Noted epidemiologist, Kari North, PhD, joins CCTS leadership
The Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences is thrilled to welcome Kari North, PhD, to its leadership team within its community engagement and special populations research component. Hailing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North is a highly respected genetic epidemiologist, having actively collaborated in the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC) Research Consortium at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Brownsville for the past eight years. In her new role as director of the Border Health Research Center and vice president of border health at the School of Public Health, North will work directly with CCHC co-founders, Joseph McCormick, MD, and Sue Fisher-Hoch, MD, to develop initiatives and strategic partnerships to advance scientific discovery, promote innovation, and improve public health in the U.S.-Mexico border region.
McCormick and Fisher-Hoch have grown the CCHC since its inception in 2004 to become a nationally recognized program in Hispanic health. Based on a community participatory model employing local staff, the program brings state-of-the-art health research to serve the Lower Rio Grande Valley. North will help expand the program along the border to eventually reach El Paso. “We have enjoyed the tremendous intelligent and collegial collaboration of Dr. North over the past several years, bringing new scientific power to the CCTS and to Texas residents,” McCormick said. “We are all grateful that she has agreed to take over the program and bring her expertise and experience to enhance health research along our border,” added Fisher-Hoch.
On joining the CCTS leadership team and working with McCormick and Fisher-Hoch, North stated, “Joe and Sue have developed a distinctive, high-profile program in Brownsville aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the major health challenges affecting the border region. For the past twenty-three years, they have devoted themselves to this community and to advancing public health in the area. It is a true privilege to join their team, and I am enthusiastic about the promising future of our program.”
Read more about Kari North joining the School of Public Health.