Leadership

Bettina M. Beech, DrPH, MPH, FAHA

Bettina M. Beech, DrPH, MPH, FAHA is the Chief of Population Health and Translational Science and Clinical Professor of Clinical Sciences at the University of Houston. She is a public and population health scientist whose work centers on the interplay between chronic diseases, neuroinflammation, and cognitive functioning within population health frameworks. Her research investigates how long-term conditions such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes contribute to cognitive decline and neurological vulnerability across at-risk populations.

Dr. Beech employs interdisciplinary approaches that integrate epidemiology and biomarker discovery to uncover mechanisms linking cardiometabolic dysfunction to brain health outcomes. Through longitudinal cohort studies and population health interventions, she seeks to identify predictive indicators and mitigate the burden of chronic disease on obesity-induced cognitive aging and quality of life.

She has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for over two decades and she has provided leadership on important studies such as the Jackson Heart KIDS Study (an ancillary offspring study to the Jackson Heart Study), Girl’s Health Enrichment Multi-site Studies (GEMS), the Healthy Families Study (a childhood obesity cluster RCT with Hispanic families), and Parents and Children Together Preventing Diabetes (PACT-PD) (one of the first studies translating the Diabetes Prevention Study for African American parents and children). Dr. Beech has been committed to scaling interventions to improve health outcomes and overall quality-of-life among a wide range of populations.

Dr. Beech is currently Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) of the Consortium of Precision Health (CTPH), the new CTSA at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston. In addition, she is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the HEALTH-RCMI, a center grant in the Research Centers in Minority Institutions consortium; MPI of AIM-AHEAD – an NIH-funded consortium grant tasked with workforce development in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), and Contact PI of the NHLBI-funded Obesity Health Disparities, a research training and mentoring program for early career faculty and transitioning postdoctoral fellows. Her current research also leverages multi-sector partnerships to conduct late-stage translational research examining the impact of loneliness and social isolation on obesity-induced hypertension, cognitive impairment, and cardiovascular disease reversal interventions using defined plant-based diets among African Americans. Dr. Beech has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and reports focusing on the full range of determinants impacting the cardiovascular health and well-being of African Americans. She is currently an associate editor of Ethnicity and Disease, an editorial board member of Population Health Management, and co-editor of the first (2004) and soon to be released second edition of Race and Research: Perspectives on Minority Participation in Health Studies (2024).

Dr. Beech is involved in several national population-health related activities. She is a member of several national boards including the Humana Foundation Board of Directors, National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches, Qualtrics Higher Education Advisory Council, Geisinger Medical School, and the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Sciences (IAPHS).

A native of Los Angeles, California, Dr. Beech holds a B.A. from Temple University, Master of Public Health from Temple University, and a Dr.P.H. in Community Health from University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral science at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and was 2011-2012 Fellow in the Hedwig van Amerigen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women (Drexel University). In addition, she completed the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program (2016-2017). In 2024, she was elected as a Fellow in the American Heart Association and recipient of the J. Michael McGinnis Leadership Excellence Award from IAPHS.

External Advisory Board

  • Tamara Baer, MD, MPH

    Senior Expert  McKinsey & Company  

    Tamara Baer, M.D., M.P.H., is a senior expert at McKinsey & Company, focusing on health care for vulnerable populations and leading the McKinsey Center for Societal Benefit through Healthcare. She advises academic medical centers, children’s hospitals, payers, not-for-profits, and public systems on social determinants of health, health equity, population health, and value-based care. A practicing pediatrician and adolescent-medicine specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital, Tamara completed her pediatrics residency and Adolescent Medicine fellowship there. She serves on the Board of Directors and Health and Research Council of the Greater Boston Food Bank and was a member of the Fenway Health IRB and the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine National Advocacy Committee..

