Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research

Conducting research to develop, evaluate and disseminate health promotion and disease prevention programs in diverse settings and populations.

A CDC Prevention Research Center

The Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research (CHPPR) is proud to be the only CDC Prevention Research Center (PRC) in the state of Texas. As one of 26 PRCs nationwide, CHPPR is part of a collaborative network of research centers focused on the study of how people and communities can avoid or counter the risks for chronic illnesses, particularly among underserved populations.

Our mission is to conduct research to develop, evaluate, and disseminate health promotion and disease prevention programs in diverse settings and populations. We leverage the substantial experience and expertise of our faculty and staff and employ cutting edge models and frameworks to accelerate the adoption and implementation of sustainable evidence-based interventions.

CHPPR PRC Logo correct color - no border

Featured News

CHPPR Researchers Evaluating Cost Effectiveness of Proven Epilepsy Program in New Study

A new study by CHPPR researchers aims to evaluate the economic feasibility of the evidence-based Management Information & Decision Support Epilepsy Tool (MINDSET) in community and healthcare settings.
Meet Aubree Shay, PhD, a faculty member in San Antonio and co-founder of the AYA STAR lab

Aubree Shay, PhD, is an associate professor at the San Antonio location of UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. She’s been a faculty member in the department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences since she joined the school in 2016.
$2.93 million Grant Aims to Increase Adoption and Implementation of Sexual Health EBPs in Texas Schools through Web-based Implementation Strategy

Investigators at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health have been awarded $2.93 million by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to evaluate iCHAMPSS 2.0, a first-of-its-kind web-based implementation strategy designed to help schools adopt, implement, and maintain evidence-based programs (EBPs) to improve adolescent sexual health.
Improving health outcomes of underserved patients living with cancer focus of $4.8M grant to UTHealth Houston

An intervention study to improve outcomes for cancer survivors and enhance primary care capacity, funded with a $4.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, will be implemented by UTHealth Houston researchers in partnership with eight Texas primary care community health centers that treat under- and uninsured patients.

News Archive

Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research

Conducting research to develop, evaluate and disseminate health promotion and disease prevention programs in diverse settings and populations.

A CDC Prevention Research Center

Featured News

New Culinary Medicine Program Aims to Improve Health of Patients At-risk for Diabetes and Obesity-related Cancers

New Study Focuses on Whole-of-School Physical Activity Opportunities and their Impact on Student Performance

CHPPR Investigators Publish New Study on Childbirth after Cancer

Personalized Food and Nutrition Strategies for Patient Care

Epidemiology Seminar

Dissertation proposal defense by Alexander Devora, MPH: Using Machine Learning to Predict Food Insecurity from Survey Data in Bexa

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Jingwen Deng: Spatial Heterogeneous Compositional Regression via Geo-Weighted Penalization

The Status of Child Health in Texas: Results from the Texas SPAN 2021-2023 Survey

ACTion Lab Film Series: Cesar’s Last Fast

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Yajie Liu, MPH: Bayesian tensor regressions for Alzheimer's disease prediction and brain changes.

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Yang Liu, MS: Advancing Biomarker Discovery through Graph-based Learning

Dissertation Defense by Priscila D. Garza, MS: Parents and Youth Vaping Prevention

Dissertation Defense by Taylor Castillo, MHA: Evaluating the Trends in Adolescent Anxiety & Depression Visits in Primary Care

Dissertation Defense by Xinran Huang, MPH: Clinical Trial Design and Biomarker Evaluation with Multivariate Survival Data

Dissertation Defense by Xinran Huang, MPH: Clinical Trial Design and Biomarker Evaluation with Multivariate Survival Data

Regional Lunch & Learn -DSHS Region 8 & UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Giselle Day, MPH: Understanding Sociodemoographic Inequities in the HIV Care Continuum Among Wome

Dissertation defense by Melissa Cruz,MPH: Effectiveness of a Meal Delivery Program on Social Connectedness in Veteran Older Adults

Dissertation Defense by Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, MA, MPH: Exploring Social Determinant of Health Factors in the Borderlands

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Weilu Zhao: Discovering HIV Symptom Patterns Using Electronic Health Records Through Topic Model

Dissertation Defense by Kelly Oyer-Peterson, JD, MPH: Health and Health Behaviors by Occupation Among Employed Houston Residents

Dissertation Defense by Mike Henson-Garcia: A Parent-Centered Inquiry Into the Promotion of Secure Firearm Storage in the Home

Thesis Presentation by Wanru Guo, MSc: Statistical and Machine Learning Approaches in Modeling Treatment Discontinuation in MOUD

EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION IN ADULTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (

Dissertation Defense by Can Li, MS: Statistical and Machine Learning Methods on Healthcare Equity Modeling

Dissertation Defense by Andrew Say, MBA: Mental Health and Well-Being of Minority Entrepreneurs

National Public Health Week Kickoff with Ella Coffee

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Lulu Song, MS: Enhancing Early Cancer Detection Through Biomarkers and Machine Learning Models

Thesis Presentation by Gracie Hufft, BS: Investigating the Genetic Drivers of Obesity: A Biostatistical Analysis of Rai1,

National Public Health Week: Conversation with Dean Boerwinkle

In-Person Lunch & Learn Around the World: Stems & Shoots

Grad Fair- Commencement Regalia

National Public Health Week: Pitch Perfect: Practice Day Edition

Dissertation Defense by Hei Kit Chan, MS: Impact of HIV on COVID-19 Disease Dynamics via CTMC Models and Cox PH Models

Dissertation Defense by Emma Bergqvist, MPH: Pediatric long COVID- Associations of SDOH at the Household Level

Dissertation Defense by Tiffany Suragh, MPH: Impact of Cancer on Reproductive Outcomes of Black Adolescent and Young Adult Women

National Public Health Week: Blood Drive with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center

Dissertation Defense by Jennifer Aiyer, MS, MPH, RDN: Food Prescription Programming: an Evaluation of Health Outcomes, Patient Per

UTHealth Houston Population Health Symposium

Thesis Presentation by Mia Aguirre, BA: Performance of The 1st Generation Plate Test to Detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Drug

Dissertation Defense by Sori Lundin: Deep Learning in Dynamic Prediction of Multivariate Longitudinal and Survival Data

Dissertation Defense by Aisha Khan, MHA: A Spatial Assessment of TRI Site Exposure and Uterine Cancer Disparities in Texas

Dissertation Defense by Aisha Khan, MHA: A Spatial Assessment of TRI Site Exposure and Uterine Cancer Disparities in Texas

DSHS Region 6/5S Spring 2025 Workshop

Carmel Dyer, MD, Lecture Series hosted by UTHealth Houston Institute on Aging

Institute on Aging Lecture Series

Health Innovations in the Rice-TMC Ecosystem

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Yura Lee, MS: Multi-Omics Insights into Molecular Pathways from Lung to Heart Health

33rd Annual Steele Lecture with Robert Steffen, MD