50 Heroes: Dr. Jerry Alexander

Leadership FellowsDr. Alexander was hired in 1984 to help bring HSC into the computer and digital age. Throughout his time on-campus, he changed the landscape of the testing and evaluation center that exists on campus today.

Dr. Alexander recognized the pressure medical students faced and the myriad of circumstances that could cause a student to drop out. Therefore, he developed No Medical Student Left Behind, a program designed to identify struggling students.

This proactive counseling approach allows Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine faculty members and administrators to monitor a students’ progress throughout their medical education. It provides a comprehensive tracking of students and real-time, electronic reports.

During the first year the program was introduced on campus, TCOM second-year students’ failure rate on licensing exams dropped 80 percent from the average failure rate of classes in preceding years. The program’s success led to other schools adopting similar programs.

Thanks to Dr. Alexander’s innovative thinking, students and future students are equipped to succeed.

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