Rehabilitation and Health Services Faculty and Staff
![]() |
Rachita Sharma, Ph.D., LPC-S, CRCChair of Rehabilitation & Health Services Clinical Associate Professor, UNT Well Clinic Director & Program Director for Ph.D. in Health Services Rehabilitation and Health Services My research interests lie primarily in Resilience and Positive Psychology in provision of Mental Health Counseling. I am also interested in Mindfulness, provider self-care, and multicultural competencies in counseling. As a counseling supervisor I am also interested in looking at the impact of pedagogy on educational effectiveness as it pertains to self-efficacy and competency among counselors in training. Additionally, I have looked at cultural attitudes and barriers that impact help seeking behaviors in minority communities, receptiveness of veterans towards complementary and alternate medicine (CAM), and the role of culture on the experience of mental health symptoms among military personnel. Recent publications: |
Rachita.Sharma@unt.edu 940-565-2795 Chilton 218K Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Azzama AliaGraduate Services Coordinator Rehabilitation and Health Services |
azzama.alia@unt.edu 940-565-4054 Chilton 218E |
![]() |
Denise Catalano, Ph.D., CRCAssociate Professor Rehabilitation and Health Services factors that impact individual resilience, factors that impact ecological resilience, community participation among individuals with chronic illness and disability, quality of life issues among individuals with chronic illness and disability |
Denise.Catalano@unt.edu 940-891-6893 Chilton 238Q Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Dalia Chowdhury, Ph.D., CRC, CADC, LPCAssociate Professor Rehabilitation and Health ServicesHealthy Community Collaborative Program Mental and Physical Disability, Gender, and Violence; Trauma and addiction; Suicide and Trauma informed Healthcare; Gender and Pedagogy; Psychometry. |
Dalia.Chowdhury@unt.edu 940-369-5001 Chilton 218P Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Jill Denniston, M.S.RHS Internship Coordinator Adjunct Instructor Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Jill.Denniston@unt.edu 940-369-5343 Chilton Hall 218 |
![]() |
Paula Heller Garland, M.S., LCDCSenior Lecturer & Addiction Studies Coordinator Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Paula.Heller-Garland@unt.edu 940-369-5186 Chilton 218L Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Monesha HaynesSenior Administrative Specialist Rehabilitation and Health Services |
monesha.haynes@unt.edu 940-565-3400 Chilton 218B |
![]() |
Julia Heck, PhD, MPHAssociate Dean for Research Dean's OfficeRehabilitation and Health Services My focus is lifecourse epidemiology, with particular interests in early life exposures and later health outcomes. My major research focuses on the epidemiology of birth outcomes and childhood cancers within cohorts of children from the United States, Scandinavia, and Taiwan, with an emphasis on environmental and occupational causes of cancer as well as maternal and paternal health, pharmaceutical use, and the perinatal environment. Birth Outcomes among Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Families: This project uses a large cohort of 1.7 million Danish births to examine the prevalence of preterm birth, low birthweight, and other adverse birth outcomes among the offspring of mothers and fathers with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. We will additionally look at the prevalence of pregnancy complications in mothers with the condition. For this project I am working with colleagues at the Danish Cancer Society and UCLA. Ambient Air Toxics and Breast Cancer Risk: This study uses data from the Multiethnic Cohort to examine residential exposure to industrial and traffic-related air pollution in relation to breast cancer risk. For this I am collaborating with UCSF, USC, The University of Hawaii-Manoa, UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and Oregon State University. Childhood Cancer in Relation to Parental Occupational Exposure to Chemical and Other Agents: I lead the Parental Occupation and Childhood Cancer (POCC) Study, an international effort that integrates data from large prospective databases in Denmark with cancer registry data. The overarching objective of this study is to address hypotheses of exposure to environmental agents in childhood cancer etiology, using validated job-exposure matrices (JEMs) developed by Danish occupational hygienists. This project includes over 6000 cancer cases, and we are able to additionally use data from the Danish Medical Births Registry to address questions of gestational risk factors. Maternal Comorbidities, Prescription drug use in pregnancy, and Childhood cancer (COMPAC): I am PI of a large-scale study of childhood cancer among Danish children which utilizes information from large medical and pharmaceutical databases to examine the risk