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 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.
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.
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 the 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 about conducting research in areas including expanding access to optimal treatments, reducing racial disparities, ensuring informed decision-making, patient-centered care, and improving health outcomes. Mayra has built her career around organ transplantation. She brings 15 years of experience in patient-centered care, and health education development. She hopes to contribute to research clinical trials, behavioral and multilevel interventional studies, the development of new educational technologies, outcomes, and health services research, and the 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 we can improve the world.
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.
Victor Uteshev, PhD
Dr. Victor Uteshev was trained as a physiologist (University of Toronto, Ph.D.) and a neuro-pharmacologist (University of Florida; postdoctoral training). He has served as a faculty member in academia and a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Uteshev is a Section Editor for Current Pharmaceutical Design. His research interests revolve around developing treatments for neurological disorders associated with ischemic/traumatic brain injury, acute/chronic pain, and neuroinflammation. As a senior scientific writer with the Patient Engagement Research Lab and the Center of Innovation at Houston Methodist Hospital, he is focused on pursuing excellence in medical research, communication, and education. His professional efforts are dedicated to developing and communicating approaches for optimizing patient engagement and treatments utilizing principles of evidence-based medicine and disseminating innovations in healthcare, medical research, and education.
Ibrahim Diane, MA
Ibrahim supports the Patient Engagement Research Lab at Houston Methodist with expertise in data analytics, program evaluation, and health services research. He holds a Master’s in Applied Economics from George Washington University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Economics and Health Services Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Prior to joining the lab, he served as a Data Scientist and Program Analyst at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, where he conducted program evaluations and supported data-driven initiatives for agencies such as USAID and The White House. Ibrahim is passionate about using data to improve healthcare delivery for underserved communities and advancing systems-level change through evidence-based research and policy integration.