Although 2026 will mark the 20th anniversary for the MCA, 2025 provided strong evidence as to the maturity and continuing momentum of the MCA and its mission impact. Its collaborations and various relationships within the region’s organizations are stronger, lasting and rooted in the many shared accomplishments in the community. MCA’s leadership through its Clinical Trials Program, the Innovation Center named for the Melinda and Meyer Marcus Foundation, STEM program and infrastructure developments currently on the MCA campus, and planned for the future, form the core programs in developing the community’s medical center along with its campus partners, Texas Tech Health, Fox Cancer Center, UT Health Houston, University Medical Center and El Paso Children's Hospital. The Clinical Trials Program, led by Michaele Johnson, continued building the infrastructure necessary to increase clinical trials in the region by identifying and supporting new investigator sites, developing the workforce necessary to support such trials, creating awareness for clinical trials in the region for patients to participate in cutting edge healthcare while increasing higher paying jobs and the economic impact of such clinical trial activity to approximately $131 million in 2025. The Melinda and Meyer Marcus Foundation Innovation Center accelerator and incubator, led by Nancy Lowery, continued its health-tech innovator/entrepreneur mission of transforming translational research into commercially viable businesses as well as building a supporting ecosystem to advance this mission. Through its accelerator programming, the Innovation Center provides scientists and innovators with business mentorship and coaching, proof of concept funds, regulatory pathway and product development support, and capital access introductions necessary for scalable companies. The STEM program, led by Marianne Mijares, continued its exponential growth in outreach to elementary, middle school and high school students to increase their awareness and knowledge of healthcare and STEM pathways through hands-on as well as AR/VR experiences with real world science activities tied to STEM careers. Partnerships were created with El Paso Children's Hospital and Providence Children's Hospital to provide STEM camps to children in oncology wards. The Infrastructure Program, led by Xavier Cardenas, continued the efficient property management of its principal assets: · The 60,000 square foot Cardwell Collaborative building was approximately 84% occupied during 2025 and continues to house signature campus tenants and a wide variety of health tech startups as well as the Melinda and Meyer Marcus Family Foundation Innovation Center. · The 33,500 square foot VA Wellness Center continues to serve the veterans in the region with critical behavioral healthcare needs. Several facility improvements were made during the year. It is now recognized as the 7th best facility in the nation. Additionally, the Infrastructure Program continues to strategically optimize MCA’s 14 acres of undeveloped land for future use to support the MCA’s mission and the requirements of its medical center campus partners. We expect to begin development of a new facility during 2026. The goals of economic development can only be realized through sustained innovation, efficient transaction costs, better infrastructure and increased education and opportunities. We are sincerely grateful to our community leaders and the City of El Paso as well as various corporate granting and philanthropic organizations and private donors that support and trust the MCA. We look forward to your continued partnership and collaboration. And finally, special thanks to MCA’s staff for their talents, commitment and focus on successfully continuing the MCA’s mission and accomplishments throughout the year and MCA’s Boards for their leadership.
Mission
To develop and catalyze the life sciences ecosystem in the region.
Vision
To cultivate a dynamic health industry and innovation / entrepreneurship ecosystem that competes globally.
Purpose
To ensure that the health care needs of our region are met by facilitating the growth of an entire “life sciences ecosystem”—from delivering health care education and training for our region’s workforce to commercializing biomedical research and innovations.
Accomplishments 2025
- Launched the West Texas Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) Job Placement Program, delivering a 9-week skills-based course to prepare participants for careers in clinical research
- Enrolled 21 students, graduated 12, and placed five into paid apprenticeships with local research sites
- Onboarded 2 new investigator sites in the region
- Re-trained 7 Community Health Worker Clinical Trials Network Ambassadors with updated trial information, including the UTEP stroke study
- Welcomed UTEP as a new investigator site into MCA’s Clinical Trials Network and High Enroll platform
- Co-led the quarterly El Paso Clinical Trials Meetup with Dr. Carlo Hatem, bringing together professionals across the Borderplex
Accomplishments 2025
- $20,000 distributed in Proof of Concept funding
- 845+ hours of accelerator training and direct startup support
- 50 workshops, pitch sessions, and networking events with 1,200+ attendees
- Support for 15 health-tech startups and 45 innovators
- Organizer of the 3rd Annual El Paso Startup Week with 34 events and 1,100 participants
Accomplishments 2025
- 39 STEM camps serving 587 students
- Nearly 300 contact hours of hands-on instruction
- 12,500+ community members reached through outreach events and festivals
- New hospital-based STEM camps for pediatric patients
- Expanded engineering-focused curriculum and AR/VR life-science programming
- CPR and clinical-skills workshops introducing students to healthcare careers
- Over 98% of students reported increased interest in pursuing STEM pathways
Accomplishments 2025
- Completed environmental remediation at 203 Chelsea
- Demolished the Forti’s property, opening land for future development
- Released architectural RFPs for MCA’s new building
- Successfully managed a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Grant
- Continued strong collaboration with the VA under its long-term lease
- Responded to 99% of VA maintenance requests the same day
- Advanced redevelopment readiness across multiple campus sites
Donors & Sponsors
Non-Pledged Donors & Funders Academy of Diabetes, Thyroid, & Endocrine AXCES Research Group, LLC Cardwell Foundation City Bank - Community Rewards Program Ricardo Pulido WestStar Bank Border Health Summit Broaddus & Associates C.D. Lee Britton Insurance Agency LLC Carl Daniel Architects City of El Paso Clearent by Xplor Technologies County of El Paso, Texas Evolve Federal Credit Union Grand Canyon University Headlands Research El Paso Lauterbach, Borschow & Co. NMSU Arrowhead Center - Hunt Center for Entrepreneurship UT Health Houston School of Public Health In-kind Oracle Netsuite Contributing Grants Institutions City of El Paso Electric Company Charitable Foundation The Bank of America Charitable Foundation U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Wilma Moleen Foundation Contributing Grants Institutions City of El Paso Electric Company Charitable Foundation The Bank of America Charitable Foundation U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Wilma Moleen Foundation El Paso Giving Day Abbie Aguilar Adriana Chavarria Alexis Borrego Amit Ghosh Beverly Rebe Brandon Arellano Caitlin Mijares Carlos Ortega Christian Mijares Conrad Conde Dalia Gomez David & Cygne Nemir David Novick Eliane Castorena Emily Gomez Jessica Pretiger Jocelyn Salazar Jonathan Childress Kimberly Kot Laura Butler Lorenza Gonzalez Lourdes Cardenas Marianne McCallick Mijares Martha Hood Mayte Galvan Apodaca Monica Pena Nahum Apodaca Nancy Lowery Professional Janitorial Services (PJS) PyroCom Systems Serena Harper Sergio Cabrera Stephanie Schilling The Melinda and Meyer Marcus Family Foundation Startup Week El Paso Innovation Hub UTEP Mike Loya Center for Innovation & Commerce