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Affiliates

Faculty and research scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and from other universities or health care organizations in the State of Texas whose research fits the mission of St. David’s CHPR can become Affiliates of the Center. St. David’s CHPR affiliates will receive communications about the Center’s activities, including invitations to meetings and events. The Affiliates list is a way to find potential collaborators who are focused on health promotion and underserved populations. If the affiliate is a member of The University of Texas at Austin, they are eligible to apply for a St. David’s CHPR pilot grant.

Individuals who are interested in becoming a St. David’s CHPR Affiliate are asked to submit:

  1. A current CV or resume.
  2. Complete and submit the affiliate application form (PDF).

List of Affiliates with Area & Research Interest

Name & TitleAreaResearch Interest
Angel, Jacqueline
Professor
LBJ School of Public Affairs & Sociology
Research methods, gender roles, culturally sensitive research methods & instruments
Angel, Ronald
Professor Emeritus
Sociology
Health issues of Hispanic populations, particularly elderly
Bartholomew, John
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Kinesiology & Health Education
Exercise in older Mexican-American women
Becker, Heather
Research Scientist
School of NursingResearch methodology, program evaluations, & health promotion for people with disabilities.
Brown, Richard A.
Research Professor
School of Nursing 
Treatment of tobacco dependence and substance use disorders in adults and adolescents, comorbid psychiatric disorders, technology and social media interventions, exercise interventions, distress tolerance, motivational interviewing
Brown, Carolyn
Professor & St. David’s CHPR Advisory Committee member
Pharmacy
Religiosity, time orientation, decision-making & their relationship to medication adherence in ethnically diverse samples. Hypertension & African Americans
Brown, Sharon
Professor Emerita
School of NursingHealth promotion / disease prevention in diabetic Mexican Americans
Busch-Armendariz, Noel
Professor
School of Social WorkViolence against women & children; social & public policy; social justice; international social work education, training & practice; & adoption & child welfare issues
Choi, Namkee
Professor
School of Social WorkSocial Policy for older persons (Social Security & Supplemental Security Income); social gerontology (long-term care; service utilization; minority aging); program evaluation
Clark, Angela
Emeritus Professor
School of Nursing Health promotion/interventions for persons with heart failure
Coyle, Edward
Professor
Kinesiology & Health EducationExercise physiology. Metabolism. Nutrition.
Cubbin, Catherine
Professor & Associate Dean for Research, & St. David’s CHPR Advisory Committee member
School of Social WorkUses epidemiological methods to better understand socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequalities in health for the purpose of informing policy
Freeland-Graves, Jeanne
Professor
Nutritional Sciences
Nutritional needs of women from a biochemical perspective
García, Alexandra
Professor 
School of NursingDiabetes symptoms of Mexican Americans
Gordon, Edmund T.
Associate Professor
AnthropologyAfrican-American anthropology, economic anthropology, maritime anthropology, ethnicity & social stratification
Haley, Andreana
Associate Professor
Psychology
Aging, cognition, cognitive impairment, metabolic syndrome, neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging (MRI, fMRI, MRS)
Hawkins II, Ray
Clinical Assistant Professor
PsychologyGeneral area of psychotherapy treatment, outcome effectiveness evaluation, specifically the interactions between personality dimensions & cognitive-behavioral interventions; also the study of addictive behaviors & their relationship to family of origin & psychological variables
Haynes, Mike
Recovery Coordinator, Seton Brain & Spine Institute, Executive Director, Lone Star Paralysis Association 
Lone Star Paralysis AssociationAdaptive fitness expert
Heinzelman, Susan
Associate Professor & Director, Center for Women’s & Gender Studies
English18th century women’s novels; feminism, law, & literature
Henneghan, Ashley M.
Assistant Professor
School of NursingDr. Henneghan’s research integrates multiple levels of scientific investigation including biobehavioral methods, cognitive science, and patient reported outcomes. Her research focuses on both understanding the underlying mechanisms of cancer-related cognitive impairment and evaluating targeted interventions to improve cognition following cancer treatment. This area of research is understudied, and there are currently no treatment guidelines for this late effect of cancer.
Holahan, Carole K.
Professor Emerita
