president of UTHealth Houston, and I am so proud of all that we have accomplished together,” said Colasurdo, Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair at the university. “Looking ahead, I have full confidence in the search committee to select an ideal candidate as the next president, and in the wonderful students, faculty, and staff of UTHealth Houston to maintain our university’s culture of service and commitment to excellence. Please join me in supporting Dr. Love as interim president and thanking her for continued service to our great university.”

For more than two decades, Love has been integral to the advancement of UTHealth Houston’s mission.

She completed her residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at UTHealth Houston in 2004 and her chief residency in 2005. She was recruited to the faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McGovern Medical School and, shortly after, joined the leadership team in Admissions and Student Affairs at the medical school.  Her previous role as medical director of Student Health Services sparked her clinical interest in student well-being and resilience. She developed the inaugural UTHealth Houston Office of Student Affairs. Since 2022, Love has served as dean of Education at McGovern Medical School. 

In her role as executive vice president of Student and University Affairs, Love partners with leaders at each of the seven schools to promote employee and student wellness initiatives, as well as the university’s mission in the community. She also works to ensure the quality and effectiveness of student services and other programs that foster a safe and productive work environment.

As interim president, Love will expand the scope of her work to further the strategic plan set forth by Colasurdo and champion UTHealth Houston’s students, trainees, faculty, and staff.

“Throughout Dr. Love’s 20-year professional path at UTHealth Houston, she has consistently demonstrated leadership, and she contributes immensely across many of the university’s core mission areas,” said UT System Chancellor J.B. Milliken. “The regents and I are grateful to Dr. Love for serving in this role during the upcoming presidential search process.”

As he noted in a personal message to the university community, Colasurdo will remain on the faculty, returning to his career as a clinician and educator in pulmonary medicine.

He completed his undergraduate education at The Liceo Scientifico “Galileo Galilei” in his hometown of Pescara, Italy, and earned his medical degree summa cum laude from G. D’Annunzio School of Medicine. Determined to achieve the best medical training in the world, Colasurdo came to the United States in 1988, where he completed his residency at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and his fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Science Center and the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. In Colorado, he worked in the laboratory of Gary L. Larsen, MD, and initiated his studies on the autonomic regulation of the airway smooth muscle, the biology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and ontogeny of airway dysfunction and inflammation in childhood asthma.

Colasurdo joined McGovern Medical School’s faculty in 1995 as an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine. He became the division head in 1997 and directed the fellowship training program in pediatric pulmonary medicine from 2002 to 2006. He served as chair of the Department of Pediatrics from 2005 to 2011 and as dean and H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences at McGovern Medical School from 2007 to 2015. In 2011, he was named president ad interim of UTHealth Houston and began serving as the CEO of the university’s faculty practice plan.

“President Colasurdo dedicated tremendous energy and expertise to positioning UTHealth Houston among the best academic health centers in the nation.  He has left the institution in a strong position, and we are deeply grateful for his service as president,” Milliken said.