Pandora Jubilee receives the Emerging Leader Award
On Oct. 12, 2023, the Department of Medicine Administration Team hosted the inaugural Department of Medicine Staff Awards Ceremony to recognize their incredible staff teammates. With more than 150 submissions for various awards, Pandora Jubilee received an Emerging Leader Award!
Faculty take on new leadership roles
- Dr. Aaron Thrift, associate professor, serves as the leader of Population Science (first)
- Dr. Hoda Badr, professor, leads Behavioral Science (second)
- Dr. Elaine Symanski, professor, leads Environmental Epidemiology (third)
- Dr. Yong Li, professor, leads Molecular Epidemiology (fourth)
Additionally, Drs. Thrift and Badr will serve as deputy directors for the overall Section of Epidemiology and Population Science, assisting with strategic and operational management and leadership for the Section.
Dr. Chris Amos and Dr. Itunu Sokale attended AACR 2023 meeting
Dr. Chris Amos, chief, Epidemiology and Population Sciences, and director, Institute of Clinical and Translational Science, and Dr. Itunu Sokale, postdoctoral associate, Epidemiology and Population Sciences, attended the AACR 2023 Annual Meeting held on April 14-19, 2023 in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Amos presented posters related to lung cancer risk and genetic factors and participated in the tobacco policy forum. Also, he met with collaborators to plan the submission of a Grand Challenge grant to study health disparities and cancer risk.
Dr. Sokale presented two poster presentations titled “Racial/ethnic disparities in stage at diagnosis among women with cervical cancer in Texas: Mediating effects of neighborhood-level socioeconomic deprivation” and “Geospatial analyses identify hot spots of late-stage cervical cancer at diagnosis in Texas” in Orlando, Florida as part of her epidemiology training in cancer research.
Dr. Yong Li, Professor, Epidemiology and Population Sciences received funding from the National Institutes of Health. The title of his study is, “Cancer Prevention-Interception Against MGUS Progression.” (Total Funding: $4,500,000, Funding Period: Four years).
Dr. Elaine Symanski, Professor, Epidemiology and Population Sciences and Dr. Kristina Whitworth, Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Population Sciences, received funding from the National Institute of Health. The title of their study is, “Exploring pathways through which structural racism impacts children’s environmental health.” (Total Funding: $2,583,470, Funding Period: 2 years). Click here to read more.
Dr. Aaron Thrift, Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Population Sciences, received an R01 Award from the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute. The title of his study is, “Genetic Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in African Americans.” (Funding Amount: $1,830,000 Funding Period: Five years)
Dr. Oluyomi Wins the First Department of Medicine 2023 Colleague of the Quarter Award
"Dr. Abiodun Oluyomi is leading a new Population Science core for the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and an expert on geospatial analytics. He is ever present, helping many investigators understand how geospatial attributes such as crowding, variation in income, ethnicity and proximity to contaminants affect health. He is an exemplar of teamwork, integrity and excellence."
Dr. Li Receives Philanthropic Award
Dr. Yafang Li, assistant professor, Epidemiology and Population Sciences, received a philanthropic award for $30,000 on behalf of VICTORY Houston, Inc. to support her work on genetic interactions between oncogenesis-related genes in lung cancer.
