Leading Public Health Education at O'Donnell School

Sarah Messiah, M.P.H., Ph.D. is the Director of the Child and Adolescent Population Health Program and Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern. With extensive expertise in epidemiology and a focus on childhood obesity and cardio metabolic disease, Dr. Messiah is internationally recognized for her work in school-based interventions. As the National Chair of The Obesity Society’s annual planning committee for Obesity Week and a Fellow of the Obesity Society, her leadership is widely respected.

Yingjie Qiu, M.S., Ph.D., joins the School as an Assistant Professor in Biostatistics. He holds a Ph.D. in Biostatistics & Health Data Science from Indiana University School of Medicine and Fairbanks School of Public Health. Dr. Qiu’s expertise lies in developing statistical methodologies to address real-world challenges, with a focus on clinical trial designs, missing data analysis, and methods for single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. He has contributed to multiple collaborative projects, publishing significant research in medicine, public health, and biology. Dr. Qiu is dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and translating statistical insights to drive clinical decisions and research directions.

Alejandra Fernandez, M.S., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Previously, she served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth Houston. Dr. Fernandez received their Ph.D. in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017. Her research focuses on ecological factors and family functioning related to health outcomes such as substance use and obesity, particularly within Hispanic populations. Dr. Fernandez aims to develop multi-level family-based interventions to improve health outcomes by addressing cultural and societal factors.

Mingyue Li, M.P.H., Ph.D. is an Instructor in Biostatistics. She brings a comprehensive background in molecular and genetic epidemiology, with a focus on understanding the interplay between genetics, environmental factors, and diseases, particularly cancers. Dr. Li holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Indiana University, with a minor in Bioinformatics, and has experience identifying genetic variants linked to cancer susceptibility and exploring metabolic pathways influencing mitochondrial health. Her role as a research assistant and experience as a Merck Health Economics and Outcome Research Associate have equipped her with skills in handling large datasets and mentoring students.

Samaah Sullivan, M.P.H., Ph.D., joins the school as an Assistant Professor in Epidemiology. Previously, she served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences at UTHealth Houston. Prior to UTHealth, Dr. Sullivan spent five years at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, first as a postdoctoral fellow on a T32 focused on cardiovascular inequalities and then as an Instructor.

Her research investigates the biological embedding of psychosocial stress and social disadvantage, particularly among women, and has revealed critical sex differences in how stress affects cardiovascular health. Recognized by the American Heart Association and the NIH, Dr. Sullivan's work has also received accolades such as third place in the American Heart Association’s Research Goes Red Data Challenge.

Hui (Henry) Luan, Ph.D., joins the School as an Assistant Professor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor in spatial epidemiology at the University of Oregon and received his doctoral from the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Luan’s research focuses on using data-driven and computational approaches, including Bayesian spatiotemporal statistics and GIS techniques, to study geographical and racial disparities in HIV. He have successfully secured six grants and their work has been recognized by various organizations, including the American Heart Association and the NIH.