Active El Paso Project: Connecting transportation, health, and equity through multi-sectorial approaches

Dr. Jorge Ibarra Is a medical doctor trained in public health with interests in epidemiological methods, communicable diseases and health policy. Currently, facilitating the Active El Paso health and transportation research project. Read More

Dr. Jorge Ibarra Is a medical doctor trained in public health with interests in epidemiological methods, communicable diseases and health policy. Currently, facilitating the Active El Paso health and transportation research project. Read Less

Dr. Sinan Zhong is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and with the Center for Health Systems & Design at Texas A&M University. She serves as the project manager of a 5-year, $2.6-million research project called Active El Paso, funded by the National Institutes … Read More

Dr. Sinan Zhong is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and with the Center for Health Systems & Design at Texas A&M University. She serves as the project manager of a 5-year, $2.6-million research project called Active El Paso, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her scholarly work focuses on healthy communities and active living. Her research is supported by the American Institute of Architects and the Landscape Architecture Foundation. Read Less

Dr. Ashley Toney received her Ph.D. in Human Sciences with a specialization in Biochemical/Molecular Nutrition and Community Nutrition/Health Promotion from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in August 2021. Dr. Toney is currently a first-year postdoctoral research fellow and NIH Diversity Supplement Recipient at the UTHealth School of Public Health in El … Read More

Dr. Ashley Toney received her Ph.D. in Human Sciences with a specialization in Biochemical/Molecular Nutrition and Community Nutrition/Health Promotion from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in August 2021. Dr. Toney is currently a first-year postdoctoral research fellow and NIH Diversity Supplement Recipient at the UTHealth School of Public Health in El Paso, Texas and the Center for Community Health Impact. Her research interests focus on reducing Latino/a/e health disparities by using translational approaches at the bench and in the community as well as bridging the gap between research and practice in underserved communities. Currently, her postdoctoral work focuses on transit-oriented multilevel interventions in the El Paso region. She is a former USDA NIFA Predoctoral Fellow and American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Young Minority Investigator Award winner. She currently serves on the ASN Minority and Diversity Affairs Committee (MDAC) and the Early Career Nutrition (ECN) Executive Committee. Read Less

Dr. Yang Song is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University. He works at the intersection between landscape architecture, community planning, and urban design. His academic activities have a strong focus on the role of public placemaking in community health and resiliency. He has a long-standing interest in applying digital … Read More

Dr. Yang Song is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University. He works at the intersection between landscape architecture, community planning, and urban design. His academic activities have a strong focus on the role of public placemaking in community health and resiliency. He has a long-standing interest in applying digital technology and data science in landscape research and design. He studies the usage of urban public spaces and develops human-based design theories that enhance active living and economic resilience. Read Less

Dr. Sungmin Lee is an assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University. His primary research interests are neighborhood environments, environmental justice, and health disparity. Particularly, he explores the environmental health of vulnerable populations and disadvantaged neighborhoods. He pursues the question of how … Read More

Dr. Sungmin Lee is an assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University. His primary research interests are neighborhood environments, environmental justice, and health disparity. Particularly, he explores the environmental health of vulnerable populations and disadvantaged neighborhoods. He pursues the question of how outdoor environments and green spaces could promote people's health and safety. His experiences in researching built/natural environment-public health relationships using diverse methods such as surveys, systematic social observations, GIS analyses, and field audits. His interdisciplinary experience working with collaborators in urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, social science, and public health enables me to become a versatile researcher to understand and explore diverse perspectives toward promoting healthy and safe environments for everyone. His research has been published in the Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Health & Place, and Gerontologist. Before joining Texas A&M, he worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut. Read Less

Dr. Hanwool Lee is a post-doctoral research associate at Texas A&M University. His major is urban planning and design. He is interested in measuring urban form and other elements of urban environments and their impact on pedestrian behavior. He is especially an expert in the handling of GIS data. Read More

Dr. Hanwool Lee is a post-doctoral research associate at Texas A&M University. His major is urban planning and design. He is interested in measuring urban form and other elements of urban environments and their impact on pedestrian behavior. He is especially an expert in the handling of GIS data. Read Less

Dr. Xuemei Zhu is a Professor in the Department of Architecture and a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Health Systems & Design at Texas A&M University. She is also a Presidential Impact Fellow and the holder of the James M. Singleton Endowed Professorship of Educational Architecture, and the Co-director … Read More

