Melina Kibbe, MD
President of UTHealth Houston
Melina Kibbe, MD became president of UTHealth Houston and assumed the Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair in September 2025. This role marked a significant milestone in a career shaped by steady leadership, academic service, and patient-centered care. Before this appointment, she served as a medical school dean and chief health affairs officer, guiding clinical operations, education, and research across an extensive academic health system. Throughout her professional journey, Melina Kibbe has worked to strengthen institutions while remaining grounded in the core missions of medicine.
Institutional Leadership and Governance
Her leadership experience spans multiple academic medical centers and includes responsibility for complex organizations. She previously served as chair of a department of surgery, overseeing faculty recruitment, clinical growth, and research development. Earlier roles included serving as vice chair for research within a surgery department and as deputy director of a multidisciplinary research institute. In these positions, she focused on creating structures that supported collaboration, accountability, and long-term sustainability. Her leadership approach has emphasized clear communication, mentorship, and shared responsibility, allowing teams to work toward common goals in education, research, and patient care.
Training and Clinical Expertise
Her medical education began with undergraduate studies in biological sciences, followed by earning a medical degree from a leading academic institution. She completed her internship, residency, and research fellowship at a major medical center, where she developed strong skills in both surgery and investigation. She later completed a vascular surgery fellowship at another prominent medical school. She is board-certified in general surgery and vascular surgery and holds advanced certifications in vascular imaging. Clinically, she has broad experience with both open and endovascular procedures, caring for patients with a wide range of vascular conditions and maintaining a strong connection to clinical practice while also handling administrative responsibilities.
Focused Research and Translational Science
Melina Kibbe, MD has led a research program dedicated to improving therapies for patients with vascular disease. Her work has centered on the development of drug-eluting treatments and the study of how these therapies affect the structure and function of blood vessels. She has served as principal investigator on numerous federally funded grants and has also contributed as a co-investigator, consultant, or mentor on many additional projects. Her research experience includes leadership roles in gene- and cell-based clinical trials for patients with critical limb ischemia, as well as advisory roles in clinical trials focused on peripheral artery disease. She holds more than 10 patents, including provisional patents, reflecting a consistent effort to translate scientific discoveries into practical clinical applications. Early in her career, her research contributions were recognized with a national award honoring promising scientists and engineers.
Professional Service and National Engagement
Her career includes extensive service to national and international professional organizations. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of a leading surgical journal and has previously held elected leadership roles, including serving as president of several surgical societies. She also serves in officer and committee leadership positions within major professional organizations and remains an active member of many others. Her contributions to academic medicine have been recognized through election to respected honorary societies, including one of the highest bodies in American medicine. In addition to organizational service, she has been a strong advocate for addressing sex bias in biomedical research. Her publications on this topic gained national attention and helped inform policy discussions involving federal research agencies and lawmakers.
Scholarship, Teaching, and Personal Path
Her academic output includes more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts, review articles, and book chapters, as well as hundreds of abstracts presented at national and international meetings. She has received numerous awards recognizing leadership, service, and equity, as well as more than 20 honors for excellence in teaching. She is a member of a national medical honor society. She has supported innovation beyond academia by co-founding a biomedical company focused on vascular devices, where she served as chief medical officer. Raised in Southern California, she later completed executive and management training programs to develop her leadership skills further. Throughout her career, Melina Kibbe, MD has remained committed to advancing education, research, and patient care through thoughtful, steady leadership.