Neil K. Mehta, PhD, MSc, MA, professor and inaugural chair of the Department of Epidemiology and associate dean for research at the UTMB School of Public and Population Health, has been appointed to the Sheridan Lorenz Distinguished Professorship in Aging and Health. His five-year appointment began April 1, 2026, and continues through March 31, 2031.
Mehta said: “I am honored to have been the recipient of this professorship. My objective is to use the resources to build collaborative teams on identifying the reasons for adverse trends in population health among older Americans.”
The professorship recognizes Mehta’s leadership and contributions to aging and population health research. A demographer and epidemiologist, he studies how social, behavioral and health factors shape mortality, life expectancy and functional health across populations. His work has examined trends in U.S. life expectancy and the roles of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, socioeconomic conditions and immigration in health and longevity.
Mehta also directs UTMB’s Center for Health and Clinical Outcomes Research (H-COR), a university-level initiative launched in 2025 to develop and accelerate outcomes research across the institution. The center connects UTMB’s clinical and research enterprises and draws on data infrastructure and expertise across all five schools to support study design, data analytics, grant development and research training.
He also serves with Brian Downer, PhD, as a principal investigator of Health of Older Minorities, a National Institute on Aging-funded T32 program for predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers studying aging and population health.
Mehta joined UTMB in 2020 and became the inaugural chair of SPPH’s Department of Epidemiology in 2025. Across these roles, he builds collaborations that bring population-level evidence to questions about health, health care and longevity.