UTMB CIRWH, Research Directory of Expertise 1

	M. Kristen Peek, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health Research Interests: Aging and health disparities; mental and physical health in late life; marriage and health in late life. Contact: 409-772-2551; mkpeek@utmb.edu
	J. Regino Perez-Polo, PhD Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Molecular Science Research Interests: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of cell death in trauma to the nervous system. Rational development of intervention cocktails in trauma based on genomic analyses. Role of transcription factors in stress response signal transduction. In vivo gene transfer in trauma. Gender and age effects on responses to stroke. Contact: 409-772-3667; jperezpo@utmb.edu
	Carolyn Phillips, RN, PhD Associate Professor, School of Nursing Research Interests: Feminine/maternal adaptation, family development, female body image, maternal depression; maternal identity development; maternal role change; adoptive mothers. Contact: 409-772-8234; cphillip@utmb.edu
	Richard Pyles, PhD Assistant Professor, Pediatrics Research Interests: Evaluation of toll-like receptor responses against sexually-transmitted diseases and utilization of TLR agonists as potential microbicides to protect against STDs. For this work my lab focuses on study of the interaction of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and 2) and Chlamydia trachomatis with the genital tract of the human host. Contact: 409-747-8142; rbpyles@utmb.edu
No Photo Available	Carmen Radecki Breitkopf, PhD Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology Research Interests: Health psychology; cancer prevention; decision-making; attitude formation and change; health maintenance; Papanicolaou screening; organ donation; body image; adherence to health recommendations. Contact: 409-747-4982; cmradeck@utmb.edu
	Elizabeth A.G. Reifsnider, PhD Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School of Nursing Research Interests: Breastfeeding, health disparities, childhood obesity and risk, failure to thrive, health promotion, community based participatory research. Contact: 409-772-8262; elreifsn@utmb.edu
	Susan L. Rosenthal, PhD Professor, Pediatrics, Director of the Division of Adolescent and Behavioral Health Research Interests: Adolescent psychological development and its relationship to health behaviors; and factors associated with vaccine acceptance by parents; adolescents; and health care providers; prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and the promotion of sexual health with a special focus on among adolescents and young women. Contact: 409-772-2355; slrosent@utmb.edu
	Laura L. Rudkin, PhD Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine & Community Health Research Interests: Social gerontology; demography. Contact: lrudkin@utmb.edu
	George Saade, MD Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology Research Interests: Pre-eclampsia; labor Contact: 409-747-4906; gsaade@utmb.edu
	Harold Sandstead, MD Professor, Preventive Medicine & Community Health Research Interests: Human nutrition in general with focus on zinc and associated essential metals, e.g., iron and copper; special interest on zinc in pregnancy, growth, development, and neuropsychological function; special interest in bioavailability and prevention of deficiency. Contact: 409-772-4661; hsandste@utmb.edu
	Stacy L. Sell, PhD Senior Post-Doctoral Fellow, Pharmacology & Toxicology Research Interests: Ovarian hormone actions in the brain, specifically their interactions with the molecular, cellular and behavioral responses to psychoactive drugs; developing and employing animal models to study the role of steroid hormones and the reproductive cycle in the etiology of addiction and affective disorders such as anxiety and depression. Contact: 409-772-9687; slsell@utmb.edu
	Navkiran K. Shokar, MD, MPH Assistant Professor, Family Medicine Research Interests: Colorectal cancer screening and early detection; underserved populations; patient decision making; minority health obesity and nutrition. Contact: 409-747-9121; nkshokar@utmb.edu
	Victor Sierpina, MD Associate Professor, Family Medicine Research Interests: procedures training; acupuncture; mind-body medicine; herbal therapies; dietary supplements and nutritional therapies; the therapeutic relationship; and spirituality in healthcare Contact: 409-772-1847; vssierpi@utmb.edu