Department of Kinesiology and Health Education Adult development and aging; psychosocial predictors of health behavior; successful aging; and women’s health
Holahan, Charles J.
Professor
Psychology Stress & coping process. Recent research has examined adaptive strategies for coping with cardiovascular illness (with Carole K. Holahan), & adaptive coping strategies among caregivers of medically ill children
Holleran, Lori
Professor & Associate Dean
School of Social WorkSubstance abuse prevention. Culturally grounded social work practice (especially ethnic identity of Mexican American youth). Social work with groups.
Horner, Sharon
Professor, Associate Dean for Research & St. David’s Advisory Committee member
School of NursingSelf-management of chronic conditions in childhood
Ivy, John
Professor Emeritus
Kinesiology & Health EducationInterested in the regulation of glucose uptake in skeletal muscle & the mechanisms by which exercise training prevents & alleviates insulin resistance & type II diabetes. Acute & chronic effects of exercise on muscle metabolism
Jensen, Jody
Professor Emeritus
Kinesiology & Health Education, PsychologyBiomechanical & neurophysiological factors that influence skill acquisition in infants & children & motor performance declines in older adults. Current projects include the development of muscle force regulation abilities in children as an underlying mechanism supporting the development of motor skills, & age-related changes in the postural control of aging adults
Johnson, Karen
Associate Professor & Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholar
School of Nursing
Adolescent health and social disparities, public health surveillance in alternative schools, promoting resilience and positive youth development (particularly through sport and physical activity) among vulnerable adolescents
Jones, Barbara L.
Professor & Associate Dean for Health Affairs
School of Social Work 
Pediatric palliative & end of life care, grief & loss, childhood cancer survivors, hope & resiliency, spirituality & international social work
Jones, Joni L.
Professor Emerita 
College of Fine Arts Performance scholarship that focuses on identity, ethnography, Yoruba-based performance aesthetics, Black Feminisms & Theatre for Social Change
Kim, Miyong
Professor & Associate VP for Community Engagement
School of NursingCommunity partnered health intervention, minority health – instrumentation, comparative epidemiology, and program evaluation
Kim, Su Yeong Professor Development & Family ScienceHealth disparities in Chinese & Mexican immigrant families, with a focus on acculturation & parenting 
Kwak, Jung
Associate Professor
School of NursingLong-term care policy, dementia care, end-of-life decision-making, surrogate decision-making among dementia caregivers in both urban and rural areas, decision-aid and coaching interventions for family caregivers, and non-pharmacological interventions for persons with dementia in nursing homes.
Lewis, Carol
Associate Director, Center for Social Work Research
School of Social Work Women’s Health, services to victims of violence, program evaluation, & cultural diversity
Loukas, Alexandra
Professor & Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies
Kinesiology & Health EducationSocioemotional development of children & adolescents, particularly the development of aggression & substance use/abuse
Mackert,  Michael
Professor & Director, Center for Health Communication,
& St. David’s CHPR Advisory Committee member
AdvertisingTelemedicine, telecommunication technology, health communication, health literacy & online communities
Meston, Cynthia
Professor
PsychologySexual psychophysiology, sexual dysfunction, relation between sexual abuse & sexual function, & the influence of acculturation on sexuality
Nosek, Margaret
Professor, Executive Director, Center for Research on Women with Disabilities
Baylor College of Medicine
Women with disabilities 
Nydegger, Liesl
Assistant Professor
Kinesiology & Health EducationReducing risk behaviors among underserved populations who experience health disparities. Specifically, focused on HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention, substance use, and violence (e.g., structural violence, community violence, intimate partner violence, and childhood sexual abuse) known as the SAVA syndemic. Using behavioral change theories with an understanding of structural causes (i.e., housing instability and poverty) of HIV/STDs, use of new biomedical interventions such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to help prevent HIV and STDs among underserved populations such as high-risk, minority women.
Osier, Nico
Clinical Assistant Professor
School of Nursing,
School of Medicine
Identifying biomarkers that can be used for diagnosis and prognosis in pediatric TBI, a very understudied condition. Consideration of racial/ethnic differences in TBI recovery is also a focus.
Padilla, Yolanda
Professor
Social Work Social inequality; Latin American & gay & lesbian populations
