Research Fellows Program
The College of Health Professions (COHP) at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is dedicated to enhancing the institutional capacity to conduct biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and translational research that is aligned with UTRGV’s goal to achieve an emerging research university designation. To that end, the Research Fellows Program is a 3-year program designed to provide participating faculty members with the skills, knowledge, and support to develop and advance their research agendas and to enhance their competitiveness in securing external funding.
The 3- year program supports three faculty cohorts. The first year includes monthly informational sessions that connect faculty with different university resources and with other faculty who have been successful at securing grant funding; the second year provides funding support for pilot projects to generate preliminary data; the third year is dedicated to the submission of a grant.
GOAL: Provide faculty with the resources, guidance, and mentorship to:
- Outline a road map for their research and professional development (individual development plan)
- Navigate the grant writing and submission process at the institutional and funding agency levels
- Introduce fellows to the different teams and colleagues involved in supporting external funding at UTRGV
- Provide guidance on grant application components with special focus on the National Institutes of Health
TOOLS AND RESOURCES
- Guest speakers
- UTRGV personnel involved in the grant writing and submission process
- Faculty who have been successful at securing grant funding
- Informational sessions with guidance on select grant application components
- Blackboard platform: COHP Research Fellows Program, modules on various grant funding resources
- The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook (NIH, NSF, USDA, any other agency version)
- Grant writing training programs (e.g., Grant Dynamo) – subject to funding availability
GOAL: Provide faculty with the resources, guidance, and mentorship to conduct a pilot project to generate preliminary data and to strengthen research dissemination record.
TOOLS AND RESOURCES
- Seed funding for a pilot research project
- Informational sessions with guidance on the grant application components
- Writing milestones
- Guest speakers
- Faculty who have been successful at securing grant funding
- Blackboard platform: COHP Research Fellows Program, modules on various grant funding resource
GOAL: Provide faculty with the resources, guidance, and mentorship to write and submit a grant application
TOOLS AND RESOURCES
- Writing milestones
- Mock review session
- Stipend/honoraria support for internal and external reviewers
- Additional seed funding, subject to availability
- Blackboard platform: COHP Research Fellows Program, modules on various grant funding resources
APPLICATION PROCESS
Each August, a Request for Applications is issued with two program entry points:
Year 1 entry is open to all COHP tenured, tenure-track and three-year faculty members, including clinical appointments.
Year 2 entry is open to former COHP Research Fellows or COHP tenured, tenure-track and three-year faculty members, including clinical appointments, with demonstrated grant writing experience.
COHP RESEARCH FELLOWS
RESEARCH FELLOWS 2023-2024
- Dahlia Cavazos Castillo, Occupational Therapy
- Research interests: Scholarship of teaching and learning within the profession of occupational therapy: This includes both simulated learning in occupational therapy and community-engaged teaching and learning.
- Rocio Cavazos, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Research interests: Hearing healthcare approaches, applications, protocols, and successful treatments, including social, psychological, and medical factors affecting active hearing communication in patients of all ages (specially in ethnic groups).
- Nathalie Chacon, Physician Assitant Studies
- Research interests:
- Wen-Pin Chang, Occupational Therapy
- Research interests: (1) To elucidate the intricate relationship between mental health and autism spectrum disorders (ASD); (2) To enhance ASD’s mental health and well-being; (3) To examine the negative impact of mental health issues in autism on their families and caregivers and develop strategies to ameliorate the adverse effects on them.
- Kim Loan Nguyen Finn, Rehabilitation Services and Counseling:
- Research interests:
- Karla Garza, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Research interests: Child language disorders, cultural competence and responsiveness, bilingual speech and language assessment and intervention issues.
- Herminio Guajardo, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Research interests:
- Corey Hawes, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Reserach interests: Pediatric nutrition with an emphasis on clinical pediatric nutrition, specifically in body composition or cancer in its relationship with pediatric nutrition.
- Cherity Ysquierdo, Health & Biomedical Sciences
- Hongxing Lu, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Research interests: (1) Effects of psychological stress on body weight, diet habits, and physical activity behavior; (2) Physiological risk factors for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Patricia Longoria, Health and Biomedical Sciences
Lou Rutigliano, Occupational Therapy
Kendra Stine, Health and Human Performance
Cherity Ysquierdo, Health and Biomedical Sciences
Brian Cheslik, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Daniela Gill, Health and Biomedical Sciences
Assraa Jassim, Health and Biomedical Sciences
Hongxing Lu, Health and Biomedical Sciences
Soo Yoo, Health and Human Performance
Samuel Buchannan, Health and Human Performance
Rommel Johnson, Rehabilitation Services and Counseling
Lisa Salinas, Health and Biomedical Sciences
Chun Xu, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Brian Cheslik, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Research interests: Deaf Studies, including American Sign Language (ASL), ASL Interpreting, Deaf Queer studies, Deaf education, and Deaf performing arts
- Roel Garcia, Occupational Therapy
- Research interests: Investigating student perceptions of their level of competence in using assistive technology service (ATS) in a Doctor of Occupational Therapy program with the goal of informing a new course design dedicated to evidence-based assistive technology (AT) practice.
