Karla Unger-Saldaña, MD, DSc Joins UTHealth Houston with Extensive Experience from Work in Mexico
Karla Unger-Saldaña, MD, DSc is the newest faculty member joining both the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and Institute for Implementation Science, bringing extensive experience from years working as a medical doctor and health systems researcher in Mexico. Her research focuses on the successful implementation of evidence-based cancer control programs, particularly in disadvantaged populations in Mexico.
“I am very excited to formally join UTHealth Houston,” said Unger. “For years my work in Mexico has been dedicated to understanding and overcoming the systemic barriers that delay cancer care for women in marginalized communities. This isn’t just a new position for me; it’s the ideal academic home to grow professionally and amplify the reach and effectiveness of my research. I am eager to contribute to the University’s leadership on this field.”
Unger started her career working with the Mexican Association against Breast Cancer. While there, she designed and operated programs to promote breast cancer awareness and facilitate access to cancer screening in marginalized settings across Mexico.
She later shifted to full-time research at the National Cancer Institute of Mexico, where she studied the barriers that prevent women with breast cancer from receiving timely treatment. Her research was the first to uncover the delays faced by a majority of women in Mexico before beginning cancer treatment in public health centers.
After seeing first-hand the barriers that populations from resource-constrained settings face when seeking medical care for cancer, Unger became interested in tailoring interventions to directly address the access barriers and delays faced by lower income breast cancer patients. She trained under the NCI's 2020 Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (TIDIRC) to build her skills in Dissemination and Implementation Science.
In 2023, alongside with Maria Fernandez, PhD, Vice President of Population Health and Implementation Science at UTHealth Houston and Martin Lajous, MD, ScD at the Mexican National Institute of Public Health, Unger received a grant from the NCI to increase Implementation Science research capacity in Mexico for improved cancer control. The LISTOS (Leveraging Implementation Science To Optimize Strategies) Center for Cancer Control is one of only four such NCI-funded centers worldwide, designed to bolster research capacity for implementation science in low- and middle-income countries.
As a new Assistant Professor at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and Core Faculty Member at the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science, Unger is looking forward to continuing her work on the LISTOS Center as well as new opportunities for cross-national teaching and mentoring and expanded collaborations.