16 hours Ago By University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Newswise — Kari North, PhD, an internationally recognized leader in genetic epidemiology and public health genomics, joined UTHealth Houston as the university’s vice president of border health and a professor with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. North will direct the Border Health Research Center at the School of Public Health in Brownsville. In her combined roles, she will lead collaborative clinical and population research to advance innovation, education, and public health improvement in the U.
S.-Mexico border region. “We are excited to have Dr.
North join the outstanding team in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president of Academic and Faculty Affairs and the Roger J. Bulger, MD, Distinguished Professor at UTHealth Houston. “She’s been a long-time collaborator with the School of Public Health’s transformative research and the community cohorts established there.
We look forward to new initiatives and even greater impact in the region under her leadership.” In her two decades of experience, North has led multiple National Institutes of Health research projects totaling more than $50 million in grant funding and collaborated on several large-scale, interdisciplinary initiatives. “Dr.
North brings a wealth of expertise and a deep commitment to advancing precision population health through novel genomic discoveries and implementation of research findings in communities,” said Eric Boerwinkle, PhD, dean and M. David Low Chair in Public Health at the School of Public Health and Kozmetsky Family Chair in Human Genetics at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “Her leadership will be instrumental in expanding our research, education, and development of precision public health practices.
She also brings a lifelong commitment to collaboration and the building of bridges among the very best investigators in the field. I look forward to her addressing the unique health challenges along the Texas-Mexico border and anticipate significant and innovative solutions at the intersection of genomics and public health.” North’s research focuses on understanding the genetic and environmental determinants of chronic diseases, with particular emphasis on obesity, cardiometabolic conditions, and health disparities in diverse populations.
She specializes in using large-scale data integration, statistical genetics, and bioinformatics to inform precision public health strategies. “I am eager to start this new chapter of my life,” North said. “Throughout my career, I have cultivated an environment of sustained excellence, grounded in the belief that public health can transform our understanding of disease and elevate health outcomes — from the cellular level to entire communities.
I look forward to continuing this mission in my new roles at UTHealth Houston.” Her academic record includes more than 593 peer-reviewed publications. North has held prominent leadership roles in national research consortia, including Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE), Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) and Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT).
Her appointment to the School of Public Health in Brownsville emphasizes the strengths and capabilities of the location’s research and supports the ongoing mission to improve public health through scientific excellence and innovation. North comes from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she served as associate dean for research and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the Carolina Center for Genome Sciences..
