Dr. Vivek Singh Award and Lecture
Dear friends,
In remembrance of Vivek Singh, M.D., former chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso has established the Dr. Vivek Singh Resident Awards for Clinical Excellence and the Dr. Vivek Singh Endowment for Psychiatry Lectureship.
Dr. Singh, who passed away on Oct. 31, 2015, began his role at TTUHSC El Paso June 13, 2015. During his brief time in El Paso, he built strong community relations and hired six new faculty physicians. In less than five months, Dr. Singh built the foundation for a world-class psychiatry department that continues to identify and address the mental health needs of the border population, provide cutting-edge care to those with mental illness in El Paso, and integrate mental health into primary care settings.
Dr. Singh came to TTUHSC El Paso from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), where he served as professor of psychiatry and interim vice-chair for clinical affairs, medical director of University Hospital Psychiatric Services, director of the Psychiatric Consultation Liaison Service, and chairman of the Institutional Review Board. Dr. Singh received his M.D. from Gandhi Medical College in Hyderabad, India, and his M.P.H. from the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois. He was also a member of the Executive Committee and served on the Board of Councilors of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD). He was also the editor-in chief of the organization’s global newsletter, starting in 2010.
Dr. Singh had an unwavering enthusiasm for teaching and mentoring psychiatry residents. He also held multiple leadership positions within the department, he enjoyed his research, and authored many textbook chapters while maintaining his clinical eminence. He was a force of nature who moved through life with passion and precision. He exemplified excellence, not as a skill, but as a standard.
“Vivek was a lightning bolt — an electric personality that charged anyone who approximated him. He was an indelible figure — devastatingly intelligent, equitable, humorous, and albeit mischievous, always warm-hearted. His vivid and brilliant energy was persistently imbued into others. Few men genuinely, tangibly change the world; even fewer alter the values and veracity of others for the betterment of humanity. Vivek, although so focused and compelled ‘to do’ that he may have been truly unaware, did both in an exemplary fashion. Some men become dust upon their demise; others remain with us by becoming integrated into our beings. Vivek was the latter; he left the earth better than when he arrived, and he left others better off for having known him. To this moment, he inspires me to emulate his living manifesto.” – Dr. Singh’s former resident, Joseph Drumm, M.D.
We invite Dr. Singh’s friends and colleagues to join us in honoring him by contributing to the Residency Awards for Clinical Excellence and the Dr. Vivek Singh Endowment for Psychiatry Lectureship. Donations may be made online by clicking the buttons below.
Dr. Vivek Singh Resident Awards for Clinical Excellence Fund
This endowment will continue Dr. Singh’s legacy by supporting an annual lectureship
of psychiatry experts for resident training.
Dr. Vivek Singh Endowment for Psychiatry Lectureship
Through the permanently funded Dr. Vivek Singh Resident Awards for Clinical Excellence, Dr. Vivek Singh will forever be honored for his passionate work. All donations will go toward enhancing the Department of Psychiatry and its residency program.
In loving memory of Dr. Vivek Singh,
Peter Thompson, M.D. Chair of the Department of Psychiatry
Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso