In Memoriam: Harold W. (Bill) Kohl III, PhD | |
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Harold W. (Bill) Kohl III, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Austin and Research Professor of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin, died on January 7, 2024.
He was regarded as a luminary in public health, epidemiology, and physical activity research.
An esteemed educator, mentor, and researcher, Kohl dedicated over four decades to advancing the scientific understanding of physical fitness and its impact on health and disease, conducting work at UTHealth Houston, University of South Carolina’s School of Public Health, the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, the Baylor Sports Medicine Institute, and the Physical Activity & Health Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He leaves behind a legacy that will resonate with generations to come.
You can read more about his career-spanning achievements and unwavering commitment to nurturing future public health leaders here.
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EPIDEMIOLOGY FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS | |
Assistant Professor
Micaela Sandoval, PhD, MPH
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Please join us in welcoming our newest faculty member to the School of Public Health. Micaela Sandoval, PhD, will join us as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and will be affiliated with the Center for Infectious Diseases and the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute.
Sandoval earned a bachelor's degree in Zoology from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, an MPH in epidemiology from Texas A&M, and her PhD in epidemiology at the School of Public Health.
Sandoval's research background is in global health, health disparities, and emerging infectious diseases, and currently focused on COVID-19 clinical epidemiology and outcomes research.
She will co-teach the "Shoeleather Epidemiology: Essential Skills of Applied Epidemiology" course with Associate Professor Catherine Triosi, PhD and build an electronic health record-based platform for surveillance of emerging infectious diseases in Texas. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter in her free time.
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FiMAP: Accelerating Complex Trait Genetic Mapping in Large Cohorts | |
PLOS Genetics has published a new paper from Associate Professor Han Chen, PhD, introducing FiMAP, an efficient method for Identity-by-descent (IBD) mapping to identify genomic regions associated with complex traits like height, weight, and body fat distribution. FiMAP utilizes IBD segments from advanced IBD detection software, enabling analysis of large cohorts. It builds upon the classical variance component model, employing sparse linear algebra and random matrix algorithms to accelerate computation for large samples.
FiMAP leverages abundant genetic data from biobank-scale cohorts, offering insights into complex trait genetic epidemiology.
Chen partnered with Professor Degui Zhi, PhD, and Assistant Professor Ardalan Naseri, PhD, from the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics.
You can read more about FiMAP here.
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Study Reveals Different Epigenetic Mechanisms for Insulin Resistance and Alzheimer's Disease | |
A new study evaluated the association of epigenetic (DNA methylation) markers with insulin resistance (IR) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in two cohorts, the Framingham Heart Study and the Religious Orders Study/Memory and Aging Project. Findings from the study suggested that the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying IR and AD potentially differ between peripheral blood and the brain (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). The study was published in Clinical Epigenetics by first author Assistant Professor Chloé Sarnowski, PhD, and co-author Professor and Chair Alanna Morrison, PhD.
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Vitamin D Levels Mediate the Association Between Physical Activity and Blood Pressure
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Assistant Professor Augusto Ferreira De Moraes, PhD, is a co-author of a new study that found links between movement behaviors and serum levels of vitamin D with blood pressure levels in adolescents.
The study found that engaging in physical activities, especially outdoors, offers dual benefits for adolescents: it increases serum vitamin D levels and regulates blood pressure.
You can dive deeper into the study recently published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
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Troisi named Co-Editor of APHA's Next Edition of CCDM
For more than 100 years, APHA Press has published and updated the "Control of Communicable Diseases Manual," a revered reference guide for health and medical professionals. The print version of the new edition will be published in several years, but chapters will be updated digitally on a regular basis prior to the print release.
Thanks to advancing technology, the manual will be continuously edited, with new chapters available online that include the latest updates of reliable information on critical issues.
APHA has named Catherine Troisi, PhD, as co-editor of the new edition.
