The Health Communication and Risk Perception (HCRP) Laboratory within the School of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at El Paso explores health from the perspectives of psychology, statistics, epidemiology, and educational research. Ongoing research in the lab primarily focuses on three research areas: 1) health communication, 2) risk perceptions/behaviors, and 3) trusted sources of health information (e.g., Who do community members trust most when receiving a recommendation to be vaccinated?). These research areas translate into several research topics including diabetes (prevention, early detection, and management), cancer prevention, infectious diseases, drug use, and risky driving. To understand the multi-faceted nature of health outcomes in our region, we use the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework, the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) model, and the Health Belief Model (HBM). Studies in the HCRP lab seek to contribute to the development and testing of tailored behavioral interventions and mass-media public health messages.

The HCRP Lab is led by Dr. Gabriel Frietze, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and early-stage investigator within the School of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) https://www.utep.edu/pharmacy/people/faculty.html. Dr. Frietze is also a faculty member for the College of Health Science Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC) https://www.utep.edu/science/bbrc/people/faculty.html and the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences (IHS) program https://www.utep.edu/chs/ihs/people/faculty.html. Lastly, Dr. Frietze is the Chair of the El Paso Vaccine Promotion Community Advisory Board (EPVP-CAB). 

Recent Grants/Awards:

COVID-19 Digital Health Intervention to Increase Antigen Rapid Testing

RADx® Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) – [Project Start Date: 09/01/2022, Project End Date: 08/20/2024] Dr. Frietze (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Bibiana Mancera (Co-PI) were awarded $307,619 to develop a bilingual COVID-19 rapid test digital health intervention (DHI) and pilot test the DHI in a small randomized control trial (RCT).  

Digital Health Intervention with Trusted Messengers (e.g., Medical Doctors, Pharmacists, and Register Nurses) to Prevent HPV Associated Cancers

Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) – [Project Start Date: 09/01/2021, Project End Date: 08/31/2024] Dr. Frietze was recently awarded $238,619 to help prevent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) associated cancers by developing a Digital Health Intervention (DHI) and testing it in a randomized control trial investigating trustworthy messengers of the HPV vaccine. Dr. Frietze completed this project with his mentor from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Surendranath S. Shastri, M.B.B.S, M.D., D.Ph. 

Recent publications:

• Frietze, G. A., Xu, C., Mancera, B., Robles-Escajeda, E., Martinez, A. A., Gil, M., Flores, D. P., Begum, K., Liang, P., Mandal, A., Nsiah-Nimo, M., Sanyal, N., Leung, M.-Y., Kenney, M. J., & Kirken, R. A. (2025). Exploring Socio-Behavioral Correlates of Metabolic and Inflammatory Risk in a University Sample Residing Along the U.S./Mexico Border: A Pilot Study Concomitantly Collecting Survey Data, Blood and Hair Samples, and Physical Measures. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(4), 647. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040647
• Winfield, J., Mendez, I. A., & Frietze, G. A. (2025). Meta-analysis examining the association between low platelet monoamine oxidase levels and Zuckerman's sensation seeking scale in a sex dependent manner. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1544408.
• Martinez, A. A., Gil, M., Shastri, S. S., & Frietze, G. A. (2025). Exploring Trusted Sources of HPV Vaccine Information Among Mexican American Parents in El Paso, Texas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(1), 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22010069
• Medlin, C. G., Howell, H., Knapp, D., & Frietze, G. (2025). Creating, Implementing, and Assessing an Elective Queer-iculum: Creating Change Agents Through Pharmacy Education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 101356.
• Martinez, J., Cordero, J. I., Whitney, M., LaRoche, K. L., Frietze, G., Moya, E. M., & Gosselink, K. (2025). Web-Based Human Papillomavirus Education and Professional Skills Intervention for Health Care Providers: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 14(1), e60790.
• Gordon, N. N., Christenberry, E. J., Smith, S. C., Howe, V., Mendez, I. A., Loya, A. M., Frietze, G. & Padilla, M. E. (2025). Don't worry, be APPE: Developing and refining a skills-based assessment of student preparedness for advanced pharmacy practice experiences. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 17(1), 102204.
• Frietze, G. A., Padilla, M. E., Loya, A., Martinez, A. A., Hernandez, A. G., & Rivera, J. O. (2024). Exploring Predictors of COVID-19 Precautionary Behaviors During the Initial Rollout of COVID-19 Vaccines in a Predominately Hispanic Sample. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity-Health, 100870.
• Medlin, C. G., Terrazas, W. C., Howell, H., & Frietze, G. (2024). Characterization of Doctor of Pharmacy and Pre-Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge, Stigma, and Risk Perceptions Towards Persons Living with HIV/AIDS at a Hispanic Serving Institution. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 100659.
• Lerma, M., Marquez, C., Sandoval Medina, K., Frietze, G., & Cooper, T. V. (2024). Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Use in a Hispanic College Sample. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-16.
• Frietze, G. A., Padilla, M. E., Cordero, J., Gosselink, K., & Moya, E., (2023). Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Acceptance (HPV-VA) and Vaccine Uptake (HPV-VU): Assessing the Impact of Theory, Culture, and Trusted Sources of Information in a Hispanic Community. BMC Public Health
• Frietze G.A., Mancera B.M., Kenney M.J. (2023). COVID-19 Testing, Vaccine Perceptions, and Trust among Hispanics Residing in an Underserved Community. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(6):5076. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065076
• Christenberry, E. J., Choi, B., Howe, V. L., Pinal, D. I., & Frietze, G. A. (2023). Pharmacy student self-assessment of interprofessional behaviors in inpatient general medicine advanced pharmacy practice experiences. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 15(4), 348-352.
• Moya, E. M., Garcia, A., Ponder, A. J., & Frietze, G. (2023). Addressing knowledge gaps: the key role of community health workers and healthcare providers in human papillomavirus prevention and vaccine uptake in a border community. Frontiers in Public Health, 11.