ABOUT US

We are a collaborative team from Baylor University and Waco Family Medicine. Our mission is to understand relationships between behavior and health associated with the COVID-19 pandemic within McLennan County, Texas.

Meet the Team

Get to know the dedicated professionals behind this research. Our team, composed of experts from Baylor University and Waco Family Medicine, brings a wealth of knowledge and diverse skills to understanding relationships between health behaviors and biomarkers associated with the pandemic.

We are deeply grateful to our funding bodies, institutions, and individual contributors whose support has been crucial to our success. Together, we strive to deliver exceptional results and make a meaningful impact in Waco.

Principal Investigator

Michael P. Muehlenbein, PhD MsPH

Dr. Muehlenbein leads our research efforts with extensive expertise in public health and human biology. As Professor of Anthropology at Baylor University, his vision and leadership was pivotal to getting this project started and continued.

Michael_Muehlenbein@baylor.edu

Co-Principal Investigator

Sally Weaver, MD PhD

Dr. Weaver has been involved in both primary care and population health research for close to 30 years. She actively teaches doctors training in the specialty of Family Medicine in one of the top residency programs in the country - right here in Waco, Texas. Dr. Weaver has much experience in electronic health records research and is currently involved in both Covid-19 research and research around the topic of artificial intelligence use in the healthcare setting.

sally_weaver@wacofamilymedicine.org

Co-Principal Investigator

Erich Baker, PhD MsBS

Dr. Baker is Professor of Computer Science and Vice Provost for Research & Strategic Initiatives at Belmont University. Prior to joining Belmont in t2023, Dr. Baker held the position of Professor of Bioinformatics at Baylor University. Dr. Baker's research expertise lies in convergent functional genomics, distributed databases, and the application of graph theory, machine learning, and data science to investigate complex trait diseases in humans.

erich.baker@belmont.edu

Investigator

Jeffrey Gassen, PhD

Dr. Gassen’s expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies significantly enhances our research capabilities. As a Postdoctoral Scholar at UCLA’s Department of Psychiatry, he brings a deep understanding of research techniques and insights that drive impactful results.

jgassen@mednet.ucla.edu

Investigator

Tomasz Nowak, PhD

Dr. Nowak is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Anthropology at Baylor University. His background in evidence-based medicine and public health enhances our projects with a strong analytical perspective and methodological expertise.

tomasz_nowak2@baylor.edu

Research Team Members

Study Coordinators

Naila Aslam

docnylz@yahoo.com

Jonathan Ramsey

joramsey@wacofhc.org

Sarah Catherine Weaver

SarahCatherine_Weav1@baylor.edu

Research Assistants

Jessica Clark

Garrett Darden

George Fereg

Allie Henderson

Cason Hucks

Caroline Hughes

Ifeoma Ikedionwu

Isabella Ip

Ryan Parker

Cassidy Parshall

Kayal Parthiban

Lohith Satish

Joseph Spear

Berkeley Sheppard

Travis Smith

Whitney Thode

Connor Tompkins

Gaby Villa

Sandi Win Naung

Phlebotomists

Deborah Gerdes

Jasmine Cordero

Gabby Castro-Guerra

Ramona Harmdierks

Amanda Leger

Curtis Lemmons

Lisa Loftin

LeeAnn Mckamey

Thomas Nevels

Collaborator

Dr. Samuel Urlacher

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We extend our deepest gratitude to the organizations and individuals who have made our research possible. Our sincere thanks go to Baylor University, The Rapoport Foundation, Waco Family Medicine, and The Cooper Foundation for their invaluable support and collaboration. Their commitment to advancing research and improving community health has been instrumental in the success of our projects.

None of this work would be possible without the project participants. Thank you for trusting us. It is a priviledge to work with you.