UP

UT Health San Antonio Postdoctoral Association (UP) is a volunteer organization dedicated to addressing the needs and concerns of all UT Health San Antonio postdocs. Our vision is to foster success among postdoctoral scholars today that will enhance their professional endeavors tomorrow. Our mission is to enhance, support and promote postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and help to prepare postdoctoral scholars for successful careers. UP serves postdoctoral scholars in all disciplines, schools, and colleges across the University. Our hope is to foster a sense of community, provide resources for career and personal development, and provide a framework for representation on campus and in the local community for postdoctoral scholars from all departments of the University.

We are here...

To build effective career management skills and develop the professional skills postdoctoral scholars need both in and outside of lab.
To organize events and seminars that enriches the scientific experience of postdocs and encourages social interaction with the community.
To collaborate with other university organizations and services to address concerns that are unique to the postdoctoral scholar population.
To advocate for postdoctoral scholars at UT Health San Antonio and educate them regarding university policy and postdoctoral rights.

2025 - 2026 UP Officers

Alejandro Casco, PhD

President

casco@uthscsa.edu

As President, Dr. Alejandro Casco serves as the main liaison between UP and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) and is responsible for establishing the direction of UP.

Mengjin Dong, PhD

Vice President

dongm@uthscsa.edu

As Vice President, Dr. Mengjin Dong assists the President in committee oversight and acts chair of the Scholarly Advancement Committee.

Thi Ngoc Tram Nguyen, PhD

Treasurer

nguyent61@uthscsa.edu

As the Treasurer, Dr. Tram Nguyen maintains a record of UP’s financial transactions and provides a written financial status report at each UP meeting.

Nagesh Panchal, PhD

Secretary

panchaln@uthscsa.edu

As Secretary, Dr. Nagesh Panchal records and disperses minutes of the representative council meetings.

Agnieszka Dabrowska, PhD

Public Relations

davatgaranta@uthscsa.edu

As the Public Relations Officer, Dr. Agnieszka Dabrowska documents UP events and updates UP social media as needed.