Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and The University of Texas at San Antonio received the 2025 Hill Prizes in medicine and technology.

The gist

According to a news release, the prizes are awarded by the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology and Lyda Hill Philanthropies, which fund the awards to “propel high-risk, high-reward ideas and innovations that demonstrate very significant potential for real-world impact and can lead to new, paradigm-shifting paths in research.”

Six prize categories:

• Medicine
• Public health
• Engineering
• Biological sciences
• Physical sciences and technology

The Hill Prizes recognize and advance top Texas innovators by providing seed funding to advance groundbreaking science and highlight Texas as a premier destination for world-class research. Each of the six winning proposals will receive $500,000 in funding from Lyda Hill Philanthropies.

The details

The recipient for medicine is Kenneth Hargreaves, professor of endodontics, pharmacology, surgery, and cellular and integrative physiology at UT Health San Antonio. His co-investigator for the award is Stanton McHardy, associate professor of medicinal chemistry at UTSA.

The technology recipient is Robert De Lorenzo, president and co-founder of university tech startup EmergenceMed LLC, and professor and vice chair of research for the Department of Emergency Medicine at UT Health San Antonio. De Lorenzo’s co-principal investigator for the award is R. Lyle Hood, associate professor of mechanical engineering at UTSA, and an EmergenceMed co-founder.