Dr. Gerard E. Francisco Honored with Legacy Award at CYFAM’s 6th Annual National Conference in March 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2026
Houston, TX: CYFAM (Council of Young Filipinx Americans in Medicine) is honored to announce that Dr. Gerard E. Francisco, MD, will receive the “Legacy Award” at CYFAM’s 6th Annual Conference, Bawat Bituin, Bawat Kuwento: Every Star, Every Story. Dr. Francisco is the Chief Medical Officer of TIRR Memorial Hermann and Chairman and Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston). The conference will be held on March 14–15, 2026, at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston, marking CYFAM’s first-ever national conference in Texas.
The Legacy Award recognizes individuals who have created lasting, transformative change in healthcare through visionary leadership, dedicated mentorship, and sustained advocacy. Dr. Francisco embodies these qualities across more than three decades of clinical practice, education, and research. One of the nation’s foremost authorities in brain injury rehabilitation, stroke recovery, and spasticity management, he has built and led programs that have restored function and renewed possibilities for thousands of patients. His care for former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords during her recovery at TIRR Memorial Hermann stands as a widely recognized example of his skill and compassion. Beyond the bedside, Dr. Francisco has shaped a generation of physiatrists as Director of the UTHealth Houston Motor Recovery Lab and the TIRR Memorial Hermann S.T.A.R. (Spasticity Treatment and Research Center), and as a repeated recipient of the Dean’s Teaching Award and the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor by the UT System Academy of Health Science Education. Since 2001, he has been recognized annually on the Best Doctors in America® list.
This year’s conference theme, Bawat Bituin, Bawat Kuwento, or Every Star, Every Story, invites the Filipinx American medical community to honor the full arc of each member’s journey, from the pre-health student charting an unfamiliar path to the attending physician whose light guides those who follow. Dr. Francisco’s story, rooted in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and carried forward through institutions across Chicago, New Jersey, and Houston, reflects exactly the kind of constellation CYFAM seeks to illuminate. Hosting this milestone conference in Texas, home to one of the largest Filipino American communities in the country, makes his recognition all the more meaningful.
Conference Highlights
This year’s conference welcomes pre-medical students, medical students, residents, fellows, and early-career physicians. Program highlights include:
Keynote Address by Dr. Francisco on leadership, rehabilitation medicine, and Filipinx American excellence in medicine
Clinical Skills Workshops in state-of-the-art simulation labs at the University of Houston College of Medicine
Research Symposium showcasing scholarly work by Filipinx-identifying researchers and trainees
Mentorship Sessions connecting students and trainees with physicians across specialties and career stages
Community Celebration honoring the stories, culture, and solidarity of the Filipinx American medical community
CME/CE Credit available for qualifying healthcare professionals through Pinnacle Conference LLC
CYFAM is proud to partner with the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine as both venue and institutional sponsor. This conference is open to all students, trainees, practitioners, researchers, and community leaders committed to advancing health equity within the Filipinx community. Registration is intentionally accessible, ranging from $24.95 to $124.95, with Ramos Conference Scholarships available for qualifying medical trainees.
Register now at www.givebutter.com/CYFAM-2026 to join us in celebrating a physician who has dedicated his career to healing, teaching, and inspiring future generations.
About Dr. Gerard E. Francisco, MD
Dr. Gerard E. Francisco is Chief Medical Officer of TIRR Memorial Hermann and Chairman and Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, where he also serves as Director of the UTHealth Houston Motor Recovery Lab and the TIRR Memorial Hermann S.T.A.R. Center. He completed his medical degree at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, his residency at Rutgers–New Jersey Medical School (where he served as chief resident), and a postdoctoral fellowship in Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine. A principal investigator in robotic-assisted rehabilitation, noninvasive brain stimulation, and spasticity management, Dr. Francisco has been named to the Best Doctors in America® list every year since 2001 and holds the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor within the UT System Academy of Health Science Education.
About CYFAM
The Council of Young Filipinx Americans in Medicine (CYFAM) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering leadership, reinforcing educational pathways, and addressing structural inequities in health through advocacy, scholarship, and community engagement. Since 2019, CYFAM has connected over 595 professionals and trainees nationwide and continues to champion the growth of Filipinx medical professionals across every stage of training and practice.
Website: www.cyfam.org | Contact: admin@cyfam.org
