Congratulations to the New Graduates! | |
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The 2024 UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Commencement Ceremony was held on May 18, 2024, at the NRG Center in Houston, Texas. The Commencement ceremony celebrated over 300 graduates from the School of Public Health. The ceremony was well attended by graduates along with family and well-wishers. We wish all of our graduates great success as future public health professionals.
Check out our Epidemiology photo album featuring more photos of our Epidemiology graduates and faculty.
The School of Public Health also published the complete set of photos from the Commencement on their Flickr channel.
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EPIDEMIOLOGY FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS | |
Epidemiology Faculty and Students Honored with School of Public Health Awards | |
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The 2024 UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Awards honors faculty, staff, and students who exemplified excellence in their respective award categories. This year, the Department of Epidemiology faculty and students were honored in various categories.
This year's winners include:
2024 R. Palmer Beasley, MD Faculty Award for Innovation: Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, LD, Nalini Ranjit, PhD, and Alexandra van den Berg, PhD, MPH
2024 John P. McGovern Award for Outstanding Teaching: Heather T. Essigmann, PhD, MPH
2024 James Emerson Award for Outstanding Teaching Assistant: Morgan Jibowu, MPH
2024 Faculty Award for Excellence in Community Service: Steven H. Kelder, PhD, MPH
2024 Research Mentor-Mentee Award: Sarah Messiah, PhD, MPH, and Alejandra Fernandez, PhD
Please take a look at the complete list of 2024 Awards here.
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Researchers Identify Over 100 Genetic Variants Linked to Blood Pressure Levels | |
Researchers from the International Consortium of Blood Pressure have uncovered over 100 novel segments within the human genome that appear to impact an individual's blood pressure levels.
The study was recently published in Nature Genetics and co-authored by the School of Public Health Dean Eric Boerwinkle, PhD, Department of Epidemiology Chair, and Professor Alanna Morrison, PhD.
"It is exciting to contribute to a study of this magnitude, one of the largest ever conducted to identify genetic variants contributing to blood pressure levels," said Morrison. "Risk scores calculated from these findings have the potential to predict a person's risk of developing hypertension."
You can read more of the study published here.
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New Study Will Evaluate Life Expectancy Rates
in Texas
| Researchers at UTHealth Houston, funded by an award from Episcopal Health Foundation, will analyze age-adjusted mortality rates and life expectancy across different races, ethnicities, and genders in small geographic regions of Texas. The Texas Life Expectancy Estimates and Social Determinants of Health Analysis project, led by Assistant Professor Augusto De Moraes, PhD, also seeks to estimate life expectancy based on different social determinants of health. De Moraes will serve as PI, with Professor Steven Kelder, PhD, as Co-PI. | |
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Ochoa Featured in National Journal | |
Associate Professor Theresa Ochoa, MD, is spotlighted in the latest issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Ochoa discusses growing up in Peru and how her love of biology led her to study medicine. You can read more about Ochoa's professional path and research focus here.
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ISBNPA Conference
Omaha, Nebraska
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The Center for Health Equity faculty and students attended the ISBNPA conference in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 20-23.
Center Director Shreela Sharma, PhD, Epidemiology graduates and students Maha Almohamad, PhD, Mallika Mathur, PhD, Deepali Ernest, MPH, Bipin Singh, MPH, Mackenzie Senn, MPH, along with Project Manager Naomi Tice, MPH, presented various topics related to nutrition, physical activity, and sleep behaviors.
You can view more photos from the conference here.
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CHARGE Conference
Denver, Colorado
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Human Genetics Center faculty and trainees attended the CHARGE Consortium in Denver, Colorado, on May 22-24.
Three Center trainees were selected to present their abstracts at the blitz talk, including Post-Doctoral Fellow Shinye Chung, PhD, and Graduate Research Assistants Yura Lee, MS, and Mengyu Zhang, MS.
Lee and Zhang were also selected as awardees for the best poster award.
You can view more photos from the CHARGE conference on our Flickr page.
