Founding Dean Staff

Richard W. McCallum, M.D., has been appointed Professor and Founding Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso.Prior to coming to TTUHSC, Dr McCallum was Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Nerve and Muscle Function and Chief of Division of Gastrointestinal Motility, University of Kansas School of Medicine since 2004. From 1996 to 2004, Dr. McCallum was Professor of Medicine Chief, and Program Director, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas. He also served as attending physician at the Kansas City Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, Missouri.

Before his appointments in Kansas City and Missouri, Dr. McCallum was Professor of Medicine and Program Director, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia where he was Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology for almost ten years. He was awarded the Paul Janssen Endowed Chair as Professor of Medicine in 1987.

After completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Queensland, he earned his medical degree at the Queensland Medical School in Brisbane, Australia. From there Dr. McCallum began his post graduate studies as a Rotating Intern on the LSU Service at Charity Hospital New Orleans and then a 2 year residency in Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis.

Dr. McCallum began his gastroenterology career at the University of California (UCLA) where he did his GI Fellowship and then was an attending physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the UCLA Hospital for the Health Sciences until 1976. From there, he joined the faculty of Yale University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Medicine and later, as Associate Professor of Medicine. He was attending physician, Yale-New Haven Hospital and Director of Gastroenterology Diagnostic Laboratories, also at Yale-New Haven Hospital from 1976 to 1985.

Dr. McCallum is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with a subspecialty in gastroenterology.

Among his extensive list of professional honors and memberships are Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, President of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, & President of the International Electrogastroglam Society. He has also served on several editorial boards and national committees.

Dr. McCallum is the author or co-author of over 450 publications and edited 12 text books. Dr. McCallum’s area of clinical interest and research is the field of gastrointestinal motility, neurogastroenterology and functional bowel disorders. He has been focused on advancing knowledge related to diagnostic approaches, pharmacology and device technology. He is a pioneer in the area of gut electro-physiology and developed the concept of electrical “pacing” of the stomach to treat gastroparesis, particularly related to diabetes mellitus, as well as nausea and vomiting and obesity. He has an NIH grant in this field of gastroparesis which he will be bringing with him to TTUHSC as well as funding from the American Diabetes Association and Pharmaceutical and device companies. Dr. McCallum will bring his research team with him specifically Dr. Irene Sarosiek, will be the Director of Research in GI Neurogastroenterology and Electrical Stimulation and her husband, Jerzy Sarosiek, MD, PhD will continue his laboratory research in addition to being Vice Chair for Research in the department of medicine, providing core lab opportunities for faculty and be a facilitator and catalyst for Research in the Department and collaborative research throughout the school.

Dr. McCallum will be the Medical Director of the new diagnostic center for GI Motility and functional bowel disorders being established at Thomason Hospital as a referral center for patients locally, regionally, and nationally and he will continue to see patients referred for these particular medical problems.