Rep. Charlie Geren has championed HSC for almost two decades. 

First elected to the Texas House of Representatives District 99 in November 2000, he has advocated tirelessly for the university, its students and programs, and the many benefits HSC brings to Fort Worth. 

Rep. Geren is a longtime supporter of HSC’s DNA program. His support was critical in the program becoming one of the leading laboratories for human identification in the country. Not only did Rep. Geren secure state appropriations for the DNA laboratory, but he also wrote a bill recognizing it as a sanctioned crime lab. This sanction allows the DNA laboratory the eligibility to apply for additional grants and awards directly from the U.S. Department of Justice.   

Rep. Geren secured nearly unanimous support for House Bill 1913, which helped bring a sixth school to the HSC campus. In 2019, the new TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine officially opened its doors. The new MD school has helped the HSC pursue new and expanded hospital affiliations and helped increase the number of residency opportunities for both the new MD school and Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates.  

Rep. Geren has been named among “Top 10 Texas Legislators” by Texas Monthly for his work and service to his community, small businesses and rural Texas. 

Since Rep. Geren took office, HSC has added three new schools and improved its infrastructure by adding the Medical Education and Training Building, the Center for BioHealth, and the Interdisciplinary Research and Education building.  

In recognition of his service to our university, Rep. Geren was awarded HSC’s Vision Award in 2018. The Vision Award honors “community members who strive to help advance the Health Science Center’s mission to create solutions for a healthier community.”

Rep. Geren is a true HSC Hero.

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Contribute Honor your HSC hero today! Please make a tribute gift, submit a photo or share a story that you value. Join us throughout 2020 as we celebrate the people, events and innovations that made UNTHSC all it is today — and look ahead to the next 50 years. For the 50th anniversary, team members nominated people whose contributions make them HSC Heroes. Each week, a new Hero will be revealed. View the list of all our Hero profiles published so far this year. There is a new one each week.