Benefits of Down Time
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, and it affects Hispanic women disproportionately in our region. While Hispanic women tend to have lower incidences of breast cancer compared to non-Hispanic white women, their outcomes differ, leading to higher incidences of mortality. This is due to lower screening rates, limited access to health care, later-stage diagnosis, unique genetic factors and socioeconomic status.
At TTUHSC El Paso, addressing health disparities remains at the forefront of our mission.
The MedFuture partnership recognizes highly qualified seniors in high school who have expressed an interest in science and medicine — and a strong commitment to serve the Paso del Norte region upon graduating.
The MSRC, located just outside El Paso city limits in the Sparks colonia, provides diagnostic, preventive and educational care to area residents. Located far from El Paso’s urban center, colonias are underserved neighborhoods that often lack necessities such as paved roads, public transportation, or clean running water.
TTUHSC El Paso is addressing the region’s provider shortage by recognizing the importance of educating local students committed to serving their communities and improving access to health care in their hometown. Currently, 52% of TTUHSC El Paso students are from our Borderplex region.
With over two decades of experience in the field, Dr. Cruz-Flores has been instrumental in shaping the Department of Neurology at TTUHSC El Paso since its inception. Under his leadership, the department has grown significantly, providing comprehensive training and clinical experiences to its students, residents and fellows. His innovative educational initiatives have been a driving force in advancing the department's reputation for excellence in neurological care.
New initiative looks to improve health care access across our Borderplex by helping prevent diabetes and empowering screened residents with appropriate resources. The program has been in operation since February 2023.
Dr. Pani's research has the potential to significantly impact the health and well-being of border communities.
At the Hunt School of Dental Medicine, the clinic allows dental students to gain practical skills under faculty supervision, while offering reduced-cost dental care to Borderplex residents.
Outside of TTP El Paso, there are no other orthopaedic traumatologists (specialists trained in orthopaedic trauma) within a 250-mile radius of El Paso. Colleagues from Big Bend, Texas, to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, regularly refer challenging cases involving fracture-related complications, deformities and hardware implant problems to Dr. Adler and his team.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso are collaborating with Doctors of the World USA to launch the Border Health Program. The partnership has led to the creation of a clinic serving migrant patients in the El Paso area.
For Charmaine Martin, M.D., associate professor of family medicine and interim dean of student affairs with the Foster School of Medicine, family is an important part of providing health care. It transcends languages.
The Border Health Outreach Initiative is a collaborative effort between the university, local health care providers and community organizations. The initiative will provide access to cutting-edge research, community engagement opportunities, and state-of-the-art telehealth services for individuals in the region.
Early exposure to pesticides can affect health later in life, including negative effects to the nervous and endocrine systems in the body. The SWCPEH has partnered with promotores, or community health workers, from Familias Triunfadoras Inc. to educate the local migrant farmworker community. These underserved communities often have poor access to basic necessities and are most in need of preventative and routine health care.
Dr. Yong’s focus includes orthopaedic trauma, polytraumatized patients, pelvic and hip socket surgery, and musculoskeletal infection. While training at Universitätsspital Basel in Switzerland, he was awarded the prestigious AO Trauma North America Jack McDaniel Memorial Fellowship, granted annually to a single outstanding surgeon committed to teaching and the clinical practice of fracture surgery.
Diabetes is a leading cause of death in the United States. In 2020, Healthy Paso Del Norte reported that in El Paso, where nearly 82% of the population is Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% were diagnosed with diabetes. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Hispanics were 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes in 2018, and Hispanic adults are 70 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.
Thomas M. Dykes, M.D., FACR, FSAR, Foster School of Medicine professor and Department of Radiology chair, was recently selected to a two-year term as the West Texas regional director of the Texas Radiology Advocacy Network. The advocacy network is an extension of American College of Radiology’s state chapter, the Texas Radiological Society.
