SAN ANTONIO - s4story -- San Antonio, Texas. October 17, 2026. INNOVACORE Center for Research & Biotechnology has announced that United Medical Centers (UMC), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving Kinney, Maverick, and Val Verde counties along the U.S.–Mexico border, has joined its FQHC-Based Clinical Research Network. The network links health centers in Bexar County with Middle Rio Grande border communities to expand access to clinical research for populations long underrepresented in it. Sul Ross State University's College of Health Sciences serves as the network's academic partner.

FQHCs care for more than 30 million Americans, yet their patients remain largely absent from the clinical trials that shape their care. Evidence generated in academic medical centers is routinely applied to health center patients on the assumption that it transfers, an assumption that is rarely tested and often wrong. Patients in health centers differ from typical trial participants in insurance status, language, burden of chronic disease, and access to food and housing, and those differences can change how treatments work in practice.

"The barrier has never been patient willingness. It has been infrastructure," said Sohail Rao, MD, MA, DPhil, President and CEO of INNOVACORE. "United Medical Centers brings the people of the border region into the evidence base, and INNOVACORE will provide the support that makes their participation possible."

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The network deliberately brings together two different populations. Bexar County offers a large urban safety net serving a predominantly Mexican American population. In Maverick County, more than 95 percent of residents are Hispanic, rates of diabetes and obesity are among the highest in the nation, and research presence has been almost nonexistent. The contrast between the two settings is the network's principal scientific asset, allowing investigators to test whether findings hold across very different communities.

INNOVACORE will coordinate the network, providing the regulatory, institutional review board, biostatistical, data, and operational support that no single health center can sustain alone. Participating centers retain their clinical autonomy, community governance, and relationships with their patients. Like every FQHC, UMC serves an underserved area, offers care on a sliding fee scale, provides comprehensive primary care, maintains an ongoing quality assurance program, and is governed by a board drawn from the community it serves.

"We are very excited to join INNOVACORE's FQHC-based Clinical Research Network, as this partnership represents an important step forward in our commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve. For too long, patients in rural and border communities have had limited opportunities to participate in clinical research, despite facing some of the greatest health challenges. Through this partnership, we can help ensure that the voices, experiences, and healthcare needs of patients in Kinney, Maverick, and Val Verde counties are represented in the research that shapes future treatments and standards of care. Most importantly, this collaboration creates an opportunity to bring research closer to our patients, strengthen the quality of care we provide, and contribute to better health outcomes for generations to come." Dr. Gaston Zylberg, FAAP, CMO, United Medical Center

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The network will measure success by purpose rather than activity: whether the people enrolled in its studies reflect the people its health centers serve, and whether participation improves the quality of care in the clinics that take part.

About INNOVACORE Center for Research & Biotechnology

INNOVACORE Center for Research & Biotechnology, based in San Antonio, Texas, advances clinical and translational research that serves medically underserved communities. INNOVACORE provides research coordination, regulatory, and institutional review board infrastructure to health centers, hospitals, and academic partners across Texas. More information is available at https://innovacore.net/

About United Medical Centers

United Medical Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center providing comprehensive primary care to the communities of Kinney, Maverick, and Val Verde counties in Southwest Texas, on the U.S.–Mexico border. More information is available at https://umchealth.com/

Media Contact

INNOVACORE Center for Research & Biotechnology

contact@innovacore.net