Faculty and Students Awarded with New Honors | | |
The 2025 UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Awards honor students, faculty, and staff who exemplify excellence in their respective award categories. This year, the Department of Epidemiology students, faculty, and staff were honored in various categories.
This year's awardees include:
2025 Award for Excellence in Academic Advising: Assistant Professor Heather Essigmann, PhD
2025 Faculty Research Mentor-Mentee Awards:
Professor and Vice Chair Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, LD & Assistant Professor Jemima John, PhD
2025 James Emerson Award for Outstanding Teaching Assistant: Janica Gala, BDS
| | EPIDEMIOLOGY FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS | | New Edition of Public Health Textbook Published | |
The third edition of "Foundations of Physical Activity and Public Health" has been published. This groundbreaking textbook, featuring Assistant Professor Andrea Ramirez Varela, MD, and co-authored by the late Professor Bill Kohl, PhD, explores public health and kinesiology, physical activity measurement, and the impact of exercise on health.
The textbook uses tables, graphs, and figures to clarify complex topics, reflecting the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. It emphasizes health equity and disparities, with updated content on brain health, immunity, physical activity paradox, current activity levels for children and adolescents, and community-wide programs to increase physical activity..
| | De Moreas Honored with Kenneth Rothman Scholarship at SER Annual Meeting | |
Assistant Professor Augusto Cesar Ferreira De Moreas, PhD, has been awarded the prestigious Kenneth Rothman Scholarship to attend the Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) Annual Meeting from June 10–13, 2025, in Boston.
The scholarship will support De Moreas in participating in this important event, where he will present three abstracts focused on cardiovascular and mental health research. "I am excited to share findings from our recent work, exchange ideas with fellow researchers, and continue advancing research in these critical areas," he said.
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JPAH 2024 Article of the Year Awards
The Journal of Physical Activity and Health (JPAH) has launched its inaugural Article of the Year Awards to recognize outstanding research published in the journal. This initiative aims to publicly acknowledge leading research in the physical activity and health community, reinforcing its role in advancing the field and inspiring future researchers.
The School of Public Health was recognized in two categories.
Shortlist for Best Commentary: "The Physical Activity Policy to Practice Disconnect", co-authored by Epidemiology Assistant Professor Andrea Ramirez Varela, MD.
Winner for Best Observational Study: "Heat-Resilient Schoolyards: Relations Between Temperature, Shade, and Physical Activity of Children During Recess", co-authors include the late Epidemiology Professor Bill Kohl III, PhD, and Assistant Professor Kevin Lanza, PhD, with the Environmental & Occupational Sciences department.
| | EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS | | Congratulations to our Epidemiology PhD Graduates! | | We are proud to recognize the achievements of our new PhD graduates in Epidemiology. Their dedication and hard work have led them to significant milestones in their academic and professional journeys. Priya Thomas, PhD, and Kelly Oyer-Peterson, PhD, are also included in the list of Epidemiology PhD graduates this year, marking their significant achievements in the field. | | When Emma Bergqvist, PhD, finished her undergraduate studies on a pre-med track, she realized she was more interested in understanding health at a systemic level rather than through clinical practice. This led her to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a PhD in Epidemiology. She credits her PhD committee members, including Professor Sarah Messiah, PhD, Professor Melissa Valerio, PhD, Professor Michael Swartz, PhD, and Assistant Professor Jenil Patel, PhD, for their incredible support, guidance, and expertise through the doctoral program. After graduation, Bergqvist plans to pursue a career in public health within the healthcare industry. | |  | Lola Oluwafemi, PhD, originally from Nigeria, recognized the significant lack of data on birth defects and infant mortality risk factors in the country. This motivated Oluwafemi to study public health, particularly epidemiology. While pursuing an MPH in Health Services, an epidemiology course revealed an interest in the intersection of statistics and biology. Under the guidance of Associate Professor A.J. Agopian, PhD, Oluwafemi worked as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), discovering a passion for birth defects research. Now, with a PhD, Oluwafemi is focusing on post-doctoral research on birth defects, aiming to reduce their occurrence in Nigeria and other developing countries. | | | Aisha Khan, PhD, has always been drawn to health and science, but it wasn't until beginning work in research that the power of population-level impact became clear. Public health felt like a way to move upstream—to ask not just who gets sick, but why, and what can be done about it. That's why Khan pursued a PhD in Epidemiology at the School of Public Health. The new graduate plans to work as an implementation research scientist to bridge the gap between discovery and delivery. | | | Jennifer Aiyer, PhD, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with extensive experience in clinical nutrition, dedicated to caring for patients with acute and chronic diseases. Initially pursuing a graduate degree to enter clinical nutrition and hospital management, Aiyer discovered a passion for research, focusing on preventing chronic diseases. Collaborating with Dr. Shreela Sharma, as a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), Aiyer participated in a pilot food prescription program, reinforcing the belief in 'food as medicine'. This experience solidified her interest in the preventive and early treatment aspects of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Aiyer plans to concentrate on food prescription research in academia or industry. | | | |
Epidemiology MPH student Meghna Lama, BDS, presented new research at the SOPHE conference during the poster session. The study, co-authored by Olivia Tran and Ashna Karpe, MD candidates with McGovern Medical School, evaluated the value of culturally sensitive activities to facilitate public health education, acculturation, and connection among refugee women.
