TTUHSC-Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health

08/19/2026

Congratulations to MPH alum Dr. Alaa Diab (MPH ’26), who presented on her Applied Practice Experience “Brushing Up on Oral Health: A Community Based Initiative to Promote Oral Health Literacy Among Underserved Populations in Lubbock County” at the Texas Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.

The photos include Dr. Diab with her MPH faculty mentor Dr. Samira Kamrudin, and with fellow MPH alum, Savannah Panagopoulos (MPH, ’20), Section Chair for the Texas Public Health Association Health Education Section and Community Health Analyst with Cook Children’s Health Care System in Fort Worth, TX.

In addition to this presentation, we are proud to recognize Dr. Diab as the 2026 recipient of the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health Outstanding Applied Practice Experience Award.

08/17/2026

The Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health is proud to recognize Faith Badejo as the 2026 Outstanding Community Service Award recipient.

This award is given to a student who makes a meaningful difference beyond the classroom, and this year's recipient truly embodies that mission. Faith completed a mentored service-learning project as a JJMSPPH Presidential Scholar, represented JJMSPPH as a TTUHSC Student Government Association Senator, and served on JJMSPPH Student Assembly leadership. Beyond the classroom, she volunteered for four years providing health education, free CPR training, and community health outreach, which included organizing a CPR training initiative that reached more than 400 people in Lagos, Nigeria.

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition and thank you for your dedication to improving the health of communities.

08/13/2026

We are pleased to recognize Dannielle Pope (MPH ’25) as the recipient of the Outstanding Public Health Student Award for the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health!

During her time as an MPH student, Dannielle distinguished herself as an exceptional student through proficiency in critical thinking, professionalism, reliability, and innovative work.

Congratulations, Dannielle! We can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!

07/31/2026

We are so proud that Cameron plays a role on our Community Advisory Board! Congratulations on this new endeavor, Cameron!!

🎉 Congratulations to Cameron Sloan on his new role as Program Manager at the Abilene Chamber of Commerce!

Cameron will continue leading our Abilene Young Professionals program and supporting the Abilene Regional Growth Alliance while expanding his role to oversee our talent development and entrepreneur programs, including Leadership Abilene and the Hispanic Business Council.

This new role strengthens our commitment to building a strong talent pipeline by connecting students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. We are excited to have a dedicated team member focused on developing the workforce and leadership that will help shape the future of Abilene.

Join us in congratulating Cameron on this exciting new chapter! 👏

07/24/2026

We are proud to recognize recent MPH graduate Tara Kinslow (MPH ’26) as a recipient of the 2026 Rising Star Award from the Texas Association of City and Community Health Organizations (TACCHO). The award recognizes early-career public health professionals who demonstrate leadership and make meaningful contributions to their local health departments. Tara earned this recognition for her outstanding work with the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District.

Congratulations, Tara, on this well-deserved honor!

07/23/2026

Congratulations to Joy Ellinger, who was recognized as a new member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health on June 4.

Joy is a graduate of the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health, serves on the school’s Community Advisory Board and is the executive director of Dignity Health Management Center.

We are proud to recognize Joy for her commitment to public health and her continued service to our school and community.

07/10/2026

Please join us in congratulating TTUHSC alumna Tiffany Torres (MPH ‘18), on her induction into our newly established Delta Zeta chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, the national honor society for public health.

Tiffany, who serves as an epidemiologist for the City of Lubbock, was presented with her induction certificate and pin by Dr. Duke Appiah during a recent Lubbock Board of Health meeting, pictured here with Lubbock Public Health Director, Dr. Katherine Wells.

We are proud to recognize Tiffany’s contributions to public health and her commitment to improving the health of communities across West Texas. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

06/16/2026

How should artificial intelligence shape the future of public health?

Dr. Courtney Queen, Associate Dean for Strategic Partnerships, Interim Department Chair, and Associate Professor, represented the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health as a panelist during the opening plenary session at the ASPPH Annual Meeting, where national leaders discussed the responsible and ethical use of AI in public health education, research, and practice.

We're proud to have our leaders helping lead these important conversations.

06/05/2026

We're proud to celebrate the contributions of two of our alumni, Tiffany Torres, MPH ('18) and Amanda Shotts, MPH, CIC ('20), both authors of a recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) report which examined the 2025 West Texas measles outbreak.

Tiffany and Amanda now serve with Lubbock Public Health and were instrumental in documenting many valuable lessons learned from this public health response. They will be able to share those experiences nationally among practitioners and policy makers.

In addition we would like to thank Katherine Wells, DrPH, Director of Public Health for the city of Lubbock and member of the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health Community Advisory Board for her leadership and for contributing to this body of work.

The MMWR is considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of its top scientific publication sources and is used as a trusted source of timely public health information.

05/18/2026

National recognition for Clare Meernik, PhD, MPH, Research Assistant Professor in the Kenneth H. Cooper Institute and the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Research led by Dr. Meernik on how midlife fitness impacts long-term health was recently featured by The Washington Post.

The 30-year study found that higher cardiorespiratory fitness in midlife is associated with longer life, fewer chronic diseases, and more years lived in good health after age 65.

The findings reinforce that healthy habits now can have lasting impact for decades to come.

Congratulations to Dr. Meernik and the research team on the national recognition.

A comprehensive study found that people who were most fit in their 40s and 50s developed major illness later, and lived longer.