Our Regional Dean

Timothy Benton, MD

Dr. Benton received his medical degree from the TTUHSC School of Medicine in 1994 and completed a residency in Family Medicine from the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler. In addition, he completed a faculty development fellowship from the Keck School of Medicine with the University of Southern California in 2006.

Dr. Benton joined the TTUHSC School of Medicine faculty in Amarillo in 2005, where he served as the Associate Residency Program Director and eventually the Program Director. In 2012, he was recruited to be the Regional Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the Permian Basin where he began focusing his energies on the residency program and patient care. His tireless work as Regional Chair include the following highlights:
• Primary care expansion and access to care (department patient visits up from 18,000 to 22,000 per year)
• Numerous community healthcare collaborations with the UT Permian Basin and Odessa College, the Ector County Health Department (Associate Health Authority), the Permian Basin Community Center Clinic and others; active working relationship with both Midland Memorial Hospital and Medical Center Hospital
• Expansion of the Family Medicine residency program from 6 positions to 16 positions per year (recent spotlight in the April 2021 Texas Medicine edition)
• Development of a rural residency training program with Andrews, Fort Stockton and Sweetwater, Texas
• Orchestrating a Hospitalist Fellowship Program
• Awarded a 1115 Waiver Grant of $3 million
• Growing the departmental faculty from 6 to 17+
• Collaboration with and medical director for the TTUHSC School of Health Professions Physician Assistant program