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EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS | |
Rising Scientist: A Journey of Determination
and Excellence
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Morgan Jibowu recently graduated with her PhD in Epidemiology from the School of Public Health. Driven by a passion for advanced science, she recognized the limitations of her local high school's resources, and at 16, Morgan decided to skip her junior and senior years, enrolling directly in college. This early leap set the stage for her journey into infectious diseases and social justice.
While in high school, Jibowu was a Youth Leadership Advisory Council member at the Brown v. Board of Education site in Topeka, Kansas; she organized a commemorative event for the 60th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision. She delivered a powerful speech about her experiences as an African American female. She contributed to an art mural honoring her grandmother, a colleague of Ms. Linda Brown, and an advocate for educational opportunities.
Morgan's academic pursuits led her to the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science (KAMS) at Fort Hays State University, a residential early college program. Her passion for infectious diseases blossomed here through rigorous research projects on dengue and the antimicrobial properties of soil bacteria. She then pursued a Master of Public Health (MPH) at Kansas State University. Her commitment led to impactful roles at the CDC Quarantine Station in Dallas, Texas, and the Johns Hopkins Health System, where she integrated genomic sequencing into COVID-19 contact tracing, resulting in significant publications.
After enrolling at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Morgan worked at the Texas Department of State Health Services, investigating notifiable diseases and developing data management processes during Mpox and Norovirus outbreaks. She co-founded the School of Public Health Epidemiology PhD Student Association. She also collaborated with Assistant Professor Jemima John, PhD, to develop the Health Equity Summer Fellowship Institute to address health inequities in Greater Houston and beyond.
Under the mentorship of the Interim Director of the Center for Infectious Diseases, Professor Eric Brown, PhD, her doctoral research focused on the relationship between Blastocystis carriage and the gut microbiome and the spatial patterns of West Nile virus mosquito vectors in Harris County, Texas. Her dissertation research was accepted for a national conference presentation, and she won the 2024 James Emerson Award for Outstanding Teaching Assistant, voted on by current students.
Morgan will continue with the Baylor College of Medicine Laboratory of Infectious Disease Epidemiology under Sarah Gunter, PhD, for her postdoctoral training. Her postdoctoral fellowship will further her research in the epidemiology and spatial analysis of vector-borne and neglected tropical diseases.
Morgan aspires to transition to a faculty position specializing in vector-borne and neglected tropical diseases. Her long-term vision is to explore how social determinants and the built environment influence health outcomes, contributing to a healthier, more equitable world. She dedicates her academic journey to her grandmother and plans to continue mentoring young scientists and advocating for STEM education opportunities for minorities.
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Sign up today to connect and engage with your fellow students and alumni!
uthealthhoustonalumni.org
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Join the UTHealth Houston Alumni Community Platform!
Are you a student looking to expand your network and access valuable resources? Consider joining the UTHealth Houston Alumni Community platform!
Here's what you can expect:
· Community Connections: Connect with alumni with valuable experience and insights to share.
· Event Postings: Stay updated on events happening within the UTHealth community, including networking events, workshops, and seminars.
· Mentorship Opportunities: Explore mentorship opportunities with alumni who can provide guidance and support as you navigate your academic and professional endeavors.
Joining the platform is a great way to stay connected with the UTHealth Houston community and take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and resources available to you.
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APHA 2024
Annual Meeting & Expo
October 27 - 30
Registration Opens
June 7
Mark your calendars for the registration opening for the upcoming APHA Annual meeting and expo in Minneapolis, MN, on Oct 27 - 30.
Registration Link
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The ACTion Lab
Summer Book Club
Join us for a 12-week journey open to all. We will be reading the book, "What the Eyes Don't See." Access to this book is free through the TMC library. Engage in monthly meetings and bi-weekly virtual discussion boards. Please complete this form to register for the book club.
For More Information &
Registration: Link
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The Cupboard
Monday, June 10
Wednesday, June 13
Monday, June 24
Thursday, June 27
12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
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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SER Conference
June 18 - 21
Where: Austin Marriott Downtown
The Society for Epidemiologic Research will hold its annual conference on June 18 - 21 in Austin, Texas. Registration is now open.
If you would like more information, please visit 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. | | | | |
