TTUHSC El Paso professor is nationally recognized as a leader and mentor of women in STEM
Munmun Chattopadhyay, M.Sc., Ph.D., a faculty researcher with the university’s Center of Emphasis in Diabetes and Metabolism and an associate professor at the Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, was named to the Women Worth Watching in STEM list for 2022 by Profiles in Diversity Journal.
Dr. Chattopadhyay was nominated for her research, success in publishing to peer-reviewed research journals and mentorship of TTUHSC El Paso students, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation college students. Currently, 52% of TTUHSC El Paso students are from border counties throughout Texas. Their education and training at the university prepare them to remain in or return to their hometowns to practice in areas with unique needs and a shortage of health care professionals.
Dr. Chattopadhyay’s research focuses on diabetes-related complications, which are a major health issue for El Paso’s diverse border population. Profiles in Diversity Journal highlighted her three-year project that will send “artificial mini-hearts” to the International Space Station, to better understand how microgravity affects the function of the human heart.
TTUHSC El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine is home to four Centers of Emphasis that specialize in cancer, diabetes and metabolism, infectious diseases and neuroscience. The centers focus on illnesses affecting the El Paso community and millions of others across the U.S. These programs are serving as models for addressing the health needs of Latinos and border populations in general.
“I hope to continue working and sharing my experience with my younger colleagues, especially the younger women who come to work here,” Dr. Chattopadhyay said. “Hopefully being included on this list lets women know that TTUHSC El Paso is a place they can come to work and grow within the scientific field.”
Read More: TECH TALK - JUL 14, 2022
YOU CAN HELP
At TTUHSC El Paso, we are committed to growing our own health care heroes and changing the state of health care in our Borderplex. For more information about how you can help, please contact andrea.tawney@ttuhsc.edu or craig.holden@ttuhsc.edu or visit ttuhscep.edu/elpaso/ia/giving/.