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The Center for Rural Health in South Texas (CRHeST) marks a transformative step for public health in one of the nation’s most underserved regions. Housed within the at , CRHeST is the first academic center of its kind to combine cutting-edge research, whole-person care, and binational collaboration to address the unique health challenges of rural South Texas, where diabetes rates are double the national average, obesity exceeds 50%, and emerging infections like Chagas disease and Valley fever are on the rise.

The initiative targets the distinct health crises facing South Texas, where over 90% of border counties are medically underserved and diabetes prevalence exceeds double the national average. Unlike traditional centers focused solely on clinical access, CRHeST adopts a “whole-person, whole-community, whole system” approach. It integrates biomedical research with social determinants such as housing, food security, and environmental exposure, while uniquely addressing binational healthcare patterns across the United States-Mexico interface.

The Center plans to launch surveillance networks for emerging infections, such as Chagas disease and Valley fever, while implementing chronic disease prevention programs tailored to rural Hispanic populations. Through partnerships with local FQHCs, schools, and cross-border health institutions, CRHeST aims to build capacity in areas with scarce resources.

Over five years, the Center seeks to elevate the School of Public Health’s national profile by demonstrating how academic research can drive systemic change in high-poverty, high-risk regions. With a focus on workforce development and sustainable infrastructure, CRHeST intends to serve as a scalable model for rural health excellence across the United States.