Professor

Maria Amaya
Contact Information: mamaya@utep.edu; 915-747-8583
Education: BSN, The University of Texas at El Paso; MSN, Texas Woman's University; Ph D, New Mexico State University; Certificate, Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Certificate, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Postdoc, The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center; Graduate Certificate, The Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Population-based environmental epidemiology

Patricia Castiglia
Contact Information: pcastigl@utep.edu;

Associate Professor

Hsuen-Fen Kao
Contact Information: hkao@utep.edu; 915-747-7279
Education: Diploma, National Taipei College of Nursing; MSN, National Taiwan University; Ph D, The University of Texas at Austin; Postdoctoral Fellow, University of North Carolina
Research Interests: My areas of interests include family caregiver burden, family values, acculturation's effects, and cultural diversity in Hispanic families for chronically-ill older adults.

Gloria McKee
Contact Information: gmckee@utep.edu; 915-747-7246
Education: BSN, University of Texas System School of Nursing; MSN, University of Texas at El Paso; Ph D, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston
Research Interests: Health Disparities in breast cancer screening among Hispanic women. Instrument Development for use in assessment of Hispanic women's health; Use of Telehealth with underserved populations.

Diane Monsivais
Contact Information: dimonsivais@utep.edu; 915-747-8209
Education: BSN, Duke University; MSN, The University of Texas at El Paso; Ph D, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Research Interests: Dr. Monsivais's research interests focus on educational issues in nursing and other healthcare professions. There is an emphasis on enhancing clinical teaching competencies, healthcare simulation, and improving the quality and safety of the healthcare system.

Hector Olvera Alvarez
Contact Information: holvera@utep.edu; 915-747-6518
Education: MS, The University of Texas at El Paso; Ph D, The University of Texas at El Paso; Graduate Certificate in Epidemiology, University of Michigan
Research Interests: The main objective of my interdisciplinary research program is to help diminish the health burden of vulnerable populations that are caused by greater exposure to traffic-related air pollutants and socioeconomically induced susceptibilities by informing better policies and interventions. Specifically, I intend to continue to develop a research program that: (1) elucidates biological mechanisms through which social factors, such as stress, increase susceptibility to air pollutants; (2) determines how air pollution and stress interact during developmental stages to increase susceptibility to cardiovascular disease and mental health disorders; and (3) identifies mechanisms that can be targeted early in life to promote healthy development in low-income populations. As part of the implementation of this research program, I will continue to engage scientists from across and beyond the university to support the growth and expand the reach of the program, leverage an extant network of community partners to create a community advisory board to inform the identification of relevant research needs and to strengthen the dissemination and outreach capacity of the program, and actively engage and train minority scientists in the areas of environmental health. Ultimately, I intend to use my research program to expand UTEP’s capacities in biomedical and health disparities research, and, by building on regional conditions, needs, and strengths (e.g., predominant low socioeconomic status minority community, intense heavy-duty commercial traffic generated by the local ports of entry, strong community engagement, untapped human capital), procure funding for a Center of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research.

Leslie Robbins
Contact Information: lhrobbins@utep.edu; 915-747-7227
Education: ADN, Garland County Community College; BSN, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; MSN, The University of Texas at El Paso; Ph D, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Research Interests: qualitative research, obesity, mental health, addictive disorders, TBI, health disparities, PTSD

Clinical Associate Professor

Karen Fowler
Contact Information: kfowler@utep.edu;
Education: Ph D, University of Phoenix

Lisa Hennessy
Contact Information: lhennessy@utep.edu; 915-747-7249
Education: BSN, West Texas State University; MSN, The University of Texas at El Paso; Ph D, New Mexico State University
Research Interests: Student Success,