Membership Directory

Leadership


Associated Programs & Leaders


AmeriCorps Seniors formerly RSVP of Galveston County


Postdoctoral Trainees


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Associated Researchers


Membership in the Sealy Center on Aging is by appointment, based on faculty’s research interest and scholarly work on aging. The Sealy Center on Aging recognizes a distinguished group of nationally and internationally recognized research scholars who have achieved distinction and peer recognition for outstanding research accomplishments in their respective fields of expertise and who have also made a significant contribution in the area of aging research. The following associated researchers (core investigators, fellows, and senior fellows) have rendered extraordinary service by adding significant new knowledge to the field of aging. 

Core Investigators**

Senior Fellows


  • ** Professor and Assistant Dean for Doctorate Foundational Curriculum, Department of Population Health and Health Disparities, School of Public and Population Health 
  • Jacqueline L. Angel, PhD, Wilbur J. Cohen Professor of Health and Social Policy and Professor of Sociology, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin  
  • Jacques G. Baillargeon, PhD** Professor and Chair, Department of Public Health, Baylor University
  • Abbey Berenson, MD, MMS, PhD** The Ruth Hartgraves MD Chair in Obstetrics & Gynecology; Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health OB GYN
  • Anish Bhardwaj, MD, MBA, John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Neurology; Professor, Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Neurobiology 
  • ** Professor, Biomedical Informatics Biostatistics & Data Science, School of Public and Population Health
  • Faraz Bishehsari, MD, PhD, Professor, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, UT Health Houston
  • Jin Mo Chung, PhD, Cecil H & Ida M Green Distinguished Endowed Chair in Neuroscience Chair Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology 
  • Kathryn Cunningham, PhD, Chauncey Leake Distinguished Professor and Chair of Pharmacology; Director Center Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics
  • Steve Fisher, PhD, PT** Professor Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
  • Ken Fujise, MD, Professor, Internal Medicine, L. Locke Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine University of Washington 
  • James S. Goodwin, MD** George and Cynthia Mitchell Distinguished Chair in Geriatric Medicine Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Mark Hayward, PhD, Professor of Sociology & Centennial Commission Professor in the Liberal Arts, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin  
  • Vivian Ho, PhD, James A Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University  
  • Robert Hummer, PhD, Howard W Odum Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology University of North Carolina  
  • Hani Jneid, MD** Professor and Director Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Deborah Jones, PhD, RN, Senior Vice President and Dean, School of Nursing, Rebecca Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair
  • Rakez Kayed, PhD, Professor, John Sealy Chair for Parkinson's Research, Neurology Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders Neurology 
  • ** Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics & Data Science, Director, Office of Biostatistics, School of Public and Population Health
  • Alan Landay, PhD, Vice President, Team Science, Professor, Departments of Internal Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology
  • Michael Laposata, MD, PhD, Professor & Chair Pathology
  • Michael Malone, MD, Professor of Medicine & Section Head of Geriatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health  
  • ** Annie & John Gnitzinger Professor of Aging Studies; Director, Division of Social & Behavioral Sciences Department of Population Health & Health Disparities, School of Public and Population Health
  • Neil Mehta, PhD, MSc, MA** Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Associate Dean for Research, School of Public and Population Health
  • Melissa (Missy) Morrow, PhD** A. Russell Shearn Moody Distinguished Chair in Neurological Rehabilitation and Professor Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences 
  • ** Vice President and Executive Dean for the John Sealy School of Medicine, Senior Advisor to the President, Professor, Department of Family Medicine
  • Shawn Nishi, MD, Professor and Division Director ad interim, Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine; Program Director, PCCM Fellowship Program; Medical Director, Comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Andres Oberhauser, PhD, Professor Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Anatomy 
  • Jose Pagan, PhD, Chair and Professor of the Department of Public Health Policy and Management NYU School of Public Health
  • John Papaconstantinou, PhD, Bertha and Robert Bucksch Distinguished Professor of Aging Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 
  • Darpan Patel, PhD** Professor; Vice Dean for Research and Scholarship School of Nursing
  • ** Dean ad interim, School of Public and Population Health, Professor, Department of Population Health and Health Disparities
  • Jose Regino Perez-Polo, PhD, Adjunct Professor  Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Mukaila Raji, MD** Edgar Gnitzinger Distinguished Professorship in Aging; Director, Division of Geriatrics Department of Internal Medicine
  • Linda Rounds, PhD, RN, Associate Dean for Professional Development, Betty Lee Evans Distinguished Professor in Nursing School of Nursing
  • Gulshan Sharma, MD, MPH** Senior Vice President, Chief Medical & Clinical Innovation Officer; Professor, Division of Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine  Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
  • Melinda Sheffield-Moore, PhD** Senior Vice President and Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Dean ad interim, School of Health Professions; Lawrence E. Ethridge, Jr. Distinguished Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Victor Sierpina, MD,  WD and Laura Nell Nicholson Family Professor in Integrative Medicine Department of Family Medicine Department of Family Medicine
  • Kimberly Skarupski, PhD, MPH Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Professor Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • Lawrence Sowers, PhD, Chair and Professor Department Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • **, Professor Department of Biostatistics & Data Science, School of Public and Population Health
  • Maria Suarez-Almazor, MD, PhD, Barnts Family Distinguished Professor Division of Internal Medicine MD Anderson Cancer Center  
  • Oscar Suman, PhD, Leon Hess Professor for Burn Injuries Research Professor, Surgery Surgery
  • Karen Szauter, MD, Professor Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology 
  • Giulio Taglialatela, PhD, Lawrence J. Del Papa Distinguished Chair in Neurodegenerative Disease; Director, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology 
  • Barbara Thompson, MD, Sealy Hutchings and Lucille Wright Hutchings Chair, Department of Family Medicine Department of Family Medicine
  • Alfredo Torres, MD** Herman Barnett Distinguished Professor in Microbiology and Immunology Department of Microbiology and Immunology 
  • Carole A. Tucker, PhD, PT**  Associate Dean for Research; Fannie Kempner Adoue Distinguished Professor in Cognitive Rehabilitation; Chair and Professor, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; Professor, Department of Nutrition Sciences and Health Behavior
  • Douglas Tyler, MD, Clinical Professor, Surgery, University of North Carolina
  • Huey-Ming Tzeng, PhD, RN, FAAN** Professor, School of Nursing
  • Randall Urban, MD** Director, Institute for Translational Sciences; Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
  • , Professor Department of Population Health and Health Disparities, School of Public and Population Health
  • Rebeca Wong, PhD, Professor Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies
  • Wenbo Zhang, PhD** Professor Department of Ophthalmology and VIsual Sciences

