UTMB Department of Population Health & Health Disparities

A graphic showing Dr. Pappadis from her vlog interview along with the title of the video "Developing a screening tool for elder mistreatment"

A new Get to Know Us video features Dr. Monique Pappadis discussing a project to develop a brief elder mistreatment screening tool for primary care. The work combines Medicare claims with perspectives from providers, caregivers, and people living with cognitive impairment.

Watch: utmb.us/exo

Another paper compares older adults in Mexico vs the U.S.: Mexican & U.S. Hispanic participants reported higher vision/hearing difficulties than U.S. non-Hispanic participants, yet lower social isolation—suggesting cultural, social supports may shape these patterns.
academic.oup.com/psychsocgero...

New publication with Dr. Kyriakos Markides, PhD: Using 2017–2021 American Community Survey data, Vietnamese-origin older adults had the highest disability prevalence among major Asian-origin subgroups studied.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

A stylized graphic of the Public Health Symposium logo

Final reminder: Abstracts for the UTMB Public Health Symposium (Apr 8, 2026) close Mon, Mar 2, 2026 at 5 p.m. CT. Research and community/practice submissions welcome (300 words).

Submit: utmb.us/ezs
Guidelines: utmb.us/f97
Questions: austaylo@utmb.edu

Get to Know Us begins a new faculty feature with Dr. Monique R. Pappadis. In this first video, she introduces her roles at UTMB, including Vice Chair in PHHD, work with the Sealy Center on Aging, and service with the Institute for Translational Sciences. Watch: utmb.us/exm

Long-term effects of disasters: an ongoing threat to public health Hurricanes cause around 24 deaths per storm – but the longer-term consequences kill thousands more. With extreme weather events becoming ever-more common, there is a national and moral imperative to r...

New from the Federation of American Scientists, UTMB SPPH PhD student Alex Holland breaks down how disasters affect health long after the event through sustained physical/mental impacts, disrupted care delivery, and housing instability.

Hear from inaugural chair Dr. Mandy Hill on UTMB’s Department of Population Health and Health Disparities and our focus on improving the health of populations through multidisciplinary research and education.

Visit the department page to learn more utmb.us/exs

Tomorrow (Jan. 14, 12–1 p.m.) webinar hosted through UTMB’s HSS course series, open to all. HIV Routine Screening as a Standard Care featuring Isabel Clark, MA, RD.
www.zoomgov.com/webinar/regi...
Learn more about the HSS course utmb.us/ezl

For more than 130 years, UTMB has educated, discovered, and cared for generations of Texans and beyond. Today, a new day begins with a new logo, a new tagline, and the same unwavering purpose. We are UTMB. Where purpose meets passion.

#WeAreUTMB #WherePurposeMeetsPassion

APHA update: Yesterday, MD/MPH student Shilpa Rajagopal presented work with Texas DSHS Region 6/5 South on barriers in congenital syphilis care. Texas CS cases rose 148% since 2017. Central Middle School student Laila Serag presented on backpack weight and student health.

Our faculty video series continues with part 2 featuring Dr. Brian Downer. He explains UTMB’s Rehabilitation Sciences PhD (now Rehabilitation and Health Services Research), the small-cohort experience shared with Population Health Sciences, and a social epi perspective. Watch: utmb.us/epz

UTMB’s Kyriakos Markides, PhD, is elected an External Member of the Cyprus Academy in Sociology. A career advancing immigrant and minority aging, the H-EPESE cohort, and the Texas RCMAR now joins a select fellowship of scholars in Cyprus. Read more: utmb.us/ems

Meet Dr. Brian Downer, Associate Professor at UTMB PHHD. He studies cognition, dementia, and healthcare use in older adults and directs two PhD programs in Population Health and Rehabilitation & Health Services Research.

Watch the full video: utmb.us/ehz

Proud of our very own Dr. Monique Pappadis, Ph.D., for helping lead the new Joint Messaging Statement on Communicating about Brain Injury.

Dr. Michael Goodman presented The Architecture of Flourishing, outlining the Flourishing Community Model in Kenya and Texas. Community-led steps that build connection, resilience, and well-being. utmb.us/eld utmb.us/dvj

✍️ Dr. Markides is a contributor to this article in honor of International Day of Older Persons on October 1.

❓How has an older adult made a difference in your life? Share your story in the comments below.

🌍 On #InternationalDayOfOlderPersons, we highlight work from our own Dr. Kyriakos Markides: Health and Aging among Immigrants in Western Societies (Daily27), exploring the unique health challenges faced by older immigrant communities.

Read here: utmb.us/ek1

Applause for Dr. Meredith Masel, voted Best Professor in The Daily News Readers’ Choice 2025. Galveston readers recognized a teacher whose courses strengthen communication, care, and collaboration. SPPH is proud to learn with her!

UTMB Community: Submit your abstract to the Forum on Aging by October 3!

UTMB SPPH joins partners at the Texas Public Health Summit today in Houston. The program looks to 2050 with focus on technology, transmission, and trust, aligned with TEPHI pillars that strengthen early detection, a reserve workforce, training, and public communication across Texas.

Impact needs range and collaboration. Monica’s path shows how research, policy literacy, and patient-facing work reinforce each other. utmb.us/eid