Blanca Restrepo

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About

Dr. Blanca I. Restrepo earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and is currently an Professor of Epidemiology at UTHealth Houston, School of Public Health in Brownsville, Texas. She has conducted pathogenesis studies involving fungi, bacteria, and helminths, and her current research focuses on tuberculosis (TB). Bilingual and bicultural, Dr. Restrepo leads multidisciplinary studies along the Texas–Mexico border to understand the epidemiologic and biological bases for the re-emerging importance of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and aging as risk factors for TB. Current research: Dr. Restrepo pioneered the discovery of the modern re-emergence of T2D as a major risk factor for TB and was among the first to demonstrate dysfunctional immunity in TB–T2D patients. Her team has shown that the Texas–Mexico border community has one of the highest global prevalence of T2D among TB patients, with nearly 40% affected. Her long-term goals are to: - Identify strategies to stratify the millions of T2D patients at risk for TB, to improve T2D management and TB prevention. - Elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying the increased susceptibility of T2D patients to TB, as a foundation for developing host-directed therapies. - Define the biology of accelerated aging in TB patients and its implications for human aging. - Identify predictors of post-TB lung disease (PTLD) and other post-TB sequelae, including accelerated cognitive decline. - Develop simplified, field-appropriate methods for TB diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing suitable for use in resource-limited settings. - Determine the impact of TB on mental health, including depression and anxiety

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Center Affiliation

Hispanic Health Research Center

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