	Pomila Singh, PhD Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology; Member Cell Biology and Human Biological Chemistry & Genetics graduate programs; Edna Seinsheimer Levin Professor of Cancer Studies Research Interests: Growth factors (progastrins, IGF-II, IGF-BPs) and signalling pathways in colon carcinogenesis and chemoprevention of colon cancers. Contact:409-772-4842; posingh@utmb.edu
	Melvyn Soloff, PhD Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology; Senior Scientist, Sealy Center for Molecular Science; Member, Graduate Programs in Cell Biology, and Human Biological Chemistry & Genetics. Research Interests: Signal pathways in uterine myometrial cells; regulators of G protein signaling, lysophospholipid actions, regulation of gene expression. Contact: 409-772-0715; msoloff@utmb.edu
	Kizhake V. Soman, PhD Instructor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Research Interests: Developing new computational chemistry/bioinformatics tools and applying them to important and tractable problems in biology. Membrane proteins and bioinformatics. Contact: 409-772-8062; kvsoman@utmb.edu
	Jeff Temple, PhD Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology Research Interests: Domestic violence. Contact: 409-747-8560; jetemple@utmb.edu
	Mary Thomas, PhD Professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology Research Interests: Molecular actions and interactions of steroid hormones; effects of ovarian hormones on central serotonergic systems; neuroendocrinological phenomena underlying such problems as depression and drug abuse; behavioral and electrophysiological approaches to assess functional correlates of molecular changes. Contact: 409-772-1561; mthomas@utmb.edu
	Randall Urban, MD Professor and Chair, Internal Medicine Director, Endocrinology Fellowship Program Research Interests: Effects of growth factors on steroidogenesis; the physiological and molecular benefits of androgen therapy in older men and women; effects of thiazolidinediones on reproductive function and growth of cancer cells; and neuroendocrine dysfunction in people after closed-head injury; reproductive endocrinology; diabetes; and thyroid disease. Contact: 409-772-1176; rurban@email.utmb.edu
	Karen Wagner, MD, PhD Professor and Vice Chair, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Research Interests: Child and adolescent psychiatric disorders; psychotherapy; psychopharmacology. Contact: 409-747-8330; kwagner@utmb.edu
	Cheryl S.Watson, PhD Professor, Human Biological Chemistry & Genetics CIRWH Associate Director of Basic Science Research Research Interests: Identification, characterization, and regulation of a membrane form of the estrogen receptor involved in the instigation of rapid, nongenomic, estrogenic signaling cascades; estrogen-induced rapid release of prolactin, and changes in cell attachment, calcium levels, dopamine uptake and MAP kinases; actions of estrogenic mimetics such as dietary and environmental estrogens. Contact: cswatson@utmb.edu
	Gayle Weaver, PhD Associate Professor, School of Allied Health Sciences-Rehabilitation Sciences Research Interests: Mental health of women living with life-threatening chronic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus & breast cancer); health services use among persons with chronic diseases; health and well-being among older Black adults; recovery from alcohol and drug abuse in women. Contact: 409-772-9446; gweaver@utmb.edu
	Susan Weller, PhD Professor, Preventive Medicine & Community Health Research Interests: Cross-cultural health service research; cognition and methodology. Contact: 409-772-2551; sweller@utmb.edu
	Helen Wu, PhD Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology Research Interests: Club drug use in young, low-income women. Contact: 409-772-1021; zhwu@utmb.edu
	Guang-Yin Xu, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine Research Interests: Roles and mechanisms of ion channels and receptors in sensory afferent neurons in chronic viscreal hyperalgesia associated with variety of gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, the prevalence of which is greater in women), inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis and gastric ulcers. Contact: 409-747-3044; gyxu@utmb.edu
	Chandrasekha Yallampalli, DVM, PhD Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology Research Interests: Nitric oxide; cytokines and growth factors in the uterus and vascular tissues during pregnancy and labor. Contact: 409-772-7593; chyallam@utmb.edu
	Binhua Zhou, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology Research Interests: Signal transduction and breast cancer metastasis. Contact: 409-747-1962; bpzhou@utmb.edu

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