Department of Surgery and J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center
Faculty
Amy Waterman, PhD, FAST
Dr. Amy D. Waterman is a national transplant innovator and the Deborah C. and Clifton B. Phillips Centennial Chair for Clinical Research in Transplant Medicine, a Full Professor, and the Director of Patient Engagement, Diversity, and Education, representing both J.C. Walter Transplant Center at Houston Methodist Hospital and the Houston Methodist Research Institute. As a Health Services Researcher and Social Psychologist, Dr. Waterman conducts research in areas including how best to expand access to optimal treatments, reduce racial disparities, ensure informed decision-making, ensure patient-centered care, and improve health outcomes. She has published over 125 journal articles encompassing many components of clinical and translational research, including patient-oriented research, clinical trials, behavioral and multilevel interventional studies, development of new educational technologies, outcomes and health services research and implementation of best practices. She has designed and tested the efficacy of a suite of innovative educational resources including mobile decision aid applications, a digital storytelling application, and texting interventions about living donation. She has been the Principal Investigator on over 10 grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Her award-winning educational resources have been translated into multiple languages and delivered to patients in thousands of clinical settings in the United States, Canada and online. Her research has been supported by almost $30 million in grants and, in 2019, she received the American Society of Transplantation Clinician of Distinction Award for national influence in transplantation by a non-physician. Prior to joining the faculty at Houston Methodist Research Institute, she was a faculty member at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine in Nephrology and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in General Medical Sciences. Fundamentally, she is a Patient Advocate.
LaShara A. Davis, PhD
Dr. LaShara A. Davis is an Assistant Professor of Population Health Sciences in Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Assistant Professor of Outcomes Research in Surgery at HMAI/HMRI. She graduated with a degree in Communication from the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University in 2004. She continued her education at Purdue University where she received a MA in 2007 and a PhD in Communication in 2011 with an emphasis in Health Communication and Social Influence. She completed postdoctoral training in racial and ethnic disparities in living donor kidney transplant in 2013 at Washington University School of Medicine. Since then, Dr. Davis has built her career around research on patient-centered care, health education development and reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. As an independent Scientist with the Patient Engagement Research Lab at Houston Methodist Hospital, her goal is to deepen the understanding of the creation, implementation, and evaluation of health campaigns with a special focus on health disparities affecting low-income, low-literate, and underserved populations.
Staff
Catherine Pulicken, MHA
Catherine Pulicken is responsible for business and research operations for The Patient Engagement Research Lab implementation at Houston Methodist through the management of research associates and federally funded grant projects. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education in 2014 and completed a Master of Health Administration (MHA) in 2017 from the University of Houston. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, pursuing a public health degree with emphasis on health promotion and behavioral sciences. Catherine is an advocate for health promotion, chronic disease prevention and management, and reducing health disparities through public health initiatives, clinical and research efforts. Previous projects include improving the quality and delivery of chronic disease management and care within community health centers to improve both patient and provider outcomes. She hopes to inspire others and create a meaningful difference within the progressive world of public health.
Victoria Cassell, MS
Victoria Cassell graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 2018 and obtained her M.S. in Psychology in 2021. Her focus in academics is Social Psychology, specifically gender, diversity, and inclusion, and the relationship between identity and motivational factors/experiences of fear. She is currently working as the Clinical Research Data Coordinator for the Patient Engagement Research Lab at Houston Methodist’s Academic Institute, where she hopes to contribute to research addressing disparities in healthcare and access to health education affecting individuals based upon their gender identity, race/ethnicity, and/or socioeconomic status.
Imory Jefferson James, MPH
Imory Jefferson James graduated with a degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University in 2010. She continued her education in 2016 at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston where she earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) with an emphasis on health promotion and behavioral science. Imory has diverse experience in planning and executing global clinical research in neurological outcomes, SARS-CoV-2, surgical oncology, and pediatric general surgery. She is passionate about disease prevention and empowering people to take ownership of their wellness journey. As a Senior Research Coordinator for the Patient Engagement Research Lab at Houston Methodist Hospital, she hopes to improve the quality of patient care by optimizing the use of research as a tool to increase health literacy and help individuals from underserved populations navigate the healthcare system.
Mayra Almendarez, MBA
Mayra Almendarez graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2019, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Western Governors University, with an emphasis on Healthcare Management. Mayra is currently working as a Research Coordinator for the Patient Engagement Research Lab, representing both J.C. Walter Transplant Center at Houston Methodist Hospital and the Houston Methodist Research Institute, with a focus on community engagement and outreach. She is passionate to conduct research in areas including how best to expand access to optimal treatments, reduce racial disparities, ensure informed decision-making, ensure patient-centered care, and improve health outcomes. Mayra has built her career around organ transplantation. She brings 13 years of experience on patient-centered care, health education development, and hopes to contribute to research clinical trials, behavioral and multilevel interventional studies, development of new educational technologies, outcomes and health services research and implementation of best practices. Mayra is excited to soon pursue a Doctoral in Public Health degree with an emphasis on health promotion and behavioral sciences.
