Dr. Francisco G. Cigarroa was appointed as the 10th chancellor of The University of Texas System by the UT System Board of Regents in 2009.  He is the first Hispanic chancellor of The University of Texas System.  Chancellor Cigarroa oversees one of the largest public systems of higher education in the nation, with nine universities and six health institutions, an annual operating budget of $13 billion, more than 215,000 students, 19,000 faculty members, and 68,000 staff members. UT System institutions confer 46,000 degrees every year.  The aggregate annual-research expenditures of the institutions are $2.54 billion.  The market value of The University of Texas endowment fund (Permanent University Fund) is more than $13 billion.

A nationally renowned pediatric and transplant surgeon, Dr. Cigarroa served as president of the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio from 2000 until his appointment as chancellor in 2009.  Even in his new position, he continues to perform transplant surgery.

A native of Laredo, Texas, Dr. Cigarroa earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.  During his 12 years of postgraduate training, he served as chief resident at Harvard’s teaching hospital, Massachusetts General, and completed both a pediatric-surgery and transplant fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.  In 2011, Dr. Cigarroa was awarded the Massachusetts General Hospital Trustees’ Medal in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of the practice of medicine and patient care.

In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed him to serve as a member of the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science.  President Barack Obama appointed him to serve as a commissioner on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Dr. Cigarroa also serves on the American Academy Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences and the National Research Council Committee on Research Universities.

Dr. Cigarroa is a member of several prestigious academic and medical societies, including the American College of Surgery, the Institute of Medicine, the American Board of Surgery, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also an honorary member of the National Academy of Science in Mexico.

Dr. Cigarroa and his wife, Graciela, have two daughters, Maria Cristina and Barbara Carisa. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Dr. Cigarroa is an accomplished classical and flamenco guitarist.