Directory of Expertise in Women's Health
This list of over 75 faculty summarizes the breadth of work being conducted in women's health at UTMB. Contact Don Dietiker, x74918, to request a listing in this directory.
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Research Directory P-Z
Pankaj Jay Pasricha, MD
Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Bassel and Frances Blanton Distinguished Professor In Internal Medicine
Professor of Neuroscience & Cell Biology
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Director, Gastrointestinal Research Interdisciplinary Program (GRIP)
Research Interests: Biology of the enteric nervous system and visceral pain; clinical disorders of gastrointestinal motility; endoscopic research and technology development.
Contact: 409-772 5615; jpasrich@utmb.edu
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
Mahbubur Rahman, MBBS, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Obesity; weight loss behaviors; nutritional awareness; body composition; bone density; behavioral risk factors for chronic disease; racial disparity
Contact: 409-772-2978; marahman@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
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
Laura L. Rudkin, PhD
Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine & Community Health
Research Interests: Social gerontology; demography.
Contact: lrudkin@utmb.edu
Erik Rytting, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Research Interests: Maternal-fetal pharmacology, placental drug transport and permeation, nanoparticle surface modifications to improve drug targeting.
Contact: 409-772-2777; erik.rytting@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
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
Gregg Wilkinson, PhD, MA, FACE
Professor
Associate Director of Research
Research Interests: human health effects associated with low dose ionizing radiation and toxicities associated with medications and other therapies that patients receive
Contact: 409-772-6602; gswilkin@utmb.edu
Karen Williams Ph.D. MHSA
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Research Interests: Health disparities in women's health, qualitative methods, and community-based participatory research approaches.
Contact: 409-772-5164; kjwillia@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
