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Dr. Elizabeth Muñoz’s research activities center on identifying early and modifiable predictors of adult cognitive health outcomes with a focus on addressing racial-ethnic inequities. Her three active lines of investigation include: 1) the links and mechanisms between psychological, social, and environmental stress on cognitive functioning across the lifespan; 2) examinations of salient sources of stress and their links with cognitive function among Latinx adults; 3) applying a within population lens to evaluate associations between social and ethnicity-related sources of stress on cognitive function in Mexican-origin adults. She employs a variety of research designs to address her research questions, including longitudinal studies across years of assessments, ecological momentary assessments, and an integration of both (e.g., measurement-burst designs).

Jordana (Jordie) Breton is a fifth-year doctoral candidate studying Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Neuropsychology at the University of Texas at Austin (UTA). She graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She worked at the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP) as a bilingual research psychometrist before attending UTA. She is interested in examining the role socioeconomic and sociocultural factors may have on stress, stress-related diseases, and cognition. She hopes to create valuable research and tools geared towards minimizing cognitive health disparities in underserved/underprivileged communities.

Nicole Richards is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Human Development and Family Sciences program at the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her undergraduate in Psychology and Sociology at Arizona State University. Her research interests include adult relationships, daily life, health, and strengths in the aging process.

Lourdes Romañach is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. Her current research examines how neighborhood and family contexts shape cognitive and cardiometabolic health in older adulthood. In this manner, her research asks how “where” people live and “who” they live with relate to their health across the life course.

Catherine (Katie) Sherk received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2023. Catherine’s research interests include social and environmental factors that impact health across the lifespan and the influence of various physical or mental health conditions on cognition.

Zoraida (Zoe) Garcia received her B.S.A in Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin in May 2023. Zoe’s primary research interests include examining the impacts of cultural neuropsychology and cardiometabolic health on cognition, brain health, and neurodegenerative diseases. Zoe hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and to become a neuropsychologist. Zoe was the Project Manager of DaLE from 2023-2026

Bella Fayad graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences in 2025. Her honors thesis examined the moderating effect of education attainment on the relationship between perceived stress and hippocampal volume in Mexican Americans adults. Bella continues to work with the CHART team on expanding her thesis findings and supporting the ongoing work of the DaLE study. She is interested in understanding how early-life experiences influence health and aging later in life and hopes to purse a career in medicine.

Kripa Kohli is a 4th year undergraduate Biology major. Her research interests involve examining how psychological, social, and environmental factors influence mental health and aging across populations. Kripa is looking to go to medical school after taking a gap year to work, conduct research, and travel abroad.

Harshitha Anaparthy is a 3^rd year undergraduate student majoring in Public Health and Plan II Honors. Her research interests include healthcare accessibility and how social factors such as culture and race affect one’s response to a certain illness and perception of healthcare. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school to put her interests in population health and narrative medicine into practice.