State Investment Supports Residency Expansion for SHSU-COM’s SHREC

State Investment Supports Residency Expansion for SHSU-COM’s SHREC

Texas is continuing to invest in expanding graduate medical education to strengthen the state’s physician workforce and increase access to care.

As part of this statewide effort, programs affiliated with the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (SHSU-COM) have been awarded $2,915,170 over the next two years through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) Expansion Program.

Residency is the hands-on training doctors complete after medical school, and it plays a major role in where they ultimately choose to practice.

“Strong graduate medical education programs do more than train doctors. They strengthen hospital partners, stabilize healthcare systems and expand access to care in the communities we serve. This funding helps us continue building residency programs that support the long-term health and stability of our region,” said Thomas J. Mohr, DO, vice president for medical affairs and dean of SHSU-COM.

The funding supports residency programs developed and overseen by the Sam Houston Regional Education Consortium (SHREC), the university’s GME institutional sponsor.

Research consistently shows that many doctors remain in the communities where they complete residency training. Expanding residency positions in Texas helps more medical graduates stay here to train and care for patients across Texas communities.

Funding from this cycle supports continued growth of several existing residency programs, including:

• Family Medicine Residency – Huntsville, with four residency positions per class, for a total of 12 residents at full capacity
• Psychiatry Residency – Conroe, with four residency positions per class, for a total of 16 residents at full capacity

In addition, expansion funding supports two programs currently in development:

• Internal Medicine Residency, which will enroll 12 residents per class, for a total of 36 residents at full capacity
• General Surgery Residency, which will add two residents per year across a five-year training program, for a total of 10 residents at full capacity

When fully built out, the funded programs will support more than 70 physicians in training across primary care, behavioral health, internal medicine and surgical specialties. Together with SHSU-COM’s broader graduate medical education efforts, these programs expand access to essential healthcare services throughout the vibrant communities of Texas.

This funding supports the continued expansion of SHREC-sponsored residency programs and the development of new training opportunities aligned with workforce needs across the region.

By investing in residency programs, Texas is investing in long-term healthcare access. For SHSU-COM and its partners, this funding strengthens hospital systems, expands clinical training capacity and helps ensure more doctors build their careers in the communities that need them most. The result is not only more physicians in training, but stronger healthcare infrastructure across Texas for years to come.