UT Tyler Receives $2 Million Gift

February 12, 2025 | Beverley Golden

University to Establish a Center to Address Mental Health Needs

The University of Texas at Tyler received a $2 million gift from the Byers Family Foundation to help establish a center for the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.

The creation of this center stems from an urgent need for mental health services throughout East Texas, as highlighted by the 2021 Northeast Texas Health Status Report and a UT Health East Texas report on mental health.

“East Texas is fortunate to have some of the best physicians, but there are some specializations we desperately need,” said UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife. “We intend to help bridge that gap, and we are extremely grateful to the Byers family for their enduring support of UT Tyler and East Texas.”

East Texas currently does not have a neurologist specializing in cognitive-behavioral neurology, which is crucial to the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's and other dementias. This specialization understands how cognitive and behavioral functions are affected by neurological conditions, leading to accurate diagnoses, appropriate therapies and ongoing care.

“We are so excited to have a new School of Medicine faculty with expertise in cognitive-behavioral neurology starting in July,” said UT Tyler President Julie V. Philley, MD. “Building a multidisciplinary team of providers specializing in dementia is our immediate priority so that we can grow dementia services for the community.”

The new UT Tyler center will operate out of the Riter Center on the North Campus on Hwy. 271.

Brent Byers represents the Foundation and also serves on the UT Tyler advisory board for this project. His personal experience having family with Alzheimer's prompted this gift.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.