About Us
Our Story
UniversityMD (UMD) was founded by two fathers in the medical field after they identified a need for timely, top-tier healthcare for their own children living far from home in college towns. When several of their friends approached them for advice about the same issue, they realized this phenomenon was happening across the board. This sparked an idea for concierge student care, and UMD was born.
Our Mission
UniversityMD finds the best primary care physicians with locally established practices in college towns across the country. They commit to us (and parents) that students will be seen within 24 hours of the request for an appointment. Not only is every UMD-affiliated doctor vetted, board-certified, and high-quality; they’re also deeply rooted in their local medical community. This means they’ll know the top specialists in town and can often arrange preferential scheduling when your student needs it most.
Our Founders
Andy Hooper, MD – President & CEO
As a father with college-aged children, Dr. Hooper noticed that their medical needs were frequently unmet, and many of his friends’ families were navigating similar challenges. He founded UniversityMD to ensure that college students living far away from home have access to the highest quality of personalized healthcare. He has over 25 years of medical experience after training at The University of Texas, UT Medical Branch, and Johns Hopkins University.
Mark Chandler, PhD – Chairman
Also the parent of a student living hundreds of miles from home, Dr. Chandler has founded several successful startups and is now lending his expertise and insight to UniversityMD. After receiving his doctorate in Immunology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, he became the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Inland Laboratories, Luminex Corporation, and Rules-Based Medicine, Inc. and has served on the boards of the EastWest Institute and the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation.