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Ruben D Restrepo, M.D., RRT, FAARC, FCCP

Coordinator of Research - Division of Respiratory Care

Distinguished Teaching Professor

Not currently seeking mentors.

As a foreign physician from Colombia, Dr. Ruben Restrepo did not know that a few years after his arrival in the United States he would consider teaching Respiratory Care as the pillar of his professional career. He is a very passionate educator; He strongly believes UT Health San Antonio, now known as UT Health San Antonio, graduates outstanding professionals who offer the best care to patients. He is a strong supporter of teaching students the benefits of multidisciplinary interactions and team work in simulated and real clinical scenarios to improve patients outcomes. He strives to instill in the students the importance of application and critical thinking versus mere memorization. He believes his students have rewarded him over his 14 years of teaching with their enlightenment.

There has not been a better testament to his personal achievement as a mentor than to witness so many of his mentees leading the profession. The students have blessed him with excellent evaluations because they appreciate his philosophy of teaching. 

Teaching respiratory care at a global and interprofessional level has been his motto from the time he started teaching because the profession is still young and not widely recognized. By accepting invitations to speak at both medical and respiratory conferences around the globe, he has been able to serve the professions of Medicine and Respiratory Care while proudly representing UT Health San Antonio. 

He has exposed our scientific journal to the Spanish-speaking medical community by creating the first bilingual podcast of a medical journal. The bestowment of the credential as a Fellow of the American Association of Respiratory Care (FAARC), the recognition as a Distinguished Teaching Professor, and the induction to the Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education have stimulated his desire to become a better teacher and offer his best to my learners. 

As he has mentored his undergraduate and graduate students, he looks forward to seeing them sharing the same passion he has for teaching in their future. He is strongly convinced that he has achieved excellence in teaching because he has closely followed the example set by those giants in the profession who have mentored me. It is his passion to continue serving the Respiratory Care profession and UT Health San Antonio by providing exemplary teaching.