of childhood cancers from maternal comorbid health conditions and prescription drug use during pregnancy.. Environmental Health Tracking of Childhood Cancers: Our group has several projects which use California Cancer Registry records of 11,000 childhood cancer cases, linked to California birth records, to examine the risk of cancer related to perinatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution, air toxics, pesticides, and other environmental as well as gestational risk factors. A new NIH-funded study within this project examines exposure to industrial pollution emissions in relation to risk for pediatric cancers. Metabolomic Profiling of Retinoblastoma: This project conduct broad metabolomic profiling of newborn blood spots among retinoblastoma cases and controls. We aim to examine whether nicotine and cotinine differ in blood spots between retinoblastoma cases and controls, and also to examine a variety of metabolites in relation to cancer risk. Recently we received funding from NIH to conduct a metabolome-wide association study (MWAS) within this cohort. Childhood Cancer in Taiwan: Along with colleagues at National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are investigating maternal health and pharmaceutical use in risk for childhood cancers and birth outcomes. We are using data from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Database. This grant is funded by the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. |
julia.heck@unt.edu 940-565-5061 Chilton 289A Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Chisom Iwundu, Ph.D.Assistant Professor Rehabilitation and Health Services My primary research interest is focused on better understanding the social and environmental contexts that affect health, and health behaviors especially among marginalized groups. |
chisom.odoh@unt.edu Chilton 238L Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Benedict Jikong (DHA)Lecturer Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Benedict.Jikong@unt.edu 940-369-8277 Chilton 238R |
![]() |
Bradley McDaniels, PhD, CRCAssistant Professor Coordinator of Rehabilitation Studies Program Rehabilitation and Health Services Well-being, quality of life issues, meaning and purpose, positive psychology, apathy, and psychosocial adaptation among individuals with chronic illness and disability with a particular interest in Parkinson’s disease. |
bradley.mcdaniels@unt.edu 940-565-4938 Chilton 238J Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Naomi Meier, DrPH, MSClinical Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Public Health Program Rehabilitation and Health Services |
naomi.meier@unt.edu 940-369-8096 Chilton 218H Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Ami Moore, Ph.D., MPH, CPHProfessor Rehabilitation and Health Services |
ami.moore@unt.edu Chilton 218G Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Elias Mpofu, Ph.D., CRCProfessor Rehabilitation and Health Services My research interests coalesce around sustainable community-oriented health services; - their design, implementation and evaluation for health promotive supports across the lifespan, with an increasing emphasis on community living and participation outcomes for health older adults aging with or into disability Selected Publications: The following publications were co-authored with doctoral student Renata Komalasari and peer in RHS - associate professor Gayle Prybutok. Dr. Mpofu and Dr. Prybutok feel that it is their obligation to teach doctoral students how to publish as part of their education. Komalasari, R., Mpofu, E., Prybutok, G., and Ingman, S. (2022). Daily Living Subjective Cognitive Decline Indicators in Older Adults with Depressive Symptoms: A Scoping Review and Categorization Using Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). Healthcare, 2022, 10, 1508. Komalasari, R., Mpofu, E., Prybutok, G., and Ingman, S. (2023). Subjective Functional Difficulties and Subjective Cognitive Decline in Older-Age Adults: Moderation by Age Cohorts and Mediation by Mentally Unhealthy Days. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023, 20, 1606. |
Elias.Mpofu@unt.edu 940-565-4829 Chilton 302A Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Liam O'Neill Ph.D.Associate Professor Coordinator of Health Services Administration Program Rehabilitation and Health Services Efficiency measurement in health care, data envelopment analysis, health information systems, electronic health records, big data, and Covid-19. His most recent article on risk factors among children with Covid-19 was published in Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology. |