Pounders, Kathrynn (Kate)
Associate Professor
Moody College of CommunicationConsumer psychology, specifically focusing on how facets of motivation - identity, emotions, and the goal-striving process - interact to influence consumer responses to health communication.
Radhakrishnan, Kavita
Associate Professor
School of NursingDr. Radhakrishnan's research applies current and emerging technologies such as telemonitoring, connected sensors, and digital gaming to facilitate chronic disease self-management. The long-term goal of Dr. Radhakrishnan's research is to develop affordable and scalable health interventions that enable ‘aging in place’. Her research addresses self-management of cardiovascular conditions in underserved populations.
Professor & St. David’s CHPR Advisory Committee memberSchool of Nursing
Vulnerability & help seeking behaviors of homeless Hispanic adolescents
Spirduso, Waneen
Professor Emeritus
Kinesiology & Health EducationRelationship of physical activity to cognitive ability & aging
Staiger, Janet
Professor Emeritus
Radio, Television & FilmPoststructural & postfeminist approaches to authorial studies, historiographical practices in media studies, slasher films, & emotions & genres, as well as continuing interests in reception studies, gender & sexuality studies
Steinhardt, Mary A.
Ombudsperson (Faculty), Distinguished Teaching Professor 
Kinesiology & Health EducationMind-body health reflecting a person-centered approach to wellness & resiliency; & the relationship of individual behavioral dispositions to job-related characteristics & work-related outcomes.
Stout, Patricia
John P. McGovern Regents Professor in Health & Medical Science Communication
AdvertisingResearch focuses on viewer response to persuasive messages & advertising, with particular attention to individuals' emotional response to advertising & health-promotion messages; the role of social marketing & the effectiveness of health communication; media & mental illness stigma; trust & credibility relevant to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription medicines & the role of media in ameliorating mental illness stigma
Stuifbergen, Alexa
Dean, Professor & Ex-Officio member of St. David’s CHPR Advisory Committee
School of NursingHealth promotion & quality of life in chronic illness & in women with multiple sclerosis
Tanaka, Hirofumi
Professor
Kinesiology & Health EducationInfluence of age & lifestyle modifications (particularly physical activity) on cardiovascular function & disease risk, masters athletes & athletic performance, physiology of swimming
Timmerman, Gayle
Professor & Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
School of Nursing
Dieting & binge eating in women & research methodology
Umberson, Debra
Professor
Sociology
Sociology of mental health, social relationships, medical sociology, gender, aging & the life course, & death & dying
Velasquez, Mary
Professor
School of Social WorkDevelopment & implementation of interventions using the Transtheoretical Model of Change & Motivational Interviewing, health behavior interventions including HIV prevention, prenatal health, alcohol & other substance abuse, smoking cessation, & prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Walker, Lorraine
Luci B. Johnson Centennial Professor in Nursing, St. David’s CHPR & Advisory Committee member
School of Nursing
Health promotion of childbearing-aged women, psychosocial dimensions of parenting & health in the childbearing years
Wilcox, Richard
Professor Emeritus
Division of Pharmacology & ToxicologyStructure-activity relationships for drugs to treat psychiatric & neurological disease & the craving to psychostimulants & ethanol. Cellular & molecular consequences of short-term agonist treatment. Develop improved models for testing pharmacological theory & to provide translation of neurobiological research to public.
Wright, Michelle
Assistant Professor
School of NursingFocus on maternal health during pregnancy, with primary interest on the vaginal microbiome and downstream effects on birth outcomes; evaluating -omic measures related to: preterm birth, preeclampsia, vitamin D status, GBS colonization, developmental programming in offspring, cardiovascular disease, and health disparities in underserved populations, to develop new approaches to prevent disparities.
Xie, Bo
Professor & St. David’s CHPR Pilot Principal Investigator
School of Nursing
Health informatics; e-health literacy; lifelong learning
Zuñiga, Julie
Associate Professor
School of NursingSelf-management of multi-morbidities with a focus on persons with a dual diagnosis of HIV and diabetes, interdisciplinary approaches to improve the health of underserved people.

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Address: 1710 Red River St.,
Austin, Texas 78712
Phone: (512) 512-471-9910
Email: chpr@mail.nur.utexas.edu

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