  • Sarvi Bajwa, MBA

    Senior VP of Manufacturing for North America Danone

    Sarvi Bajwa, a proud University of Houston Engineering alumnus, boasts 35 years in Manufacturing and Supply Chain for consumer giants like Coca Cola, Procter & Gamble, Avon, Unilever, and now Danone, as Senior VP of Manufacturing for North America. At Coca Cola, he led Supply Chain operations for Juice, Dairy, Hydration, and Food Service. His work focuses on team empowerment, leadership development, safety culture, strategic planning, and sustainability, particularly water conservation. Sarvi founded “WE RISE̶ – for gender equity in supply chains. He holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from UH, an MBA from Loyola University, and a Supply Chain certification from Georgia Tech. Sarvi and his wife live in Columbia, Maryland, yet he frequently visits Houston for family, friends, and UH sports.

  • Reena Evers-Everette

    Executive Director Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute   

    Reena Evers-Everette is the daughter of civil-rights activists Medgar Evers and Myrlie Evers-Williams. Born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. She is the executive director of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute (MMEI) in Jackson, Miss. MMEI is non-profit that is committed to strengthening communities throughout the United States through programming that supports increased civic engagement. Reena’s civic and volunteer involvements include being the former chairman of the board of directors of the Claremont Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the City of Claremont’s Committees on Dialogue and Human Relations. She is highly regarded public speaker, and she is currently a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network fellow.

  • Elena Marks, JD

    Senior Fellow in Health Baker Institute for Public Policy           

    Elena M. Marks is a Senior Fellow in Health at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Her work focuses on improving health outcomes for Texans, particularly low-income and marginalized groups. Her expertise includes health systems, the Affordable Care Act, health disparities, health equity, and nonmedical health drivers. She founded the Texas Consortium for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health. From 2014-2022, Marks was the Founding President and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation, overseeing over $400 million in grants for health equity in Texas. Her previous roles include Director of Health and Environmental Policy for Houston, healthcare consultant, legal placement firm director, and trial and appellate lawyer. Marks holds degrees from Emory University, the University of Texas School of Law, and the University of Texas School of Public Health.

  • Omar Matuk-Villazon , MD, MBA

    Chief Medical Officer & Clinical Services Officer Suvida Healthcare

    Omar Matuk-Villazon, M.D., M.B.A., is the Chief Medical Officer & Clinical Services Officer for Suvida Healthcare, founded in 2021 to serve Hispanic seniors and their families. With over 20 years of primary care experience, Dr. Matuk leads Suvida’s clinical activities, including physician services, mental health, chronic programs, and wellness activities in Texas and Arizona. He co-developed Suvida’s culturally informed clinical care model. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Chief Medical Officer at the University of Houston College of Medicine. Dr. Matuk earned his M.D. from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and an M.B.A. from Rice University, where he teaches Value-Based Care. He regularly provides free care in Mexico City. Dr. Matuk is a diplomate of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Mexican National Academy of Medicine, and an active member of the National Hispanic Medical Association.

Team

  • Marino A. Bruce, PhD, MSRC, MDiv

    Founding Director, The Collaboratories at UH Population Health
  • Nomita Bajwa, PharmD, EdD

    Operations Co-Director, Consortium for Translational and Precision Health
    Director of Multi-Sector Partnerships
  • Jeronimo Cortina, PhD

    Director, Population Health Collaborative (UH Sugar Land)
  • Adam Martinez, EdD, NBC-HWC

    Administrative Director, Population Health Education
    Director, Integrative Health and Well-being Coaching Certificate Program
  • Kiara Spooner, DrPH, MPH

    Clinical Associate Professor
  • HK Quinn Valier, PhD

    Research Associate Professor
    Director, Student Engagement
  • Cori C. Grant, PhD,MBA

    Research Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
  • Susie Gronseth, PhD

    Clinical Professor, College of Education
  • Ankita Siddhanta, PhD, MS

    Research Assistant Professor
  • Latricia Vaughns, MBA

    Director of Operations