People

Director

Dr. Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia

Associate Professor, Public Health Sciences
gabmejia@utep.edu
Faculty Profile

Postdoctoral Associates

Dr. Daniel Conde

Postdoctoral Associate
Project: Tendon inflammation; endothelial function; artery bioprinting
Skills: Cell culture; genomic and proteomic analysis; 3D bioprinting
Fun Fact: I teach a human anatomy cadaver lab.

Doctoral Students

Abdulahi Ayanwale

Major: Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Project: Fungi infectious disease, coccidioidomycosis, and Valley Fever
Skills:
Data analysis with SPSS and stata, use of EMG and PPT machine
Fun Fact: I love to play soccer.

Maria Fuentes

Major: Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Project: Role of heat shock proteins as diagnostic biomarkers of acute kidney injury
Skills: Data analysis, molecular biology, teaching, epidemiology, public health
Fun Fact: I'm a long-distance runner.

Manuel Gomez

Major: Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Project: Working on dissertation project
Skills: Data science, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, flow mediated dilation, tonometry, pulse wave analysis and velocity, venous occlusion plethysmography
Fun Fact: Researcher by day, Spiderman at night.

Tanzir Hossain

Major: Environmental Science and Engineering
Project: Environmental study of Coccidioides
Skills: Microbial genomic extraction, pharmaceutical microbiology in lab, pharmaceutics (manufacturing)
Fun Fact: I'm always looking for the bigger picture.

Shaila Nazneen

Major: PhD Candidate in Environmental Science and Engineering, MPH
Project: Impact of environmental pollutants on maternal and child health
Skills: GIS, GEO ML and DL, big data mining, statistical analysis, geospatial analysis
Fun Fact: My ultimate goal is to travel around the world and explore.

Benjamin Ojo

Major: Environmental Science and Engineering
Project: Geospatial modeling of outdoor co-exposure to particulate matter pollution and heat, and the associated kidney diseases in Texas
Skills: GIS; geo-AI, statistical analysis, research writing
Fun Fact: I like to travel and explore new places and listen to Christian songs.

Graduate Students

Andrea Baca

Major: Master of Public Health
Project: Improving workers' mental health through research and assessment of mental health diagnostic tools
Skills: Clinical medicine knowledge, environmental advocate, critical thinking, data analytics and assessment, communication
Fun Fact: I love outdoor sports like cycling and hiking.

Valeria Fontes

Major: Master of Public Health
Project: Working on thesis; interest in metabolic diseases
Skills: Data analysis, clinical research, cellular biology, ethical awareness, patient care
Fun Fact: I'm an indoor cyclist and skincare enthusiast.

Johnathan Gutierrez

Major: Master of Public Health
Project: Fructose (added sugar) exposures and associated metabolic-cognitive dysfunction
Skills: Environmental advocacy, analytical skills, systems thinking, PCR, data analysis, community outreach, program intervention development
Fun Fact: I'm an outdoor hiking and trail running enthusiast, and I enjoy spending time with my dogs.

Josdell Guerra-Ruiz

Major: Master of Public Health
Project: Silicosis surveillance in construction workers
Skills: DNA extraction and PCR, pain pressure threshold, data analysis, 3DSSPP, Python, instruction
Fun Fact: I am a black belt in Taekwondo.

Sandra Rivera

Major: Master of Public Health
Project: Plantar pressure analysis
Skills: Knowledge of chronic diseases and public health, patient education, physical therapy, medical diagnostic instruments
Fun Fact: I am an outdoor enthusiast.

International Lab Associates

Mariana Carbajal

University of Guadalajara
Project: Ergonomic assessment with a systems approach of a sample of nail techs in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara
Skills: Certified Six Sigma Black Belt; experienced in furniture design for hotels and homes, packaging, continuous improvement within the textile sector
Fun Fact: I'm fluent in English, Spanish, German and French.

Alumni

Dr. Michael Sanchez

Bioergonomics Lab Alum
Project:Research on the body's response to inflammatory conditions following surgical trauma
Fun Fact: I enjoy spending time with my twin daughters.

Bioergonomics Lab Team