2026 Teaching Awards

Congratulations to the Faculty & Staff selected for this year's award recognition.

2026 Teaching Awards

The following three awards are based on nominations from students and voting open to all UTHealth Houston School of Public Health students. 

2026 John P. McGovern Award for Outstanding Teaching: Yongsu Lee, PhD 

2026 James Emerson Award for Outstanding Teaching Assistant: Neeharika Dandamudi

2026 Award for Excellence in Academic Advising: Evan Kwiatkowski, PhD

Congratulations to the Recipients of the 2026 Faculty Awards 

The Faculty Awards Committee would like to congratulate the 2026 UTHealth Houston School of Public Health faculty award winners. They have each exemplified excellence in their respective award categories. Each awardee will receive $1,000 in discretionary operating funds and be recognized at the May 12, 2026 General Faculty Meeting.  

Award for Excellence in Teaching 

Melissa Peskin, PhD, Professor, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences 

Ryan Ramphul, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology

Award for Excellence in Community Service 

Juan Aguilera, MD, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, El Paso 

Jack Tsai, PhD, Professor NTR and Regional Dean, Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, San Antonio

Research Mentor-Mentee Award 

Kristina Mena, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, El Paso

Fuqing Wu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Houston

Congratulations to the Recipients of the 2026 Outstanding Staff Member Awards

The Faculty Awards Committee would like to congratulate the 2026 UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Outstanding Staff Member Award winners. Nominations were accepted from faculty and supervisors of staff, and the Faculty Awards Committee selected finalists which were voted on by school of public health staff. Each awardee will receive a $1,000 award in recognition of their outstanding contributions. 

2026 Outstanding Staff Awards 

Melissa E. Garcia, Campus Administrator I, San Antonio

Christopher Whitaker, PhD, Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research