Brain Equity
04-08-2025
Lisa MB Salinas, PhD, RDN, LD
Dr. Lisa Salinas is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). In addition to researching pulses, diet quality, food insecurity, and health education implementation, she teaches undergraduate and graduate nutrition at UTRGV. She is passionate about health equity, cultural appreciation and humility, preventive nutrition, healthy aging, and overall wellness. She is also a RCMAR Scholar at the RGV AD-RCMAR, where here research focuses on the relationship between the intake of dietary pulses and cognitive health in the Aging Venezuelan Population
07-29-2025
Angélica María Muñoz Contreras, PhD,
Dr. Angélica Muñoz is a professor of Nutritional Biochemistry and Nutrition in Older Adults at Universidad CES in Medellín, Colombia, where she has also coordinated clinical simulation processes and supports research training at both undergraduate and graduate levels. She is a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist with a Ph.D. in Basic Biomedical Sciences, and her career integrates basic science, nutrition, and public health,Her academic interest focuses on understanding the biochemical mechanisms linking nutrition with brain health and aging. Her teaching and research cover topics such as nutrigenomics, micronutrient metabolism, and nutritional strategies for older adults. Since her undergraduate years, she has been involved in neuroscience research groups, including collaborations with the Neuroscience Group of Medellín and programs supporting caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. She is currently part of the NUTRAL Research Group at Universidad CES.
03-11-2025
CJ Martinez Menendez, MD
Dr. Martinez-Menendez is the Interim Program Director of Neurology Residency and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine. During his fellowship, he oversaw an infusion suite for the FDA-approved anti-amyloid treatment LEQEMBI (nemab) in 2023 and monitored patients involved in the TRAILBLAZER trials that led to the 2024 approval of KISUNLA (donanemab). Dr. Martinez-Menendez believes his mission to be one of empowerment: of those patients living with cognitive and motor disabilities to live fulfilled lives, and of students and residents to develop into brilliant, competent physicians. He aims to enhance care for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative conditions and improve access to comprehensive neurologic care in the underserved region served by UTRGV. He will also join Dr. Gladys Maestre’s team at the new South Texas Alzheimer’s Research Center.
10-06-2020
Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Ramon Diaz-Arrastia is a Professor of Neurology and Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinical Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. His research interests are focused on the molecular, cellular, and tissue level mechanisms of secondary neuronal injury and neuroregeneration with one goal: to develop therapeutic interventions. Dr. Diaz-Arrastia earned his B.A. in Biochemistry from Rice University, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his Neurology Residency and fellowships in Epilepsy and Neurobiology and Behavior at New York- Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.
08-25-2020
Ameer E. Hassan, D.O., FAHA, FSVIN
Dr. Ameer Hassan is a tripled board-certified neurologist who specializes in Stroke, Neurocritical Care, and Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology. He is the head of the Neuroscience Department and serves as the Director of Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology and Clinical Neuroscience Research at the Valley Baptist Health System and Valley Baptist Neuroscience Institute. He is Associate Professor of Neurology and Radiology at UTHSCSA and UTRGV. Dr. Hassan received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, NJ, and completed his residency in Neurology at the University Hospital, Newark, NJ. He then completed a Fellowship in Stroke and Neurocritical Care as well as a Fellowship in Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
08-04-2020
Stuart Libman, M.D.
Dr. Stuart Libman is a board-certified general psychiatrist as well as a child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is currently the medical director at PLEA Agency, a non-profit mental health and education provider. He is a founding member of the Western Pennsylvania Family Center, a non-profit educational organization. He received his bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Ohio University and his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University. He completed training in Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh in the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburg and in the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburg, PA. He is a Peer Review ACT Trainer for the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
07-28-2020
Colleen McClung, Ph.D.
Dr. Colleen McClung is a Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical, and Translational Science and Translational Neuroscience Program at the Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Virginia and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Her research focuses on using animal models to understand how circadian rhythm alterations contribute to the liability for substance dependence, as well as for mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and major depression. She is an internationally recognized expert in the role of circadian dysfunction on liability to mood and substance use disorders.