Research & Faculty
Research Areas
These research areas represent key focus areas of our faculty, encompassing a broad range of expertise in improving healthcare delivery and innovation:
- Cancer-Specific Innovations
- Healthcare Delivery in Low-Resource Settings
- Healthcare System Organization
- Organizational Theory & Innovation Implementation
- Program Evaluation & Implementation Science
- Pragmatic Trials\Implementation Trials
- Veteran-Specific Health Innovations
Our Faculty
Our faculty are leaders in advancing the integration of evidence-based practices into real-world healthcare settings. Their expertise spans a range of innovative methods and strategies designed to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. You can learn more about their individual work and access their publications by visiting their faculty profiles, linked through their names below.
Lisa D. DiMartino, M.P.H., Ph.D.
Lisa D. DiMartino, M.P.H., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health with a background in implementation science and health services research. Dr. DiMartino has expertise in examining multi-level factors associated with adoption of evidence-based interventions across a wide variety of health care settings. She uses a combination of research methodologies in her work, from mixed methods and qualitative evaluations to analysis of complex datasets using advanced statistical methods. Dr. DiMartino earned her BA in Psychology, MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education, and PhD in Health Policy and Management, all from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Bella Etingen, Ph.D.
Bella Etingen, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health and a Research Health Scientist within the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Health Systems Research (HSR) service. Dr. Etingen received a BS in Psychology, MA in Applied Social Psychology, and PhD in Applied Social Psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Her methodological expertise encompasses mixed-methods research, program evaluation, implementation science, and community and stakeholder engagement. Dr. Etingen has over a decade of experience supporting the learning healthcare system through leading and conducting health services and implementation projects within VHA.
Breanna Grimes, M.B.A., CHES
Breanna Grimes M.B.A., CHES, is the Program Manager for the Advancing Improvement and Implementation Science Program.
Robin T. Higashi, Ph.D.
Robin T. Higashi, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health. Trained as a medical anthropologist, Dr. Robin T. Higashi specializes in using qualitative methods to evaluate patient- and system-level barriers to achieving equitable health outcomes among underserved populations. Since joining the faculty in 2019, Dr. Higashi has been awarded nearly $1M to study barriers to activation and use of patient portals, telehealth and other remote technologies among Spanish-speaking, older adult, and minoritized populations at Parkland, UT Southwestern, and Texas Health Resources.
Timothy Hogan, Ph.D.
Timothy P. Hogan, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population and Data Sciences and joined the faculty in late 2019. He is also the Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) eHealth Partnered Evaluation Initiative and a Research Health Scientist within VA’s Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, one of 18 centers of innovation and research excellence across the country that comprise VA’s national Health Services Research and Development Service.
Laiba Husain, M.P.H., Ph.D.
Laiba Husain M.P.H., Ph.D. is an Assistant Instructor in the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health.
Lynn Ibekwe, M.P.H., Ph.D.
Lynn N. Ibekwe, M.P.H., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor within the Advancing Implementation & Improvement Science program at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She holds a dual appointment within the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health and the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern. The overarching goal of Dr. Ibekwe’s research program is to reduce the disproportionate burden of cancer borne by minoritized populations in the US, with a special focus on Black populations.
George Jackson, Ph.D.
George L. Jackson, Ph.D., MHA is a healthcare epidemiologist and implementation scientist with a background in health administration. He joined the faculty of the UT Southwestern Medical Center in February of 2023 as a Professor and Director of the Advancing Implementation & Improvement Science Program in the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health. Dr. Jackson also has a secondary appointment as a Professor in the UT Southwestern Division of General Internal Medicine and is a member of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Sukh Makhnoon, Ph.D.
Sukh Makhnoon, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Peter O’Donnell School of Public Health, with a secondary appointment at the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Makhnoon is a public health geneticist who focuses on implementation science and the translation of genomic applications into clinical practice. As an interdisciplinary researcher, Dr. Makhnoon has developed a research program to improve utilization of cancer prevention and control innovations across the cancer continuum, with a focus on uncertain and reclassified genetic test results.
Megan Mullins, M.P.H., Ph.D.
Megan A. Mullins, M.P.H., Ph.D., joined the faculty in April 2022. Dr. Mullins received both her MPH and PhD in Epidemiologic Sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She completed post-doctoral training at the University of Michigan’s Rogel Cancer Center where she was a T32 fellow in cancer care delivery research and the inaugural Cancer Care Delivery Research Fellow at NRG Oncology, a research base in the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). Dr. Mullins’ research program is focused on improving the quality and equity of cancer care for people with advanced stage cancers.
Emily C. Repasky, M.A.
Emily C. Repasky, M.A., is the Population Research Project Associate II for the Advancing Improvement and Implementation Science Program.