CHS Welcomes New Faculty - Meet Alum Dr. Teresa Reyes
Published September 6, 2022
By Darlene Muguiro
UTEP College of Health Sciences
This fall, the College of Health Sciences (CHS) is welcoming several new faculty members in Public Health Sciences, Physical Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology.
We are pleased to present the fourth profile, featuring Dr. Teresa Reyes, visiting assistant professor of Public Health. Dr. Reyes is a double alum of the UTEP College of Health Sciences (Master of Public Health, 2010; Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD Program, 2018). She assumed her position following several years as a clinical research coordinator for the El Paso Eye Surgeons group. Prior to her clinical research appointment, Dr. Reyes worked for several years as an adjunct lecturer for the UTEP Occupational Therapy Program.
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Dr. Teresa Reyes, a newly hired visiting assistant professor of public health, says that she didn’t always think about a career in academia. But a wise and strong mentor from the Master of Public Health program, Dr. Paula Ford, foretold Reyes’ future shortly before Reyes graduated with her master’s degree in 2010.
“At the time, I felt lucky to have finished my master’s degree,” Reyes said. “But Dr. Ford told me ‘You’re going to come back to me, and you’re going to want to do your PhD.’ I told her, ‘You’re crazy. I’m done with school.’ But honestly, two weeks after I graduated with my MPH degree, I was at her door.’”
Reyes set out on her journey to complete her doctoral degree. It was a rocky path, beginning with the unexpected death of her beloved advisor. But Reyes forged on, determined to complete the work she had started with Dr. Ford in childhood obesity, a research topic that she remains passionate about. She believes her perseverance is what has shaped her into the strong academic that she is today.
“I remember being terrified the first year of my PhD program, because it was such a big transition from the MPH program; there is so much more expected of you,” she said. “I struggled. But my last mentor, Dr. Eva Moya, really supported me and pushed me, saying, ‘You’ve got to do this,’ and thankfully, I completed my degree.”
Reyes says her experiences as a doctoral student provided a unique perspective that helped her relate to her students once she began teaching for the Occupational Therapy Program shortly after receiving her degree. Additionally, as a mother of a young toddler who she had just placed into daycare, she was able to relate to students who were also parents, on a different level.
“I understood what the students were going through and the expectations that were placed upon them,” she said. “We all struggled with balancing our family/home lives with our professional lives. When I would drop my daughter off at daycare, I would see many of the OT students doing the same thing. So we talked a lot about work-life balance.”
Reyes shared an important piece of advice for students who are considering coming back to teach: “If you’re passionate about it, and that’s what you want to do, you have to find a way to come back and do it.”
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Go Miners!
