Lab Members
Director: Pablo Montero-Zamora, PhD
Dr. Montero-Zamora is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, College of Education, where he also leads the Community Health Research & Implementation Science Lab (CHeRISh Lab). His research focuses on how contextual, familial, and individual-level etiologic factors influence health outcomes such as substance use, mental health, and chronic diseases among diverse populations. By examining these etiological associations and their potential variations across different population subgroups, his research aims to inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally adapted, evidence-based interventions for individuals and families in the U.S. and abroad. He has contributed to numerous publications in top-tier journals on topics related to prevention and implementation science, public health, and social epidemiology.
PhD Student & Graduate Research Assistant: Andrea Lopez-Soto, DDS, MSc
Andrea Lopez-Soto was born and raised in San José, Costa Rica. She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Costa Rica and later completed a Master of Science in Dentistry at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil in 2017. Since August 2024, Andrea has been pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also serves as a Graduate Research Assistant. Her current research focuses on substance use, cultural stress, and family dynamics among Latin American populations, with particular attention to adolescents, parents, and migration experiences. She is also interested in the intersection of behavioral health and oral health disparities in these communities.
Graduate Research Assistant: Esmeralda (Esme) Ramirez, MA
Esme Ramirez (she/her/hers) is a PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the CHeRISh Lab. Her research interests include substance abuse, intimate partner violence (IPV), and health disparities amongst women, immigrants, and other marginalized populations. Previously, she was a Research Project Director at the University of Southern California, where she worked on a longitudinal study tracking substance use and IPV in a cohort of low-income women in San Antonio (1 R01 DA039269), as well as a binational project tracking transitory migration between the Los Angeles and Mexico City to build a foundation for developing health policy interventions for migrants (1 R01 MD013628-01). She received her MA in Media Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and her thesis focused on the associations between media use and social mobility trajectories among Latino families in Austin.
Student Lab Friends & Collaborators
PhD Candidate & Research Fellow: Madeline Baird
Madeline Baird is a PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut and a research fellow with the CHeRISh Lab at the University of Texas. Prior to doctoral studies, Madeline earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her multi-sited dissertation research in Panama, Mexico and Texas examines how border enforcement regimes shape policies, practices, and ideologies of migrant protection, care, and human rights in spaces of transit migration.
MPH Student: Caleb Castillo
Caleb A. Castillo is a Master of Public Health student in Epidemiology at UTHealth Houston. His primary focus includes youth mental health, immigrant health equity, and improving access to care for underserved pediatric populations. Born in Minnesota and raised in Brownsville, Texas, Caleb earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Psychology from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He currently serves as a Graduate Research Assistant under Dr. Emily Lemon and is also a mentee of Dr. Montero-Zamora, whose research on Latino mental health and family dynamics complements Caleb’s interest in culturally grounded, community-based interventions.
BA Student: Shriya Senapathi
Shriya Senapathi is a rising senior at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Health & Society with a minor in Health Communications, as well as a certificate in Pre-Health Professions. She is actively involved in a variety of extracurricular organizations on campus that reflect my commitment to healthcare, service, and leadership. She is excited to be a part of the CHERISH Lab, where she has the opportunity to engage in meaningful research that aligns with her academic and professional goals, and looks forward to contributing to the lab’s mission.