Welcome to Ask the Expert, a UTHealth Houston news series in which leading experts examine pressing health challenges. In this edition, we address National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day.
For alumna Taylor Downs, MPH ‘26, her journey to studying at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health began with her love of fitness, a parental connection to healthcare, and a new perspective on what it means to prioritize health.
Risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, a health condition made up of heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity, can be identified in children as young as 8, UTHealth Houston researchers discovered.
Recent graduate Jennifer L. Thompson, PhD, MPH, has completed the epidemiology doctoral program at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and is taking the next step in a career dedicated to research, teaching, and improving public health.
June 17, 2026
UTHealth Houston announced today a partnership with the city of Houston to establish a new academic health department that will strengthen the region’s public health workforce, expand hands-on training opportunities, and deepen collaboration between academic experts and city health leaders.
June 10, 2026
Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, LD, vice chair and professor in the Department of Epidemiology at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, has been named a 2026 fellow of the American Heart Association.
June 9, 2026
Alexander Testa, PhD, associate professor in San Antonio, has been studying gun safety for years, and this year, in collaboration with Bexar County’s Bexar Responsibly Campaign Testa helped provide the data and structure for a brand new gun theft dashboard that the county is hoping will help residents understand the scope of the problem.
June 3, 2026
Ru-Jye (Lindi) Chuang, DrPH, MS, was recently awarded the Outstanding Research Award for Community Engagement from the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), a global community that promotes diet and physical activity research to improve health. This award recognizes Chuang’s groundbreaking, community-facing research that explores the impact and effectiveness of various nutrition interventions in pediatric populations.
June 3, 2026
Emily Lemon, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences in Brownsville and faculty member at the Center for Healthy Communities, is dedicated to advancing youth mental health through community-engaged research that centers young people as partners in the research process.
May 28, 2026
For Jiaming Liang, PhD, the path into dementia research did not begin in a lab, but in a deeply personal place. Witnessing a family member live with the devastating effects of dementia left a lasting impression, one that would ultimately shape his career and drive his commitment to improving care for others facing the same reality.
May 15, 2026
Houston, TX — UTHealth Houston School of Public Health has been selected to represent The University of Texas (UT) System in a new statewide initiative, the Texas Rural Hospital Officers Academy, designed to strengthen financial leadership and long-term stability of rural hospitals across Texas.
May 13, 2026
LASSO-TX (Lactation and Safe Sleep Opportunities in Texas) is a hospital-based quality improvement initiative of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB), in collaboration with the Texas Department of State Health Services.
May 11, 2026
This spring 2026, Mackenzie Senn, MPH, prepares to graduate with a Doctor of Philosophy in epidemiology from UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
May 8, 2026
Qian Xiao, PhD, associate professor in Epidemiology, has been named a 2026-2027 U.S. Fulbright Program Scholar, a prestigious honor that supports international collaboration in research and education.
