For Dr. David Pimentel, the first few days of residency have been filled with long hours, steep learning curves and a deep sense of gratitude.
A recent graduate of Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine, Pimentel began his internal medicine residency earlier this month with Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso. He describes the transition from student to resident physician as intense but deeply rewarding.
Pimentel is one of a record 21 Foster School of Medicine graduates who matched to residencies in El Paso this year. They are joined by more than 100 other resident physicians from across the globe who also matched to programs here.
“Residency has been going great so far,” Pimentel said. “There’s definitely a big shift from being a student, but it’s an amazing experience to start treating patients in my hometown.”
A first-generation college student from El Paso, he said staying in his community was important to him — both personally and professionally.
“The fact that I get to continue serving the El Paso community — the same community that raised me — is a true privilege,” he said.
That privilege was attainable thanks to the Juan J. Nevarez Sanchez Medical Student Scholarship, which Pimentel received during his final year of medical school. The scholarship was established in 2022 by Nevarez, a Texas Tech University alumnus and petroleum engineer.
Nevarez grew up in Ciudad Juárez, spending ages 5 to 15 in the Pancho Villa colonia, one of the city’s most impoverished areas.
Pimentel met Nevarez for the first time at Match Day in March — a milestone moment marking the next chapter of his medical journey. It was also a chance to personally thank the man whose scholarship helped ease the huge financial burden of medical school.
“The Nevarez scholarship made a significant impact during a time when money was tight,” he said. “Medical school is incredibly demanding, and this support allowed me to focus on my education and residency, rather than worrying about financial stress. I’m sincerely thankful. It set me up to start residency on the right track.”
A first-generation student himself, Nevarez worked nights in a maquiladora while in junior high school and bagged groceries to help pay for college.
Nevarez has deep ties to the Texas Tech University System, serving on the Texas Tech Foundation Board of Directors, the Texas Tech University Petroleum Industry Advisory Executive Board and the Texas Tech College of Engineering Dean’s Council.
When he visited Texas Tech Health El Paso in 2022, he met medical students who had similar backgrounds and immediately saw a reflection of his younger self.
Nevarez has worked in the oil and gas business for more than 25 years. Previously, he worked for Texaco, Chevron and other petroleum companies. In 2011, he joined Dallas-based Scout Energy Partners as the vice president of business development, before moving to senior vice president in 2017.
In 2025, Scout launched a new company, Scout Development Partners, for which Nevarez serves as president and CEO.
“They were working hard, they’re Hispanic kids, and they were trying to get through medical school just like I was trying to get through my engineering program,” Nevarez said.
As part of Texas Tech Health El Paso’s 2022 Season of Thanks, Nevarez announced two major gifts to support first-generation students: $75,000 to the Foster School of Medicine and $50,000 to the Hunt School of Nursing. Season of Thanks is an annual celebration of the university’s donors and community leaders.
Before leaving the celebration, he was so inspired by the students that he added another $25,000 to the nursing scholarship established in his mother’s honor. Nevarez said the gifts are a tribute to his late mother, Guadalupe “Lupe” Sanchez De Nevarez, and her legacy of care and compassion.
“She always looked out for others, and I think that’s what nurses and doctors do — they have that giving spirit,” Nevarez said.
In May 2025, Nevarez married El Paso native Emma (Wollschlager) Nevarez, former president and CEO of the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation in El Paso, a non-profit that supports the growth of the Texas Tech Health El Paso’s campus. Together, they are working to grow both the medical and nursing scholarships to improve access to quality healthcare in the region through well-trained locally-grown medical providers.
The medical scholarship, which Pimentel received, helps ensure students can meet their goals, graduate on time, and enter the local health care workforce — reducing health disparities and building a pathway for compassionate, skilled physicians in the community.
That spirit is reflected in Pimentel’s path: a hometown student who, thanks to the support of his community, is now giving back through service and healing.
Texas Tech Health El Paso is here thanks to our community’s vision of “growing our own” physicians, nurses, dentists and researchers to close a long-existing gap in health care accessibility. This vision includes high levels of education, high-paying jobs, upward mobility for families and an economic engine to power El Paso’s future.
Support from donors like Nevarez has helped Texas Tech Health El Paso steadily increase scholarship access. During the 2023-2024 academic year, 50% of students received scholarships, with many covering unmet financial needs.
Thanks to the generosity of alumni and community supporters, students can focus on what matters most, and as Pimentel did, become a much-needed health care provider for our Borderplex.
Closing the gap
Texas Tech Health El Paso is leading efforts in bridging health care and education across our Borderplex region, improving student success and well-being. To learn more about how Texas Tech Health El Paso is improving lives and empowering generations or how you can help, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.
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