White House Challenge to End Hunger Approves Center for Health Equity Innovative Commitments to Food Is Medicine | |
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Three commitments to improve food security, diet quality, and health outcomes for vulnerable communities, made by the School of Public Health Center for Health Equity in partnership with local and national organizations, have been approved as part of the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities.
The challenge, sent to national organizations by invitation only, is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
The commitments include referrals to social services, produce prescriptions for children, and produce prescriptions for high-risk pregnant mothers:
- Produce prescriptions for children through school-based health centers with Brighter Bites
- Produce prescriptions for high-risk pregnant mothers
- Closed-loop referral to improve technology capacity of care coordination for social determinants of health
“We expect these three commitments to create a strong technology infrastructure to improve care coordination between health care and social services for all social determinants of health and rapidly implement and scale evidence-based strategies for Food Is Medicine approaches statewide and nationally,” said Shreela Sharma, PhD, RD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Epidemiology, and director of the Center for Health Equity, who is co-leading all three strategies alongside school faculty and staff, as well as local and national partners.
You can read more about the White House End Hunger Challenge here.
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EPIDEMIOLOGY FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS | |
Study Reveals Link Between Sexual Minority Identity and Stroke Risk | |
The new study, "Comparing Stroke Risk Factors among Sexual Minority Groups in Texas," published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, sheds light on the intersection of sexual minority identity and stroke risk, offering valuable insights into public health strategies in Texas for these vulnerable groups.
Assistant Professor Irene Tami-Maury, DrPH, leads the Health Equity Research Group. Tami-Maury is the principal investigator for this study, and epidemiology graduate students Brittany Krenek, MPH, and Samuel Tundealo, MPH, are all co-first authors.
The study was conducted with Neurology Professor Sean Savitz, MD, and Associate Professor Jennifer Beauchamp, PhD, RN, from the UTHealth Houston Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases.
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FiMAP: Accelerating Complex Trait Genetic Mapping in Large Cohorts | |
Study Reveals Guideline-Directed Therapy Underutilized by Female Patients | |
A new study published in the AHA Journal Circulation found that female patients with heart failure have lowered use of guideline-directed therapy compared to male patients.
The study analyzed newly diagnosed heart failure patients from the 2016 to 2020 Optum deidentified Clinformatics Data Mart Database and found that guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMTs) crucial for treatment were underutilized, particularly among women.
Overall, the study emphasizes the low utilization of essential heart failure treatments and underscores the importance of addressing these disparities through targeted implementation efforts to improve the initiation and titration of GDMTs.
The study was published by co-first author
Luyu Xie, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow, is co-author Sarah Messiah, PhD, Professor with the Department of Epidemiology.
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New Study Explores Barriers and Facilitators for Physical Activity in Older Latino Adults | |
Adults 50 years and older are one of the most inactive groups in the United States.
A new study explores the barriers and facilitators of leisure-time physical activity in older Latino adults.
Professor Steven Kelder, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Associate Professor Andrew Springer, PhD, Department of Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences, and others found the main barriers were family and work commitments, perceived safety, and perceived discrimination. While facilitators for participation were socialization into a group, social connectedness, and exercise history.
The study, "Identifying Factors That Influence Physical Activity and Healthy Aging Among Older Latino Adults," was recently published in Health Education & Behavior.
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EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS | |
A Journey into Public Health | |
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Henal Gandhi, MPH, MDS, recently graduated from the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health with a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology. She completed her MDS in Pediatric Dentistry in India in 2018 and practiced in Qatar for two years before moving to the U.S. to earn her MPH.
But dentistry wasn't the obvious career path at first. "It wasn't my top career choice. I was nudged into this profession by my family," Gandhi reflects.
The dire effects of neglected oral health in underserved communities prompted Gandhi to focus on preventive healthcare. "My interest deepened in pediatric epidemiology and maternal and child health," she notes.
Through rigorous academic training and innovative research, Gandhi aimed to address the complex health challenges vulnerable populations face.
You can read more about Gandhi's MPH journey here.
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Alumna appointed Dean of School of Public Health and Information Sciences at the University of Louisville | |
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Alumna Kathryn Cardarelli, PhD, MPH, was appointed Dean of the School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS) at the University of Louisville.
Cardarelli, a 2004 UTHealth Houston School of Public Health graduate, succeeds School of Public Health alumnus and former Dean of SPHIS Craig Blakely, PhD, MPH.
Cardarelli obtained her PhD with a concentration in epidemiology at UTHealth Houston and acknowledged this as the cornerstone of launching her successful career as a researcher, professor, and Dean. "My PhD was foundational to my career in academic public health, and the diverse exposure to transdisciplinary science was integral to my development," said Cardarelli.
In her role as Dean of SPHIS, Cardarelli aspires to advance the school's development by promoting innovative research and fostering academic partnerships to leverage the school's impact. She aims to adopt the perspective of her faculty, staff, students, and alum network to gain insight into their priorities and incorporate them in the school's growth.
Check out the full news article here.
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8th Annual
Hot Topics in Aging
Tuesday, March 5
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Join us for a full day of an interprofessional educational program.
Get ready to dive into the latest topics in the comprehensive geriatric approach to bone health & wellness.
Where: Cooley Life Center
Registration Link
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Epi PhD Student Association
Information Session
Monday, March 4
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
The Epidemiology PhD Student Association will be hosting 3 faculty from various Centers within the Department of Epidemiology. Each faculty member will speak about their research for 20 minutes. This event is open to all students, faculty, and staff.
Where: RAS E605
In-Person & Virtual Options
Registration Link
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2024 School of Public Health Commencement Ceremony
The 2024 School of Public Health Commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 10:00 am CDT at NRG Center, 1 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77054.
Note: All summer 2023, fall 2023, and spring 2024 graduates from all campuses are eligible to participate.
Please visit the School of Public Health Commencement page for more information.
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12th Annual Global
Health Conference
April 6, 2024
8:00 am - 7:00 pm
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The Houston Global Health Collaborative invites you to the 12th annual conference, "Global Health Diplomacy: Shaping Policies for Global Health Impact."
Where: University of Houston
Registration for Conference
Call for Student Abstracts for the 12th annual Global Health Conference: HGHC invites all persons wishing to report global health research, innovative projects, or novel programs to submit abstracts for consideration to be presented at our 12th Annual Conference
Abstracts Submissions Guidelines here.
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The Cupboard
March 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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Center for Health Equity Summer Intensive Fellowship - Development Survey
The Center for Health Equity (CHE)is excited to develop a health equity summer fellowship to launch in the summer of 2024. CHE aims to create an interdisciplinary experience that immerses fellows in multimodal learning approaches, including foundational health equity seminars, simulation activities, community field experiences, career development workshops, and mentored research activities. This fellowship experience requires a 20-hour commitment from early June to mid-August. This survey is designed to gather student input as CHE creates and launches a summer fellowship experience that best meets our students' preferences.
Click here to complete the survey. Please direct any questions to Jemima John, PhD, MPH.
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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. | | | | |