Geriatric medicine is an underserved specialty nationwide, and demand for geriatricians – physicians trained to care for older adults – is booming as the country’s 65-and-older population grows. In addition to providing primary care for older adults, geriatricians also often work with other health care providers to ensure their overall well-being, including mental health. With Dr. Kohli, El Paso now has two physicians certified in geriatric medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. El Paso also has one doctor certified in geriatric medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine.
The El Paso alumni chapter aims to promote continued development of leadership skills of alumni through exposure to world-class programming and connections to new networks.
The new pathology program will offer clinical laboratory training for medical residents to become proficient in clinical and anatomic pathology. Pathologists serve as expert consultants to other physicians by studying patient tissues, blood, cells and body fluids to diagnose and monitor injuries and diseases, such as cancer. They also conduct autopsy examinations to determine cause of death.
Dr. Blanco, an associate professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Hunt School of Nursing and former president of the Texas Nurse Practitioners Board of Directors, has been promoting accessible, quality health care by nurse practitioners for over a decade. She is taking the lead in building a stronger nurse practitioner community and working to find solutions to health care access by engaging with legislative leaders in the Texas State Senate and House committees and serving as a panelist in health policy proceedings.
Jessica A. Chacon, Ph.D., assistant professor of immunology and microbiology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine, accepted into the 2022-2023 Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in Health Professions.
Jené Hurlbut, Ph.D., R.N., an El Paso native, joined the nursing school in July. She has a background practicing nursing in rural and border regions, creating degree pathways for veterans, conducting research and developing research infrastructure.
Marathon Petroleum makes a generous $50,000 gift to the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic, the clinical practice of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. The gift will support the efforts of the clinic to improve the accessibility of oral health care in the community. Hunt School of Dental Medicine faculty and students work together in the clinic to deliver reduced-cost, high-quality oral health care to Borderplex residents.
Dr. Eiring previously studied the proteins that contribute to disease progression and drug resistance in AML and identified that Hispanic patients from El Paso had higher incidence rates and worse overall survival compared to AML patients elsewhere in Texas. While many AML patients initially respond to therapy, the five-year survival rate is bleak. Less than 25% survive due to drug resistance and relapse.
One of the foremost neurologists in our Borderplex is among six selected nationwide to be part of an exceptional fellowship program with the Association of American Medical Colleges. Salvador Cruz-Flores, M.D.,M.P.H., professor and founding chair of the Department of Neurology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, began his AAMC’s Council of Deans Fellowship earlier this year.
Andrea Tawney, Ph.D., vice president for Institutional Advancement at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, is a recipient of the magazine’s 2022 Women Worth Watching® in Leadership Award.
Partnering with the Polish university is just one example of TTUHSC El Paso's global outreach. In 2017, the university partnered with the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh and Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine to advance medical training and education in Vietnam. This year, Sanja Kupesic, M.D., Ph.D., associate academic dean for Faculty Development, began developing the Collaborative International Faculty Development Program with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka in Croatia.
The newly formed TTUHSC El Paso Tactical Medicine Program includes the first Tactical Medicine Fellowship in Texas, and the fourth nationally. The fellowship is a one-year program, and a new fellow will be chosen every July.
Dr. Edwards is an assistant professor at TTUHSC El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine, where he serves as program director of the Internal Medicine/Psychiatry Residency Program and associate program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. In addition to his role at TTUHSC El Paso, Dr. Edwards is a practicing internist at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso where he delivers world-class patient care at its Alberta location. He specializes in diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, joint pain, lower back pain, chronic heart disease, seasonal allergies, upper respiratory infections, hypothyroidism, preventative health care, urinary tract infections, depression, heartburn (GERD), asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Dr. Chattopadhyay’s research focuses on diabetes-related complications, which are a major health issue for El Paso’s diverse border population. Profiles in Diversity Journal highlighted her three-year project that will send “artificial mini-hearts’ to the International Space Station, to better understand how microgravity affects the function of the human heart.
Dr. Sadhana Chheda has been appointed to a one-year term as vice chair of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Perinatal Advisory Council (PAC).