Community Engagement
Director
Candace Robledo, PhD, MPH
Operational Structure
| Name/Title | Role in Project | Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| Candace Robledo, PhD, MPH Associate Professor Research and Data Evaluation Core Lead of Medicine |
Center Director PI – HRSA Grant | Epidemiologist, federally trained maternal and child health leader |
| Loren Clark, BA Program Coordinator |
Research Training Coordinator | Data management, community outreach and engagement |
| Catherine T. Hernandez | Data and Research Coordinator | Data management, analyses and visualization |
| Milena Melo-Tijerina, PhD Assistant Professor |
co-Investigator | Medical anthropology and qualitative data expert |
| Michael Machiorlatti, PhD Assistant Professor, OUHSC |
co-Investigator | Biostatistics and data management |
| Audrey Choh, PhD Assistant Professor, UT Health Houston |
co-Investigator | Public health, longitudinal cohort development, quantitative data and biospecimen collection expert |
| Deepu George, PhD, LMFT Associate Professor Operations and Training Core Lead |
co-Principal Investigator – HRSA Grant |
Primary care behavioral health expertise for training and implementation |
| Lupita Hernandez Director of Special Programs |
Program Director | Grant administration and reporting |
| Myrna Ruiz, BA | Program Coordinator | Finance administration and reporting |
| Monica Perez, PhD | Research Associate II | Clinical psychology and child assessment, data analysis |
| JoAnna Garza, LCSW | Behavioral Health Consultant | Behavioral health consultant and trainer |
Trainees and Early Stage Investigators Affiliated with MHRC
Trainees
- Selina Urbina, Doctoral student, Department of Epidemiology, UTHealth Houston, Brownsville (Mentor: Audrey Choh, PhD)
- Linjie Li, Doctoral candidate, Department of Epidemiology, UTHealth Houston, Brownsville (Mentor: Audrey Choh, PhD)
- Maria Isabel Ramos Martinez, Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychological Sciences, UTRGV (Mentor: Ruby Charak, PhD)
- Geohanna Noel, M.S. Doctoral Student in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychological Sciences, UTRGV (Mentor: Dr. Cecilia Montiel-Nava, PhD)
- Elyssa Ruvio, Master’s Student, Department of Psychological Sciences, UTRGV (Mentor: Candace Robledo, PhD, MPH)
- Andrik Gonzalez, Department of Anthropology, UTRGV (Mentor: Milena Melo, PhD)
Early-Stage Investigators
- Krystal Flores-Chavez, DrPH, MPH, Instructional Associate Professor, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen
City of Brownsville’s Maternal and Child Health Coalition
The MHRC currently supports the expansion of the City of Brownsville’s Maternal and Child Health Coalition to grow and include stakeholders across the Rio Grande Valley with an interest in maternal and child health. We have a standing meeting with their leadership to strategically plan their activities and faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in their coalition meetings. Our experts also share their expertise with the coalition to increase awareness of important MCH-related issues. We anticipate this relationship will help us to plan, implement, and evaluate prevention efforts to improve the health of our community and lead to relevant research aims for Hispanic populations.
Local Healthy Texas Mothers and Babies (HTMB) CoalitionsPreventing Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Taskforce
The Preventing Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Task Force was created to address the rise of syphilis and congenital syphilis cases in South Texas, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley. Led by UTRGV’s School of Medicine in partnership with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Region 11, the Task Force brings together public health teams and community organizations, among others, who care about the health of the region.
National Service
Our faculty and affiliates are required to serve on the steering committee of HRSA’s Maternal Health Research Network, building synergy and fostering collaboration between our center and the other 15 funded at minority serving institutions across the US.
UTRGV MHRC National Service Link