Please read more about the presentation here.
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School of Public Health students Ruchika Mahala, MPH, Katherine Joseph, MPH, and Rebekah Park, BA, teamed up to secure first place in the Healthcare Innovation Challenge case competition.
The team now moves on to competing in the 2026 National CLARION Case Competition at the University of Minnesota.
| | 2024 PhD Graduate Anayeli Herrera Morales, PhD | | |
Anayeli Herrera Morales, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in epidemiology, has an inspiring journey in public health and epidemiology. From Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca, Mexico, to her current role in translational science, her story is marked by resilience, passion, and a commitment to health equity.
Herrera Morales faced language and cultural barriers after relocating to Oklahoma at 11. Despite these challenges, she graduated as Valedictorian in high school and earned her BA in Spanish from the University of Oklahoma (OU) in 2009. Her honors thesis explored the intersection of medicine and language, analyzing social determinants of health.
Herrera Morales pursued her MPH at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), graduating in 2013. The Gates Millennium Scholarship granted her an academic deferment, allowing her hands-on public health experience before committing to a PhD program. Her cardiovascular and genetic services roles strengthened her research coordination and leadership skills.
Herrera Morales chose UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Brownsville, TX, for the PhD program in Epidemiology due to its focus on border health and commitment to addressing health disparities. As a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) and Teaching Assistant/Associate (TA), she collaborated with faculty members, including Professor Stefan Czerwinski, PhD, Associate Professor Miryoung Lee, PhD, Assistant Professor Audrey Choh, PhD, and Professor Blanca Restrepo, PhD. Under Lee's mentorship, Herrera Morales contributed to research on sleep quality, cardiometabolic health, and childhood obesity and developed her dissertation on maternal sleep disorders and health outcomes.
Currently, Herrera Morales is a postdoctoral research fellow at UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School, conducting research at the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), where she focuses on brain health and community engagement, aiming to translate scientific findings into practical solutions for underserved populations.
Herrera Morales's long-term goal is to work as a bilingual public health professional focused on reducing health disparities. She hopes to continue her career in academia and public health, mentoring future professionals and leading community-based research. Rooted in her lived experiences and public health training, a deep belief in equity and empowerment guides her work. She strives to ensure that research addresses real-world needs and uplifts the communities it serves.
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33rd James H. Steele, DVM
Annual Lecture
International Travel Vaccinations Priorities on the Two Sides of the Atlantic - Why?
by Robert Steffen, MD
Thursday, May 8
Noon - 1:00 pm
SPH Audiotorium & Virtual
Join us for the 33rd James H. Steele, DVM, fall lecture with Robert Steffen, MD, who will present his lecture, "International Travel Vaccination Priorities Differ on Two Sides of the Atlantic - Why?" in the SPH Auditorium, and the TEAMS option is available.
Free lunch for the first 40 attendees.
Register to attend here: Link
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UTHealth Houston
Brain Health Research Group
Extracellular Vesicles and Brain Health with Steven K. Malin, PhD
Thursday, May 22
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm CST
Virtual Meeting
The Stroke Institute Brain Health Research Group meets every 3rd Thursday to explore a variety of topics around brain health. Open to junior faculty, students, and fellows eager to share data, publish their findings, and kickstart their research projects.
For more information: Click here
| | 2025 School of Public Health Commencement Ceremony | |
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The 2025 School of Public Health Commencement ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 2:00 pm CDT at NRG Arena, 1 NRG Pkwy., Houston, TX 77054.
Note: All summer 2024, fall 2024, and spring 2025 graduates from all locations are eligible to participate.
For more information, please visit the Commencement website.
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TEPHI INFECTION PREVENTION
& CONTROL SEMINAR SERIES
Module 304: Healthcare Environment
May 3
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, virtual
In this module, Infection Prevention Practitioner Kayla Ruch, PhD, MPH, will cover the essentials of the Environment of Care (EOC), including key components and regulatory expectations. You'll learn how to conduct effective EOC risk assessments and gain insights into the Joint Commission (TJC) risk assessments.
Register to attend here: Link
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The Cupboard
Student Food Bank
Noon - 3:00 pm
RAS Building, B-04
Monday, May 5
Thursday, May 8
Monday, May 19
Thursday, May 22
The Cupboard is a no-cost food resource for students who may need assistance.
Location: SPH Building, Basement
Email: TheCupboard@uth.tmc.edu
| | Augusto Cesar Ferreira De Moraes, PhD, spoke to Medical News Today about a new report released by the American Heart Association that is urging a more thorough exploration of how sleep and cardiometabolic health are intertwined. | | 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 sphepi@uth.tmc.edu. | | | | |
