Hunt-Aspen Institute Fellowship
TTUHSC El Paso's Vanessa Solis-Cortez Chosen as a 2023 Woody and Gayle Hunt-Aspen Institute Fellow
Solis-Cortez recently participated in the Aspen Institute’s Socrates Program leadership program
Vanessa Solis-Cortez, M.B.A.
The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation announced that Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso’s Vanessa Solis-Cortez, M.B.A., is a recipient of the Woody and Gayle Hunt-Aspen Institute Fellowship.
The fellowship supports academic, civic, community and business leaders from our Borderplex region, allowing them to participate in Aspen Institute seminars and conferences. Fellows interact with national and international leaders within their respective professional fields and bring a Borderplex perspective to discussions of national and global importance.
"Vanessa's demonstration of strong leadership, coupled with her commitment to community health, made her an ideal candidate for this esteemed fellowship," said Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A., president of TTUHSC El Paso. “The insights she will gain from this experience will drive our mission forward and positively impact the health care landscape of our Borderplex region."
Solis-Cortez has played a significant role for over two decades at the university, where she currently serves as assistant to Dr. Lange. With a background in health care administration and management, Solis-Cortez has been instrumental in driving strategic initiatives, leading operational changes and contributing to the successful growth of the institution. Her leadership skills, innovative thinking and dedication exemplify TTUHSC El Paso’s values-based culture.
"I’m deeply honored to have been chosen for this fellowship and for the opportunity to represent TTUHSC El Paso in this global forum,” said Solis-Cortez. “My participation will not only enhance my ability to contribute to TTUHSC El Paso but will also provide a valuable perspective to help shape our regional health care policies. It's a remarkable opportunity to learn, grow, and serve in new ways, and I'm eager to bring these learnings back to our community."
Solis-Cortez's accomplishments include fostering collaborations within the university and the wider El Paso health care community to support the university's mission of improving health care outcomes in the region. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she played an instrumental role organizing vaccination clinics throughout the region.
The Aspen Institute Fellowship places emerging leaders in a forum that encourages exploration of contemporary issues through expert-facilitated dialogue. The institute’s Socrates Program offers these fellows the opportunity to delve into globally significant topics. Solis-Cortez participated in a particularly challenging seminar, "Geoeconomics of Sovereign Funds in an Age of Competitive Industrial Policies." In this session, Solis-Cortez, alongside other thought leaders, studied the implications of shifting industrial policies on state-owned investment funds, their increasing role in the global economic landscape and the implications of shifting industrial policies.
While Solis-Cortez has an M.B.A., she modestly stated that she felt at first a “bit outside of her comfort zone” when she found out her seminar touched on economics. However, she had no problem embracing the global platform as an opportunity to represent TTUHSC El Paso and discuss the vibrant and complex economic growth along our U.S.-Mexico border. In particular, the region's health care sector, the fastest-growing private industry, stood out as a prime contributor to this economic growth, with TTUHSC El Paso alone injecting over $634 million into the local economy annually.
The participation of TTUHSC El Paso staff in distinguished leadership programs such as the Aspen Institute Fellowship benefits both the university and the broader El Paso community. This exposure to thought leadership and intellectual engagement offers participants like Solis-Cortez an expanded worldview and develops skills to enhance the university's strategic approach to health care education, research and world-class patient care.
The shared insights and networks from such programs drive innovation within TTUHSC El Paso, fostering a culture of continuous learning and excellence. For our Borderplex community, this translates into improved health policy implementation, advanced health care practices, and a strengthening of the region's health infrastructure. As a testament to the interconnectedness of academia and community, such leadership cultivation within TTUHSC El Paso underscores its role as a health care change agent.
About Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It’s a designated Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation students.
Established as an independent university in the Texas Tech University System in 2013, TTUHSC El Paso is celebrating 10 years as a proudly diverse and uniquely innovative destination for education and research. According to a 2022 analysis, TTUHSC El Paso contributes $634.4 million annually to our Borderplex region’s economy.
With a mission of eliminating health care barriers and creating life-changing educational opportunities for Borderplex residents, TTUHSC El Paso has graduated over 2,000 doctors, nurses and researchers over the past decade, and will add dentists to its alumni beginning in 2025. For more information, visit www.ttuhscepimpact.org.