What is Retreat?

The Henry Strobel Retreat is a chance for you to meet your future classmates in a stress-free, laid-back environment. The second year class is responsible for making sure the Retreat is an awesome experience for the incoming class, and we take our job seriously. Many current students, faculty, and alumni attend, so you’ll have a chance to meet a lot of your McGovern family.

The 2023 Annual McGovern Retreat will be held at Camp Cho-Yeh this year! The camp is located just over an hour north of Houston and has a wide variety of recreation offerings, including paintball, axe throwing, basketball, rope swings, archery, and a variety of lawn games. The property also has a swimming hole where there will be opportunities to swim, kayak, play sand volleyball, or just sit and enjoy the great outdoors. In between activities, a variety of lunch options will be provided. Transportation from the UTHealth Rec Center to Camp Cho-Yeh and back will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!

Disclaimer: please refrain from bringing children to the campsite as there are no childcare services available. Additionally, this retreat will be limited to students, alumni, and faculty due to this being a single day event and not an overnight stay.

Learn more about the history of the Henry Strobel Retreat under “Retreat Beginnings.”

This Year’s Theme:

Welcome fellow Olympians,

The Olympic stage has been set! Before your McGovern journey begins, we invite you to join us as we race to the 47th olympiad of the modern medical era. Being the famous Olympians you are, you’ll be riding in style as a parade of shuttles transports your class to the Olympic arena, hosted this year at Camp Cho-Yeh! En route, you will meet your new McGovern teammates with whom you’ll embark on a day full of friendly competitions and fun to kickstart the next four years! You, the Olympic athletes, are to arrive in the most spirited of clothing representing your team color which has been selected from the finest colors of McGovern Medical School. Be passionate in your decorum; let there be the hats, bandanas, sunglasses, headbands, face paint, and more to represent your team! The Class of 2026, your spirited Olympic coaches, are filled with excitement and are ready to cheer you on at the games! We declare open the first ever Olympic Games of McGovern Medical School. On your mark, get set, GO!