liam.o'neill@unt.edu 940-369-7568 Chilton 238M Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Gayle Prybutok, BSN, MBA, Ph.D.Associate Professor Rehabilitation and Health Services Health communication/education; health care quality improvement, health education, Internet based health communication, health care service quality, mobile health, health disparities Selected Publications: The following publications were co-authored with doctoral student Rifat Afrin. Dr. Prybutok feels that it is her obligation to teach her doctoral students how to publish as part of their education. Afrin, R., Prybutok, G. (2022). Insights into the antecedents of cyberchondria: a perspective from the USA. Health Promotion International. 37, 1–10. Afrin, R., Harun, A., Prybutok, G., Prybutok, V. (2022). Framing of COVID-19 in Newspapers: A Perspective from the US-Mexico Border. Healthcare, 10, 2362. Afrin, R., Prybutok, G., Prybutok, V. (2022). The pathways from online health information seeking to cyberchondria: A perspective from moderated mediation. Psychiatry Research Communications 2, 2022.100069. The following publications were co-authored with doctoral student Renata Komalasari and peer in RHS - professor Elias Mpofu. Komalasari, R., Mpofu, E., Prybutok, G., and Ingman, S. (2022). Daily Living Subjective Cognitive Decline Indicators in Older Adults with Depressive Symptoms: A Scoping Review and Categorization Using Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). Healthcare, 2022, 10, 1508. Komalasari, R., Mpofu, E., Prybutok, G., and Ingman, S. (2023). Subjective Functional Difficulties and Subjective Cognitive Decline in Older-Age Adults: Moderation by Age Cohorts and Mediation by Mentally Unhealthy Days. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023, 20, 1606. |
Gayle.Prybutok@unt.edu 940-369-7820 Chilton 238P Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Justin Watts, Ph.D., NCCAssociate Professor Coordinator of Rehabilitation Counseling Program Rehabilitation and Health ServicesHealthy Community Collaborative Program The impact of child-maltreatment among young/emerging adults, trauma, post-traumatic stress, childhood psychological maltreatment. |
Justin.Watts@unt.edu 940-369-8947 Chilton 218M Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Kaiqi Zhou, Ph.D., CRC, LPC-ITAssistant Professor Rehabilitation and Health Services Psychosocial adaptation to chronic illnesses and disabilities (disability acceptance, value change, disability identity), Autism Spectrum Disorder, assistive technology, and application of psychoanalysis in rehabilitation counseling. |
Kaiqi.Zhou@unt.edu 940-369-7267 Chilton 218P Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Ryan Appleton, M.S., CRCAssociate Director of Transition Programs Rehabilitation and Health Services |
ryan.appleton@unt.edu 940-369-5497 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Justin Boulay, M.S.UNT WISE Instructional Designer/Program Manager Rehabilitation and Health Services |
justin.boulay@unt.edu 940-369-8620 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Becky Cagle, M.S., ATHSSenior Program Project Coordinator Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Rebecca.Cagle@unt.edu 940-565-4407 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Ticcara N. CassellSWTCIE Senior Program Project Coordinator Rehabilitation and Health Services |
ticcara.cassell@unt.edu 940-369-7515 Chilton 126 |
![]() |
Kaya ChurchSenior Administrative Specialist Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Ryan Cole, M.S. CRCSWTCIE Program Director Rehabilitation and Health Services |
ryan.cole@unt.edu 940-565-4422 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Aracely (Ellie) FuentesUNT WISE Sr. Program Coordinator Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Aracely.Fuentes@unt.edu 940-565-4311 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Lucy Gafford M.S., CRCDirector, UNT WISE Rehabilitation and Health Services |
lucy.gafford@unt.edu 940-891-6769 Chilton 122 Faculty Profile |
![]() |
Shay GregoryProgram Project Coordinator Rehabilitation and Health Services |
shabnam.khorramshahi@unt.edu 940-369-7503 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Christa LimAdministrative Coordinator, UNT WISE Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Christa.Lim@unt.edu 940-565-4000 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Jade MarthUNT ENGAGE Senior Program Coordinator Rehabilitation and Health Services Understanding best practices for supporting neurodivergent people using the neurodiversity approach and bridging the gap between the medical and social model of disability. |
jade.marth@unt.edu 940-369-7939 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Kellie Nix M.S., CRCSr. Program Project Coordinator UNT WISE ENGAGE Rehabilitation and Health Services |
kellie.nix@unt.edu 940-565-4000 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Eralda ShyleUNT WISE Program Project Specialist Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Eralda.Shyle@unt.edu 940-565-4000 Chilton 122 |
![]() |
Lauren Taylor, MS, CRC, LPC-ASenior Program Project Coordinator for ENGAGE Rehabilitation and Health Services |
Lauren.Taylor@unt.ede 940-369-5392 Chilton 122 |