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Center for Healthy Living Staff

Heather Atteberry, MPH
Administrative Manager
Sarah Bentley, MPH
Research Coordinator II
Melissa Campos-Hernandez, MPH
Research Coordinator II
Benjamin Cristol, MPH
Research Assistant III
Melisa Portuondo Danho, MPH, RD
Program Coordinator
Liv George
Communication Specialist
Diana Guevara, MPH, RD, LD
Community Health Education Specialist
Rachel Linton
Administrative Coordinator
Raja Malkani
Research Assistant II
Kathleen Manuel, MPH
Senior Research Associate
Amelia McClellan
Research Associate
Tiffni Menendez, MPH
Senior Program Manager
Tosa Nixon
Academic and Admissions Advisor II
Felisa Ruiz, MPH
Research Assistant II
Richard Tandaju
Research Assistant III
Marcel Washington
Senior Support Assistant
Dolores Woods, MA, RDN, LD
Nutritionist Supervisor

David Jacob "DJ" Badillo, MPH
Research Assistant III
Meagan Bluestein, MPH
Research Assistant III
Barbara Cosart, MPH, MLIS
Grants & Contracts Specialist
Greg Curtiss
Senior Grants & Contracts Specialist
Martha Diaz Marin
Research Assistant II
Alejandra Gonzalez
Research Associate
Arnold Kuk
Research Assistant II
Sarah Macias, MPH
Research Assistant II
Dale Mantey, PhD, MPA
Research Coordinator
Pablo Martinez
Programmer Analyst II
Heidi McPherson, MPH
Senior Project Manager
Aida Nielsen, MPH
Research Coordinator I
Marion Rivers
Senior Administrative Coordinator
Carolyn Smith
Research Coordinator III
Randy Taylor
Systems & Applications Specialist II
Jayme Wood
Executive Assistant

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CHPPR Partners with United 2-1-1 to Survey Texans about COVID-19 Behaviors

Two of the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research’s COVID-19 projects are working with United Way of Greater Texas 2-1-1 telephone hotline to deliver a telephone-based survey of Texans about COVID-19 testing and vaccination behaviors. This collaboration will provide insights that can guide the development of future COVID-19 interventions.
Read more CHPPR Partners with United 2-1-1 to Survey Texans about COVID-19 Behaviors
Shen on AAPI Month and Representation in Public Health

"Asian Americans are celebrated as indispensable threads in the American social fabric. Their invaluable, manifold contributions deserve to be highlighted," says Gordon Shen, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health at UTHealth School of Public Health.

As we celebrate and commemorate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we interviewed Shen on how his ethnicity has impacted his research and career, and how Americans can continue to honor and understand disparities and differences within cultures.

Read more Shen on AAPI Month and Representation in Public Health
Tsai serves as guest editor for American Psychological Association Journals, Limited Special Series on, “The Psychology of Resilience"

Published in April 2022, each of the four journals covers a specific focus on different areas of study in resilience research including Psychological Services, Healthy Psychology, Military Psychology, and Psychological Trauma. Serving as lead guest editor, Tsai oversaw the print and publication of all four special journal issues.
Read more Tsai serves as guest editor for American Psychological Association Journals, Limited Special Series on, “The Psychology of Resilience"
CHPPR Research Study Tests Text-Message-Based Intervention for Sexual and Gender Minority Smokers

CHPPR’s SmokefreeSGM research study is a text-messaging-based intervention designed to help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people quit smoking cigarettes. The study aims to develop and test a sexual and gender minority (SGM) tailored text-based program and examine recruitment, retention, and smoking abstinence rates at 1, 3, and 6 months of follow-up.
Read more CHPPR Research Study Tests Text-Message-Based Intervention for Sexual and Gender Minority Smokers
Alumni Benedicta Anikputa appointed by Governor Abbott to the Chronic Kidney Disease Task Force

Alongside other task force members, Anikputa will coordinate the design and implementation of the state’s plan for the prevention, early screening, diagnosis, and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Read more Alumni Benedicta Anikputa appointed by Governor Abbott to the Chronic Kidney Disease Task Force
“How Good Food Works from Seed to Plate,” Earns Distinction with Multiple Awards

The award-winning cookbook is a hardcover 282-page book that tells the remarkable story of the UTHealth School of Public Health’s Nourish Program. The book is a journey that starts with a 5,000-square foot garden and offers dozens of beautifully illustrated recipes grouped by fruit, flowers, seeds, tubers, spices, stems, and shoots.
Read more “How Good Food Works from Seed to Plate,” Earns Distinction with Multiple Awards
Patient Empowerment and Engagement to Improve Chronic Illness, as Published in JAMA Network Open

Published in May of 2022 in the JAMA Network Open, the article “Comparison of Collaborative Goal Setting With Enhanced Education for Managing Diabetes-Associated Distress and Hemoglobin A1c Levels” was published, with contributions by Aanand Naik, MD, professor, and chair for the Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health as the senior investigator and corresponding author.
Read more Patient Empowerment and Engagement to Improve Chronic Illness, as Published in JAMA Network Open
CHPPR Collaborates with the Montrose Center on Innovative Treatment Program

The Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research is collaborating with a Houston-based nonprofit, the Montrose Center, to implement and evaluate an integrated treatment program, the Enhanced Integrated Treatment Program with Sexual Health in Recovery (EITP-SHIR).
Read more CHPPR Collaborates with the Montrose Center on Innovative Treatment Program
Khoei, MD/MPH student, is the recipient of the 2022 U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award

This national award is given to students who advance the USPHS’ mission of delivering health promotion and disease prevention programs to all Americans.
Read more Khoei, MD/MPH student, is the recipient of the 2022 U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award
Alumni Feature: Fatima Frausto, MPH

The SPH Career and Alumni Services is featuring alumni in the series called “From the Desks of SPH Alumni!” Alumni are invited to share 3 items, ideas, or elements that define their workspace and daily life as a public health professional.
Read more Alumni Feature: Fatima Frausto, MPH

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