Fellows


  • Alberto Aparicio, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Bioethics & Health Humanities
  • Jose Barral, MD, PhD Chair of Biomedical Science; Professor of Biomedical Science, Kaiser Permanente Biomedical Science Kaiser Permanente
  • Maria Belalcazar, MD** Associate Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Ludwik Branski, MD Associate Professor, Surgery
  • Phillip Cantu, PhD** Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Yunfeng Chen, PhD** Assistant Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Eileen Curl, PhD, RN Director of Research Nursing, Lamar University Nursing
  • ** Associate Professor; Director, Rehab Science Graduate Program Department of Population Health & Health Disparities, School of Public and Population Health
  • Samuel Fagg, PhD, MS** Assistant Professor, John L. Hearn Endowed University Chair of Transplant Surgery Department of Surgery
  • ** Associate Professor, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
  • Syed Gilani, MD Associate Professor, Cardiology
  • Sharon Giordano, MD, MPH Professor & Department Chair, Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center
  • James Graham, PhD, DC Director, Center for Community Partnerships (CCP) Colorado State University
  • Letitia Graves, PhD, MSN, RN** Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
  • Erin Hommel, MD** Associate Professor, Internal Medicine - Geriatric
  • Kimberly Hreha, EdD, OTR/L Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery, Occupational Therapy, Duke University
  • Vinod Kaushik, MD Associate Professor, Program Director, Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Internal Medicine - Geriatric
  • Wissam Khalife, MD** Associate Professor, Cardiology
  • Michael Kinsky, MD Associate Professor, Anesthesiology; Director, Clinical Research Center Anesthesiology
  • Balaji Krishnan, PhD Associate Professor, Neurology
  • Emily Lantz, PhD Assistant Professor, Nutrition Sciences and Health Behavior
  • Chih-Ying "Cynthia" Li, PhD, OTR** Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy
  • David Lopez, DrPH, MPH** Associate Professor, UT Southwestern
  • Elizabeth Lorenzo, PhD, RN Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
  • Elizabeth Lyons, PhD, MPH** Grace Bucksch Gnitzinger Distinguished Professor in Aging, Chair and Associate Professor Nutrition Sciences and Health Behavior
  • Meredith Masel, PhD, MSW** Assistant Professor, School of Public and Population Health; Director, Oliver Center
  • Vineet Menachery, PhD** Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
  • Anita Mercado, MD Associate Professor, Division of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine
  • ** Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Andrew J. Murton, PhD** Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery
  • Guy Nir, PhD** Assistant Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Hoang Nguyen, PhD** Associate Professor, School of Nursing
  • Ikenna Okereke, MD Vice Chairman, Department of Surgery Henry Ford Health System
  • ** Associate Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Population Health & Health Disparities, School of Public and Population Health
  • Norma Perez, MD, DrPH** Associate Professor; Director, Hispanic Center for Excellence Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, John Sealy School of Medicine Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Associate Professor, Department of Population Health & Health Disparities, School of Public and Population Health
  • Anna Rotkiewicz-Piorun, MD Associate Professor, Internal Medicine - Geriatrics
  • Hanaa Sallam, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Rafael Samper Ternent, MD, PhD UT Health Houston
  • Partha Sarkar, PhD Associate Professor, Neurology
  • Hani Serag, MD Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Katalina Serna, MD, MPH** Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Sarah Smith, PhD Research Communications Manager, School of Public and Population Health
  • Bartosz Szczesny, PhD Associate Professor, Anesthesiology
  • Elizabeth Vaughan, DO, MPH, RD** Associate Professor, Internal Medicine - General Medicine
  • ** Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics & Data Science
  • Stanley Watowich, PhD** Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Stephen Williams, MD Chief, Division of Urology Associate Professor, Urology and Radiology, Robert Earl Cone Professorship Division of Urology, Department of Surgery
  • Yuhui (Whitney) Yin, PhD Associate Professor, Pharmacology
  • ** Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics & Data Science, School of Public and Population Health
  • Huiwen Xu, PhD Associate Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University

Last updated: June 2026