TAMIU Named Recipient of $400K THECB Award Supporting Environmental, Public Health Initiative

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) has received a $400,000 award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's (THECB) Minority Health Research and Education Grant Program.

The awarded research proposal, Nuestra Agua, Nuestra Voz (Our Water, Our Voice): An Interdisciplinary Minority Health Research and Workforce Development Project in Environmental Health Communication and Community Response, focuses on community public health needs, said Dr. Cindy Salazar-Collier, the principal investigator and associate professor of public health.

“‘Nuestra Agua, Nuestra Voz” was developed in response to the repeated boil-water notices our community residents have experienced over the past several years and the resulting concerns about environmental health communication, public trust, and protective health behaviors,” said Salazar-Collier.

Alongside Salazar-Collier, the interdisciplinary research team includes TAMIU faculty members Dr. Ruvini Pathirana, assistant professor of biology; Dr. Andrew Hilburn, associate professor of geography; Dr. Alison Hadley Hilburn, associate professor of anthropology; Dr. Giasuddin Ahmed, assistant professor of biology; and Dr. Kyle Breen, assistant professor of sociology. The project also builds on long-standing community partnerships with the Mid Rio Grande Border Area Health Education Center and the Rio Grande International Study Center.

Through community surveys, residential water sampling, focus groups, and bilingual town halls, the project examines residents' experiences while developing evidence-based strategies to strengthen environmental health communication, public preparedness, transparency, and community engagement.

“This $400,000 THECB award allows us to build on preliminary research our team has conducted with nearly 1,500 Laredo residents and move from identifying community concerns to acting on those findings. The funding will support a more rigorous community assessment, citizen-science residential water sampling, focus groups, GIS analyses, public education and engagement, and hands-on research and workforce development opportunities for TAMIU students,” Salazar-Collier said.

The project's long-term goal is to develop a community-informed model for environmental health communication that can be adapted for other medically underserved communities, particularly along the U.S.-Mexico border. Researchers also hope to build lasting environmental health research capacity by training University students, integrating project findings into coursework, and using what they learn in Laredo to support future research on environmental health emergencies and public health communication.

For more information, contact TAMIU's Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.

A proud member of The Texas A&M University System, TAMIU provides a world-class educational experience to students from throughout South Texas, Northern Mexico, and beyond.

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TAMIU has received a $400,000 award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Minority Health Research and Education Grant Program. Members of the awarded research proposal’s interdisciplinary team include Dr. Ruvini Pathirana, Dr. Alison Hadley Hilburn, Dr. Cindy Salazar-Collier, Dr. Kyle Breen, Dr. Andrew Hilburn, and Dr. Giasuddin Ahmed.