Dr. Albert and Sharon Yurvati donate a gift to TCOM that will last a lifetime
A legacy that was cemented years ago has one more exclamation point to add. Dr. Albert and Sharon Yurvati have made a gift to UNT Health Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. In their honor, the university has renamed the Medical Education and Training Room 109-11 to the Dr. Albert and Sharon Yurvati Conference Hall.
A 1986 graduate, Yurvati is one of the most decorated alumni in the history of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and credits his time at TCOM for his success.
“I give all the credit for my training and expertise to the knowledge that I gained as a student at TCOM,” Yurvati said. “The school gave me the tools and training that I needed, and now I want to give back to the next generation of students. TCOM has so many opportunities, and I want to do as much as I can to mentor and train students to become the best.”
Albert and Sharon met while serving in the U.S. Army and married in 1974. They have been steadfast supporters of TCOM, contributing generously to its mission and mentoring future generations of osteopathic physicians. Their philanthropic legacy includes the establishment of the Dr. Al and Sharon Yurvati DO/PhD Scholarship and support for the TCOM Veterans Scholarship Endowment.
A distinguished professor and renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, he pioneered the Yurvati Procedure—a surgical breakthrough—in 2012 after identifying the xiphoid process as a hidden cause of unexplained chest pain. The recipient of the 2025 TCOM Founders’ Award, the 2021 Mary E. Luibel Service Award and the 2011 President’s Award for Clinical Excellence, Dr. Yurvati is the first faculty member to hold the Dallas Southwest Osteopathic Physicians Endowed Professorship in Surgery.
He is the only surgeon to receive all three of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons’ highest honors: the Orel F. Martin Medal, the Guy D. Beaumont Jr. FACOS Award of Academic Excellence, and the Charles L. Ballinger Distinguished Osteopathic Surgeon Award—an extraordinary testament to his impact on the field. In 2024, he was bestowed an honorary degree of Doctor of Science by the University of Strathclyde in Scotland.
A Vietnam-era veteran, Yurvati enlisted in the United States Army in 1973 after graduating high school and completed eight weeks of basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey. He spent three years in the Army and later joined the California National Guard Reserves while working on his undergraduate degree from California State University.
Yurvati began his second stint in the Army in 1982 as a commissioned officer. It was at that same time that Yurvati arrived in Fort Worth and began his medical school career at TCOM.
During medical school, Yurvati became a pilot of Cobra gunships and Huey helicopters. He spent his summers at Fort Hood in Killeen mastering the art of flying, rappelling out of helicopters while earning an air assault badge and an expert field medical badge. He did a family medicine rotation at Fort Hood while perfecting his skills to become a flight surgeon.
In recognition of their enduring contributions, the Dr. Albert and Sharon Yurvati Conference Hall stands as a lasting tribute to their vision and generosity. It serves as a beacon of inspiration for all students, reflecting the couple’s unwavering belief in the power of education, innovation, and service.