Dr. Xuemei Zhu is a Professor in the Department of Architecture and a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Health Systems & Design at Texas A&M University. She is also a Presidential Impact Fellow and the holder of the James M. Singleton Endowed Professorship of Educational Architecture, and the Co-director of the research group on Design Research for Active Living. Dr. Zhu’s scholarship investigates the impacts of built environment on public health and social equity, with a specific focus on active living, healthy communities, evidence-based healthcare design, school design, and workplace design, using interdisciplinary approaches. Her research is supported by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), with a total support of about $6.8 million. She has published extensively in the fields of environmental design and planning, environment-behavior research, and public health. Her teaching centers on the theme of environment-behavior relationships and strengthens the link between environment-behavior research and design practice. Read Less

"Dr. Towne’s major research focus includes aging, global health, and social and structural determinants of health emphasizing health inequities research. His published work includes studies focused on the United States, China, and elsewhere. His contribution to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work on issues facing vulnerable populations is informed by his training … Read More

"Dr. Towne’s major research focus includes aging, global health, and social and structural determinants of health emphasizing health inequities research. His published work includes studies focused on the United States, China, and elsewhere. His contribution to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work on issues facing vulnerable populations is informed by his training in psychology (BS), health behavior (MPH), and health policy (PhD). He did his postdoctoral training in Aging and Minority Health Disparities at Texas A&M University after graduating with his PhD in Health Services, Policy, and Management from the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health. He has also received federal training (2018 Class) as part of the Butler-Williams Scholars Program (formerly: Summer Institute on Aging Research) at the National Institute on Aging at NIH Campus. Dr. Towne is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the School of Global of Health Management and Informatics with a joint appointment with the Disability, Aging, and Technology Faculty Cluster Initiative at the University of Central Florida. He is also a faculty associate with the Center for Population Health and Aging and the Southwest Rural Health Research Center both at Texas A&M University. He also holds an adjunct faculty position in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Texas A&M University. He has been a central member of several transdisciplinary teams involving urban planning, medicine, geography, and public health seeking to tackle problems from multiple social ecological levels. He is the recipient of national awards recognizing his contribution to research including the Judy K. Black Early Career Research Award from the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB), the NIH Loan Repayment Program (LRP): Health Disparities Research Award (awarded multiple times) and has led or co-authored 80 peer-reviewed scientific articles (n ≥ 23 as lead or sole author) published in national and international journals. Most recently he was named a Fellow in the American Academy of Health Behavior in recognition of his contribution to research." Read Less

"Dr. Chanam Lee, PhD, MLA is a Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and Founding Director of Design Research for Active Living at Texas A&M University. Lee's research focuses on linking the built environment with public health outcomes. Her expertise is in … Read More

"Dr. Chanam Lee, PhD, MLA is a Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and Founding Director of Design Research for Active Living at Texas A&M University. Lee's research focuses on linking the built environment with public health outcomes. Her expertise is in ‘active living research,’ a transdisciplinary area of research that deals with environmental and policy approaches toward promoting physical activity and healthy living. Lee’s contributions to this relatively new area of scholarship is significant in: (a) developing methodological and theoretical foundations, (b) bringing attention to high-risk populations, and (c) translating research into tools/guides to facilitate evidence-based policy/design interventions. She has (co-)led 30 projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Science Foundation, etc., totaling about $17 million. Two of her on-going NIH R01 projects, titled Active Living Austin and Active El Paso, exemplify her current and continued focus on advancing environment-health research by establishing causality and addressing disparity. Dr. Lee is among the most cited scholars in her field with over 100 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals/books in health and design/planning disciplines. She currently serves as a co-editor of Journal of Planning Education and Research. She is the recipient of the Excellence in Research and/or Creative Works Award, Senior Level, in 2020 from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. The significance of her scholarship has been recognized by multiple other awards from American Public Health Association, American Society of Landscape Architects, Scott & White Healthcare, and the Center for Transportation Studies. Her work has also impacted professional practices in urban planning and landscape architecture, by informing new policy development and by providing evidence-based guides for multiple built and under-construction design projects in the U.S., Japan, and Nigeria. These projects range from hospital healing garden designs to large-scale health-oriented community planning and urban development projects." Read Less