x
  
  

Mixed Reality and Healthcare Practice:
Local Innovations in Human Trafficking Response

An initiative to help equip Laredo’s healthcare community with practical tools to identify and address human trafficking in their practice is the focus of a one-day conference, “Mixed Reality and Healthcare Practice: Local Innovations in Human Trafficking Response” on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) Student Center Ballroom.

Among Conference highlights are an overview of human trafficking and common misconceptions about it; insights from research conducted by the CCHT grant about the forms of sex and labor trafficking common in South Texas; a guide to local resources available for trafficking survivors, and trauma-informed strategies for providing comprehensive community support.

TAMIU CCHT Logo Horizontal
The Conference is being presented by TAMIU’s Center to Counter Human Trafficking (CCHT).

Conference Highlights

  • Location: TAMIU Student Center Ballroom (STC 203)
  • Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2025
  • Topics:
    • Understanding Human Trafficking in Healthcare: Identifying Victims & Indicators
    • Implementing Trauma Informed Care in Healthcare Settings
    • Mixed Reality (MR) Session – ER Scenario: Recognizing Trafficking Cases & Using PEARR
    • Policy Development: Creating Institutional Protocols for Human Trafficking Response
    • Multi-Agency Panel: Cases Resources, Documentation & Law Enforcement Collaboration
    • Expert Panel: Clinical Experience & Healthcare Collaboration in Human Trafficking Response

View Full Agenda

Speakers

Crystal Sepulveda

Crystal Sepulveda

Lived Expert

Full Bio Here

Ummra Hang

Ummra Hang

Lived Expert

Full Bio Here


Claudia San Miguel

Dr. Claudia San Miguel
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of Criminal Justice

Researches criminal justice, securing significant grant funding.

Full Bio Here

Ariadne Gonzalez

Dr. Ariadne Gonzalez
Associate Provost
Associate Professor of Communications

Studies identity, immigration, and labor.

Full Bio Here


Dr. Nilda Garcia

Dr. Nilda Garcia
Assistant Professor of Political Science

Examines organized crime and drug trafficking.

Full Bio Here

Marcus Ynalvez

Dr. Marcus Ynalvez
Interim Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Sociology

Focuses on science, health, and mentoring.

Full Bio Here


Isaac Kimmel

Dr. Isaac Kimmel
Associate Researcher for the Center to Counter Human Trafficking

Studies sociology, media, and political communication.

Full Bio Here

Aziz Rahman

Dr. Aziz Rahman
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Center to Counter Human Trafficking

Researches immigration, violence, policing, and terrorism.

Full Bio Here

Manuel Guillen Jr.

Manuel Guillen Jr.
Program Manager for the Center to Counter Human Trafficking

Research education, leadership, and human development.

Full Bio Here


Crystal Vasquez

Crystal Vasquez
CCHT Graduate Research Assistant

Studying cognition, neuroscience, and inclusive education.

Full Bio Here

Sarah Martinez

Sarah Martinez
CCHT Graduate Research Assistant

Focused on executive function in learning and human rights advocacy.

Full Bio Here


TAMIU Center to Counter Human Trafficking
Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library (KLM) 418B
956.326.4980
ccht@tamiu.edu

If you or someone you know may need help to escape a trafficking situation, please contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline by calling 888.373.7888, texting 233733, or reporting online at https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/report-trafficking. If someone is in immediate danger, please call 911.