UTRGV GET PHIT Team
Current GET PHIT Team Members
Tracia Forman, PhD, Principal Investigator (PI) Dr. Forman is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her research program is contextualized to the specialty of health informatics, encompassing nursing informatics. She is particularly interested in guiding learners to become well-prepared professionals ready to translate healthcare administrative problems and processes into informatics-based solutions. Dr. Forman serves as PI for the UTRGV GET PHIT Program. |
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Suad Ghaddar, PhD, Co-PI Dr. Ghaddar is an Associate Professor at the Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her research focuses on health disparities along the Texas-Mexico border and on the development of innovative approaches to health professions education. Dr. Ghaddar serves as a Co-PI for the UTRGV GET PHIT Program. |
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Kristina Vatcheva, PhD, Co-PI Dr. Vatcheva is an Associate Professor at the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her research focuses on statistical modeling and application of statistical and data mining methods in addressing epidemiology, medicine, and public health related questions as well as research targeting the health disparities of the Rio Grande Valley population. Dr. Vatcheva serves as a Co-PI for the UTRGV GET PHIT Program. |
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Other Get PHIT Team Members |
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Michael Machiorlatti, PhD, Co-PI (2021-2023) Dr. Machiorlatti is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Population Health and Biostatistics in the School of Medicine at UTRGV. His applied research has primarily been in oncology, examining trends and disparities by sociodemographic characteristics. Dr. Machiorlatti serves as a Co-PI for the UTRGV GET PHIT Program. |
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Jazmine Cadena, BA, Coordinator (2022-2023) Ms. Jazmine Cadena is currently a coordinator at UTRGV’s Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. She brings experience in administrative processes, information systems coordination, and data analysis. |
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Samuel Valdez, Graduate Research Assistant (2022-2023) Email: samuel.valdez04@utrgv.edu Mr. Samuel Valdez is a student in UTRGV’s Master of Science in Health Science Program. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology. He has experience in event coordination and data visualization. Samuel attended a GET PHIT Bootcamp at the University of Texas Arlington in Summer 2023. |
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Olivia Mackey, M.S.,Graduate Research Assistant (2023) Email: olivia.mackey01@utrgv.edu Ms. Olivia Mackey is a student at UTRGV’s School of Podiatric Medicine. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Master of Science in Medical Sciences. Her prior research experience includes Type 2 Diabetes foot and ankle health, AI & NLP in extracting text data, and population health informatics work. |
For any questions about the GET PHIT Program, feel free to email the UTRGV GET PHIT team at UTRGV.GETPHIT@utrgv.edu