Laxmi Keerthi Ravula, MPH
Laxmi Keerthi Ravula earned a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery in 2018 and a Master’s degree in Public Health in 2022, with significant projects in epidemiology, social and behavioral health. Her experience working in rural regions during health campaigns sparked her interest in doing research to raise public awareness and empower the public on a big scale, as well as to contribute to the healthcare industry. Laxmi is currently working as a Clinical Research Specialist for Patient Engagement Research Lab at Houston Methodist. She believes in prevention, and her goal is to provide equal and cost-affective healthcare access to everyone, as well as to raise public awareness through education. Laxmi aspires to inspire others with her new ideas for conducting research to influence public social behaviors and prevent disease through effective techniques and healthcare teaching among all genders to prevent health disparities. She believes in the power of effective communication and research methods to benefit both patients and the public. She also believes that by sharing our love of health information and cultivating diversity, equity, and inclusion, we can improve the world.
Alice Ojeaga
Alice Ojeaga is a graduate of the University of Houston, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology Health Professions. With a diverse range of experiences in the hospital and clinical setting, she brings valuable expertise to her role as a Clinical Research Specialist at Houston Methodist’s Patient Engagement Research Lab. Alice’s dedication to improving healthcare outcomes and fostering inclusivity drives her commitment to building a more equitable system. With a blend of academic knowledge and practical expertise, she strives to make a lasting difference in the lives of individuals from all backgrounds. Her passion for creating positive change fuels her work in patient engagement and research, as she seeks to enhance healthcare experiences for everyone. With a compassionate approach and a drive for excellence, Alice is dedicated to advancing healthcare practices and improving the lives of all patients.
Solaf Al Awadhi, MBBS, MSc.
Solaf Al Awadhi is a Doctor of Medicine since 2015 and obtained her M.S. in Public Health and Comparative Effectiveness Research in 2020. Her focus in academics is chronic kidney disease patients, kidney transplantation, risk assessment and prediction models. She is currently working as a Clinical Research Coordinator with the Department of Medicine and a Scientific Writer with the Patient Engagement Research Lab, where she hopes to contribute to research addressing a better evaluation of kidney functions and a stratification of patients according to their risk factors to improve clinical practices.
Department of Medicine
Faculty
Shane A. Bobart, MD, FASN
Dr. Bobart is a Clinician-Scientist focused on Glomerular disease and epidemiological research. Dr. Bobart received his medical degree from St. George’s University, in Grenada, followed by Internal Medicine residency training at Cleveland Clinic Florida. He completed his Nephrology fellowship at Mayo Clinic and a Certificate in Clinical and Translational Science from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He then joined the Nephrology Department at Cleveland Clinic Florida in 2020, where he was the Associate Program Director of the Nephrology fellowship, Core Faculty of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, a position he held until 2023 when he moved to Houston Methodist Hospital.
He has been funded by the Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Catalyst award and Cleveland Clinic Florida Regional grants. He has served as faculty for the GlomCon (Glomerular Diseases Consortium) International Fellowship. Since joining Houston Methodist Hospital, he is the Associate Program Director of the Nephrology fellowship and course director for Houston Methodist Renal Grand Rounds. He has over 20 peer reviewed publications and is actively pursuing research in reducing morbidity, mortality and health care disparities among patients with glomerulonephritis and chronic kidney disease. He is passionate about reducing racial disparities and improving access to patient-centered, optimal care for patients with glomerular diseases to improve health outcomes.
Spiritual Care Research
Faculty
Beth L. Muehlhausen, Ph.D., M.Div., BCC, LCSW
Dr. Beth L. Muehlhausen is the Spiritual Care Research Program Manager at Houston Methodist. She began her career as a clinical social worker having completed her Masters and Ph.D. at the Indiana University School of Social Work. She completed her Master of Divinity at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN. She is an ordained minister in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ and is a certified chaplain. She has taught at Indiana University, Anderson University and Transforming Chaplaincy. She currently facilitates a research webinar journal series for the Association of Professional Chaplains. She is a qualitative researcher utilizing hermeneutic phenomenology and mixed methods.She has published a number of research projects related to spirituality and spiritual care, including how chaplains and spiritual care leaders responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has presented several workshops and intensives at the annual Association of Professional Chaplains conference, for the National Association for Catholic Chaplains and the North American Association of Christians in Social Work. As a collaborator with the Waterman Lab, she will focus on the role of spirituality and spiritual care in the transplant process particularly for living donors and recipients of organ transplants.