Health Sciences Research Microcredential

Rita Patterson, PhD

Dr. Patterson’s research focuses on musculoskeletal function and its role in human performance. Her biomedical engineering perspective affords critical insight to a collaborative team of physicians, basic scientists, physical therapists, and engineers evaluating rehabilitation treatments associated with abnormal motion. Unique to her research is the V-gait Caren system providing state-of-the-art computer-assisted rehabilitation environments through video motion capture, virtual reality, and computational modeling.

Rebecca Cunningham, PhD

Dr. Rebecca Cunningham studies the role of steroid hormones, specifically androgens, from prenatal development to aging. Most of her team’s research has been focused on androgen signaling mechanisms and defining the effects of androgens on central nervous system function. One of Dr. Cunningham’s long-term research goals is to determine how development and aging alters neuronal steroid hormonal responses in an oxidative stress environment, a key characteristic of aging, developmental disorders, and neurodegeneration. She has shown that androgens can either be neuroprotective or damaging, and these effects are dependent on the oxidative stress environment. In pursuing this goal, Dr. Cunningham and team use in vitro, in vivo, and clinical approaches to understand how androgens affect brain function. Hopefully this research will expand the understanding of how steroid hormones impact the brain. At the same time, she seeks to gain new insights that can lead to a better understanding of the role of sex in central nervous system disorders.

Jerry Simecka, PhD

My major research area is in mycoplasma pneumonia and immunity along the respiratory tract. Mycoplasma diseases are a major health problem in man and livestock. There is a critical need in developing effective approaches for vaccination against these diseases. Much of my career has focused on mycoplasma respiratory diseases and the immune responses that determine the outcome of infection. Once we identify these mechanisms, we will seek to develop approaches to target the beneficial responses, avoiding adverse responses that plagued previous vaccine approaches. Another research project is exploring the virulence mechanisms that are different between Clostridium difficile isolates and how that impacts disease pathogenesis.

In 2008, the Pre-Clinical Services group at the University of North Texas Health Science Center was established in my lab. Pre-Clinical Services conducts studies utilizing established models of both acute and chronic bacterial infections in several different animal species. Animal models established include septicemia, lung, intestinal, urinary tract, gastric, biofilm, abscess, and skin infections from a broad range of pathogens. We continue to work with sponsors to develop and establish new animal models to meet their needs. In addition, pharmacokinetic studies with accompanied bioanalytical LCMS or HPLC analysis can be performed in-house for submitted compounds. We are now expanding our capabilities by establishing fungal infection models for research and drug discovery.

Because of our work, there are several new antibiotics and other therapies that are currently, or soon to be, on the market for treatment of patients. In addition, we have presented collaborative studies with companies at national and international meetings, such as Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, General Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology, and European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. We presented several abstracts at these meetings. Although companies do not typically publish their work during the drug discovery phase, there are some manuscripts published or in preparation because of our participation in these studies.

Melissa Lewis, PhD

My research focuses on uncovering why adolescents and young adults engage in health-risk behavior and how this knowledge can be used to identify protective and risk factors as well as prevent risk. My scholarly interests focus on advancing the understanding of the dual processing nature of decisions to engage in health-risk behaviors and inform theoretically sound and efficacious alcohol use and related risky sexual behavior interventions among adolescents and young adults. Alcohol use and concomitant risky sexual behavior are public health concerns that often initiate during adolescence. For many adolescents and young adults, when they begin drinking, they do so in an extreme fashion, with frequent heavy-episodic drinking episodes. What factors place some individuals at greater risk for negative consequences than others? How can we use our knowledge of risk and protective factors in interventions to reduce harm? These are precisely the type of questions my research seeks to answer.

My research connects with my value to conduct research that has potential to make a significant impact on public health. I value research and policy that aims to expand prevention and intervention to adolescents and young adults. Our health services need to meet the needs of young adults and incorporate technology to bring preventative interventions to adolescents and young adults, with potential for significant impact on public health. My program of research has been funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, and the Alcohol Beverage Medical Research Foundation.

Kimberly Fulda, DrPH

Dr. Fulda's areas of research expertise include determining the impact of health disparities on health outcomes of special needs populations. Her research examines health disparities, maternal and child health, and risk factors for children. Internationally, Dr. Fulda is collaborating with researchers at UAEM in Toluca, Mexico, in a study that addresses cultural parameters that are associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes in Mexican and Mexican-American adolescents.

Shane Fernando, PhD

Dr. Fernando is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics with training in epidemiology. His community-based research is largely focused on the impact of health disparities in children and teens across various cultural, gender, and socioeconomic parameters. Dr. Fernando has extensively studied body types and other risk factors for children and teens with early-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus. Most recently, he initiated studies examining new ways to improve health literacy by delivering relevant and sound nutrition, asthma, and obesity prevention education to low-income disparate populations in Fort Worth through the use of the new Pediatric Mobile Clinic.