Colasurdo announces plan to step down as UTHealth Houston president

By Rose Hochner
Portrait of Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD

Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, is stepping down from his position as president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair at UTHealth Houston. (Photo by UTHealth Houston)

Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, announced Monday that he will be stepping down from his position as president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair at UTHealth Houston. Colasurdo has served in the role for 12 years—the longest tenure of any UTHealth Houston president—and has overseen a period of tremendous growth for the university.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents will conduct a national search for his successor, and Colasurdo will remain in the position until a new president is appointed.

Colasurdo focused on recruiting and retaining the best and brightest talents—students, faculty, and staff alike—during his tenure as president, and in his announcement, he thanked the UTHealth Houston community, stating, “I have been fortunate to work with and learn from this amazing community…you have guided me both professionally and personally throughout my tenure.” He added, “UTHealth Houston is home to unparalleled talents spanning the spectrum of health care—a testament to the exceptional community and collaborative culture we have built.”

Under his leadership, the university has enjoyed tremendous success and noteworthy growth:

  • Following a multi-year, university-wide effort to modernize curricula and restructure departments, enrollment has increased significantly—with 37% of all UT System health-related institution students enrolled at UTHealth Houston. The university is also now home to seven schools, with UTHealth Houston School of Behavioral Health Sciences receiving approval from UT System and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board just last year.
  • Research expenditures have grown by 77%, now totaling more than $400 million annually. National and international rankings have also improved for all schools—with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program both ranked No. 1 in Texas (U.S. News & World Report), McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston ranked No. 2 in the world (ScholarGPS), and UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry and MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School ranked among the best in the nation.
  • UTHealth Houston’s clinical enterprise has flourished under Colasurdo’s leadership. With more than 2 million patient encounters annually, the university’s outpatient clinical practice provides lifesaving care to patients across the Greater Houston area. Long-term affiliation agreements with hospital partners, Harris Health and Memorial Hermann Health System, were modernized and extended, and UTHealth Houston’s primary teaching hospital, Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center has consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally for patient quality and safety (Vizient, Inc.)—an effort that has been led by the university’s faculty members. Desperately needed inpatient mental health services were also expanded with the opening of the Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center in 2022.
  • The university successfully conducted its first comprehensive fundraising campaign, Many Faces. One Mission., which raised a total of $534.4 million in new gifts and pledges. During the campaign, major gifts were secured resulting in the naming of three UTHealth Houston schools—McGovern Medical School, Cizik School of Nursing, and McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics—along with naming gifts for the Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center and Faillace Department of Psychiatry. In 2012, the university’s endowment had a market value of $172 million, and today it is approaching $1 billion.
  • As UTHealth Houston has grown its schools and programs, the overall budget has increased from just under $1 billion in FY2012 to $2.7 billion in FY2025. Today, the university’s assets total more than $3 billion—providing stability as well as the ability to make tactical investments in people, programs and facilities as appropriate.

“One of the hallmarks of a successful university presidency is ensuring that the institution is in the best possible position for the future. President Colasurdo has done just that. UTHealth Houston’s growth in enrollment, research, and clinical partnerships, along with new records of philanthropy, represent a short list of his accomplishments. His consistent focus on new ways to serve Texas has positioned UTHealth Houston as a leader, not only in the Texas Medical Center, but throughout the nation,” said J.B. Milliken, Chancellor of The University of Texas System.

Colasurdo 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 of McGovern Medical School from 2007 to 2015. In 2011, he was named president ad interim of UTHealth Houston, and also began serving as the CEO of the university’s faculty practice plan—one of the largest academic medical practices in the nation.

Colasurdo closed his announcement with a look to the future, saying that he is “confident that the great days for UTHealth Houston are just beginning.”