Congratulations to our Recent Doctoral Graduates

Congratulations to this year’s doctoral graduates from the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health! These graduates have devoted years of work to both academic training and advancing public health research.

Several of the 2025 graduates have been involved in research projects led by faculty at the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research (CHPPR), gaining hands-on experience while contributing to ongoing initiatives in a broad range of topics, from epilepsy self-management and chronic disease control to cancer survivorship care and firearm injury prevention. We are proud to celebrate their accomplishments and look forward to the positive impact they will continue to make in the field of public health!

Katarzyna Czerniak, MLA, MPH, PhD

Faculty:

• Ross Shegog, PhD
• Youngran Kim, PhD
• Robert Addy, PhD
• Sahiti Myneni, PhD, MSE
• Refugio Sepulveda, DrPH, MPH, MPA (University of Arizona)

Katarzyna Czerniak, MLA, MPH, PhD is Research Director of the MINDSET program at the University of Texas School of Public Health. MINDSET is a web-based tool for increasing adherence to epilepsy self-management (ESM) skills among people with epilepsy that also provides linkage to more targeted epilepsy programs as well as resources for addressing social determinants that may be negatively impacting ESM. Her research focus is on epilepsy self-management, substance use disorders, and digital behavioral change interventions.

Dr. Czerniak also has a passion for writing and editing and received her MLA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston after which she began working at MD Anderson Cancer Center developing written content for technology-based tobacco prevention and cessation programs aimed at youth and young adults. Katarzyna developed an avid interest in applying technology to improve public health after doing such work for many years and decided to continue her studies. She completed her MPH in Health Promotion from the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and recently received her Ph.D. in Behavioral Science in May 2025.

Dr. Czerniak focused her dissertation research on assessing substance use behaviors among people with epilepsy titled “Epilepsy Self-Management: An exploration of Cannabis Use Disorder Prevalence, Substance Use Factors, and Decision Support Usability among Patients with Epilepsy.” She analyzed administrative healthcare data from commercially insured patients across the United States to determine prevalence rates of cannabis use disorders among this vulnerable population and its associated risk factors, assessed associations between tobacco use behaviors and various social determinants among a sample of epilepsy patients enrolled in a trial to test the efficacy of an epilepsy self-management tool, and analyzed the usability of MINDSETPlus, a newly upgraded version of MINDSET with the potential to link high risk epilepsy patients to substance use cessation programs and resources.

Mike Garcia, PhD, MPH

Faculty:

• Marlyn Allicock, PhD, MPH
• Melissa Peskin, PhD
• Ross Shegog, PhD
• Sandra McKay, MD, FAAP
• Belinda Hernandez, PhD, MPH
• Katelyn Jetelina, PhD

Mike Garcia, PhD’s research investigates how identity, culture, and communication shape firearm safety behaviors among diverse populations. As a mixed-methods researcher, he employs both quantitative and qualitative approaches to understand behavioral drivers and develop interventions that are respectful, effective, and grounded in participants' lived experiences. His dissertation research focuses specifically on firearm-owning parents and caregivers in Texas, examining the factors that influence their secure storage decisions and identifying approaches to support safer practices without judgment or stigma. Specifically, in his dissertation, he employed several methodologies to answer these research questions including structural equation modeling to analyze relationships between parenting beliefs and storage behaviors, social media analysis to explore public discourse surrounding parenting and firearms, and cognitive interviewing to evaluate the persuasiveness of visual advertisements and messaging strategies. Ultimately, this work is anchored in the premise that firearm injury prevention can be advanced through culturally relevant, identity-informed public health interventions that acknowledge and respect the diverse perspectives within firearm-owning communities.

Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, DrPH

Faculty:

• Belinda Reininger, DrPH, MPH
• Shreela Sharma, PhD, RD, LD
• Sheryl McCurdy, PhD, MA
• Minjae Lee, PHD

Born in Mexico City, Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, DrPH’s background in journalism and community organizing led her to the Rio Grande Valley to work with Central American refugees. With advanced degrees in public health and international development, she has also managed job training and adult education programs for the Philadelphia Empowerment Zone, returning Texas where she co-founded a binational Community Health Worker project and managed school-based health centers. For two decades she has led community engagement research efforts at the University of Texas Houston School of Public Health in Brownsville. She manages programs and partnerships to address health disparities and deliver evidence-based strategies to prevent and control chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and depression/anxiety.  One successful initiative, "Tu Salud !Si Cuenta!" works with 8 municipalities and county precincts in the region to implement community health worker led behavior and environmental change initiatives. She also co-facilitates a 22-year running Collaborative Action Board (CAB) dedicated to promoting health equity in the Rio Grande Valley region.

Mitchell-Bennett has served as the President of the Board of the Brownsville Wellness Coalition and also serves on the board of Friendship of Women and Valley Baptist Medical Center. Mitchell-Bennett loves her beautiful border community of Brownsville where she and her husband have raised their 3 children.

Catherine Pulicken, PhD, MHA

Faculty:

• Lara Savas, PhD
• Bijal A. Balasubramanian, MBBS, PhD
• Maria E. Fernandez, PhD
• William Perkison, MD, MPH
• LaShara Davis, PhD (Houston Methodist)

Catherine Pulicken, PhD, MHA is a seasoned public health and healthcare administration professional with over nine years of experience leading research programs, managing multidisciplinary teams, and advancing quality improvement initiatives. Her research centers on patient engagement, chronic disease prevention and management, and optimizing healthcare delivery systems.

Her doctoral dissertation explored the clinical adoption and implementation of self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring from a patient-centered perspective, with a focus on hypertensive African American and Black adults receiving care at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) and a primary care clinic in the Greater Houston area. The study underscored the importance of integrating patient-centered strategies into clinical practice to improve adherence and health outcomes.

Tiffany Suragh, PhD, MPH

Faculty:

• Caitlin Murphy, PhD, MPH (University of Chicago)
• Laura Aubree Shay, PhD
• Marlyn Allicock, PhD, MPH

Tiffany Suragh, PhD, MPH’s research was focused on cancer health disparities, and specifically, cancer prevention and cancer survivorship among minority and underserved populations. Applying quantitative and qualitative research methods, her dissertation examined the impact of cancer diagnosis and treatment on reproductive and birth outcomes of Black adolescent and young adult women.