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EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS | |
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH IS THE NEW HOME FOR
THE ALBERT SCHWEITZER FELLOWSHIP
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The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health have partnered to unite aspirations to train the next generation of public health leaders. As the new host of the program, the School of Public Health joins the fellowship's mission to prepare students to empower vulnerable people to live healthier lives and create healthier communities. Students are paired with mentors, field experts, and community sites to enhance and extend the services of community organizations serving vulnerable populations to create an immediate and lasting impact in the Houston-Galveston area. The fellowship uses a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to foster the skills and development of tomorrow's healthcare leaders.
Former Houston-Galveston Chapter fellows have produced projects in homeless support, mental health awareness, refugee health, nutrition, human trafficking survivors care, LGBTQIA+ support, children and elderly health, smartphone health apps, mobile health clinics, healthcare education, and more. Each project allows mentors and students to create innovative strategies to drive positive change in public health. Fellows embark on a transformative journey as they collaborate with local community agencies to craft impactful service projects.
You can learn more about the new partnership opportunities here.
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8th Annual
Hot Topics in Aging
Tuesday, March 5
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Where: Cooley Life Center
Registration Link
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2024 Symposium on
Spatial-Temporal Data Science
for Population Health
Friday, March 1
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Where: Cooley Life Center
Registration Link
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2024 International Day of Women and Girls in Science Symposium
Thursday, February 8
4:00 pm to 6:30 pm
The McGovern Medical School Women Faculty Forum will host the sixth annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science Symposium, which provides an opportunity for healthcare professionals and trainees to celebrate successful women in academia.
Where: Memorial Hermann Conference Center
For more information and registration link, please click here.
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2024 TCHMB Summit
February 28 to March 1
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
The Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB) is proud to host its annual summit, bringing together professionals, experts, and advocates from across the perinatal healthcare spectrum.
Where: AT&T Hotel and
Conference Center, Austin, TX
Registration Link
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The Cupboard
February Hours
The Cupboard is a no-cost food resource for students and staff who may need assistance.
Location: SPH Building, B-04
Email: TheCupboard@uth.tmc.edu
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February is American Heart Month | |
Each February, NHLBI and The Heart Truth® celebrate American Heart Month by motivating Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles to prevent heart disease.
Join @TheHeartTruth this February to help spread the word that our daily habits can keep #OurHearts healthy.
You can read more about American Heart Month here.
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UTHealth Houston Rec Center - New Spring Schedule Released
The UTHealth Houston Recreation Center has unveiled its Rec/Sports and Wellness spring 2024 schedules, offering diverse leagues and health options for students and Rec Center members.
The upcoming Rec/Sports season will provide an opportunity for competitions, camaraderie, and the chance for participants to showcase their athletic prowess. Register for pickleball, soccer, basketball, tennis, softball and more. More information is available here.
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SGM Cancer Care Workshop - Feb 2024 - Houston, TX - Registration Now Open
The Sexual and Gender Minority Cancer Curricula to Advance Research & Education (SGM Cancer Care) will hold their next workshop at MD Anderson Cancer Center in February 2024. The workshop seeks to provide participants with knowledge and skills to conduct quality and culturally appropriate research to improve SGM care across the cancer care continuum, from prevention to survivorship, and it will facilitate participant access to a national research community and health care provider network dedicated to shared goals in SGM cancer research.
Registration is open for participants and presenters here.
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Stay in the Loop with Epidemiology! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to catch up with EPI news, events, and more! | |
Calling all Epidemiology alums! Epi in the News would like to include alum updates and news to feature in our monthly spotlight! Please email Jana Satterwhite, Communications Specialist, to be considered for our upcoming newsletters. | Reminder: For more information on how to handle media requests, see the UTHealth Houston HOOP policy here. If you are contacted by the media, please call the UTHealth Houston Media Relations team on the hotline, 713-500-3030 - someone is available 24/7. Deb Lake is the designated School of Public Health contact. Always choose to call the hotline for immediate assistance. | |
SUBMISSIONS AND NEWSLETTER DEADLINE | |
All campuses are encouraged to submit items for consideration for the monthly Epi newsletter. Please feel free to submit your items to sphehges@uth.tmc.edu. | | | | |
