SURVEY
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Research Team Members
Study Coordinators
Naila Aslam
Jonathan Ramsey
Sarah Catherine Weaver
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.