LaTanya J. Love, MD

LaTanya J. Love, MD, serves as dean of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, leading the school’s strategy and initiatives to prepare and support learners, strengthen clinical programs and partnerships, and transform bold ideas into scientific discoveries that improve lives.

With an emphasis on health care education and student well-being, Love has been integral to the advancement of UTHealth Houston’s mission for more than two decades.

Inspired by stories of her late grandfather — a respected physician in Beaumont — Love, along with her siblings, followed in his footsteps to pursue careers in medicine. After earning her medical degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Love completed her combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at McGovern Medical School in 2004, followed by a chief residency in 2005. She remains double board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics.

Her first leadership position was as medical director of student health services, where she integrated student health and counseling to create a comprehensive medical home for students. This experience ignited her passion for exploring student well-being, inspiring her to develop a schoolwide research project on the range of pressures and factors impacting well-being. The findings informed the development of a comprehensive wellness program encompassing financial wellness, academic success, career planning, professionalism, and interpersonal development for students.

She went on to join the leadership team in McGovern Medical School’s Office of Admissions and Student Affairs before serving as the school’s first dean of education. She served as interim president of UTHealth Houston from March 1, 2025, to Sept. 9, 2025, and began her tenure as dean the following day. She also serves in a university-wide capacity as executive vice president for Student and University Affairs.

Love spearheaded the creation of the McGovern Societies mentorship program, one of the first of its kind to integrate wellness and resilience into medical education. Her expertise in this area has been recognized with invitations to speak nationally, numerous articles and authoring a book on this subject.

She has held national leadership positions, including serving on the AAMC Group on Student Affairs’ National Committee on Admissions. She played a key role in McGovern Medical School becoming an early adopter of holistic review in graduate medical education residency applications. She also served as Faculty Accreditation Lead for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and has participated in LCME accreditation survey teams across the country.

Love’s emphasis on education extends beyond students in an academic setting. She is equally focused on educating patients, their families, and the public about ways to protect and improve their own health. She previously was a regular guest on KHOU Channel 11’s “House Calls” segment, providing trusted health information to the station’s viewers each week, and served as the resident expert on a similar health news segment on KTRK Channel 13. She was medical director of UTHealth Houston’s Mobile Clinic in partnership with the School of Public Health’s Brownsville campus. In this role, she helped pioneer the use of telemedicine in elementary schools in the Rio Grande Valley, connecting students with physicians in Houston long before telemedicine became widely adopted. She also worked with student leaders to develop a student-driven initiative addressing health concerns in Houston’s underserved communities. This initiative continues today, bringing together students from UTHealth Houston schools and culminating in an annual community health fair at the UT Physicians Multispecialty – Jensen clinic.

Understanding the importance of leadership development, she established a one-year fellowship program designed to cultivate future health care leaders by enhancing self-awareness, leadership confidence, and the ability to influence systems effectively.

A recipient of the UTHealth Houston President’s Excellence Award and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society, Love’s contributions to medical education, leadership, and student well-being continue to shape the future of health care.

She met her husband, Ray, the original Dr. Love, while they were both residents at UTHealth Houston. They are proud parents of Andrew and Amaya.