- Daniela Gill, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Research interests: Early clinical laboratory detection of type 2 diabetes in the asymptomatic Hispanic population with discrepant laboratory results: Investigating whether discrepancies in diabetes screening laboratory methods (e.g., Hb1Ac and fasting plasma glucose) could hinder early intervention in the at-risk asymptomatic Hispanic population.
- Assraa Jassim, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Research interests: Investigating the cross talk between mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration during glaucoma and Alzheimer's disease.
- Hongxing Lu, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Research interests: (1) Effects of psychological stress on body weight, diet habits, and physical activity behavior; (2) Physiological risk factors for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
- Thelma Ochoa, Occupational Therapy
- Research interests: Understanding how sensory gardens can affect the mental health of students in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) and /or Hospice clients and their families.
- Ralph Schuster, Rehabilitation Services and Counseling
- Research interests: Primary research interest: Empirical evaluation of the validity of common practices used in clinical mental health and rehabilitation counseling. Secondary research interest: Imaging techniques used in cognitive neuroscience.
- Juanita Acevedo, Nursing
- Eva-Maria Anger, Occupational Therapy
- Samuel Buchanan, Health and Human Performance
- Rommel Johnson, Rehabilitation Services and Counseling
- Lisa Salinas, Nutritional Sciences
- Chun Xu, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Ruth Crutchfield, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Tracia Forman, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Susheelabai Srinivasa, Social Work
- Jessica Stewart, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Juanita Acevedo, Nursing
- Eva-Maria Anger, Occupational Therapy
- Joy Barros, Health and Human Performance
- Rommel Johnson, Rehabilitation Services and Counseling
- Melinda Rodriguez, Nursing
- Lisa Salinas, Nutritional Sciences
- Ruth Crutchfield, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Tracia Forman, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Susheelabai Srinivasa, Social Work
- Jessica Stewart, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Bassent Abdelbary, Physician Assistant Studies
- Jameela Banu, Nutritional Sciences
- Sue Anne Chew, Biomedical Science
- Alejandro Lopez-Juarez, Biomedical Science
- George Ndeta, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
- Dr. Samuel Buchanan, Health and Human Performance
- Studying the genetic dysregulation of the aging diseases, osteoporosis and sarcopenia. How various modalities of exercise act to attenuate the progression of aging diseases.
- Dr. Ruth Crutchfield, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Awareness and knowledge of ASD in Hispanic communities and current diagnostic practices
- Mr. Ivan Figueroa, Health and Human Performance
- Obesity prevention, treatment, and maintenance through the reduction of cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk factors in Hispanic males: Mr. Figueroa would like to incorporate theories of behavior to increase self-efficacy, provide social support (using technology).
- Dr. Saara Grizzell, Rehabilitation Services & Counseling
- Patient-focused research measures within mental health and vocational rehabilitation settings (e.g., the impact of utilizing quality assurance measures throughout the course of treatment upon the symptom distress, social role functioning, mental health, and employment outcomes of individuals who have mental health issues/disabilities). Other areas of interest include group counseling; the International Classification of Functioning; the Outcome Questionnaire-45; and working with adults who have acquired brain injuries.
- Susheelabai Srinivasa, Social Work
- Measuring math and science anxiety and stress in school students and providing positive reinforcement interventions.
- Jessica Stewart, Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Early identification, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Early childhood language acquisition.
- Dr. Bassent Abdelbary, Physician Assistant Studies
- Dr. Jameela Banu, Nutritional Sciences
- Dr. Sue Anne Chew, Biomedical Science
- Dr. Leyla Feize, Social Work
- Dr. Alejandro Lopez-Juarez, Biomedical Science
- Dr. George Ndeta, Clinical Lab Science
- Mr. Sonio Garcia, Health and Human Performance
- Dr. Murat Karabulut, Health and Human Performance
- Ms. Lisa Longoria, Physician Assistant Studies
- Dr. Alejandro Lopez-Juarez, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Dr. John Luna, Occupational Therapy
- Dr. Diana Paz, Physician Assistant Studies
- Dr. Yu Lun Tai, Health and Human Performance
- Dr. Bassent Abdelbary, Physician Assistant Studies
- Dr. Leyla Feize, Social Work
- Dr. Upal Roy, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Dr. Susheelabai Srinivasa, Social Work
- Dr. Jessica Stewart, Communication Disorders
- Dr. Sue Anne Chew, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Dr. Ruth Crutchfield, Communication Disorders
- Dr. Tracia Forman, Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Dr. Ulku Karabulut, Health and Human Performance
- Dr. Susy Villegas, Social Work
- Dr. Veronica Umeasiegbu, Rehabilitation Services and Counseling
- Dr. Soojin Yoo, Health and Human Performance
- Dr. Chun Xu, Health and Biomedical Sciences