About

Dr. Bluhm is a tenured full professor and the Director of International Programs the University of Texas Health at San Antonio. She is a registered nurse of Asia-Pacific heritage with graduate degrees in neuroscience and clinical investigation. Having been raised in the Philippines and educated in different parts of the world, I have observed how stress and trauma transcend social boundaries and affect health. This experience has influenced my program of science, which focuses on the health of vulnerable populations, especially related to stress. I have had a track record research on preclinical models for neuropsychiatric disorders, investigating the neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms associated with the effects of stress. At the School of Nursing, I have engaged in translational clinical research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as education-based and community service-based diversity research to improve patient-centered outcomes. Funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) provided opportunities to build capacity and engage Veterans and Filipino-Americans on PCOR, advocacy, and as full partners of research. My main goal is to improve patient outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations.

For more information, please see: https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/nursing/profile/lapiz

As a board certified, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, faculty at the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing, and Research Chair on the Philippine Nurses Association of Northern California Executive Board, Melinda Sarmiento Bender, RN, PhD, PNP-BC is one of the few Filipina US research nurse scientists. She focuses on behavioral health clinical trials for diabetes and cardiometabolic disease prevention among Filipinos, other underrepresented populations. To reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes, Dr. Bender’s emphasis is on Implementations Science applying culturally adapted community-based weight loss lifestyle interventions for target populations including mobile technology and social media for intervention delivery and health behavior monitoring.

Dr. Jurado has held prominent positions in several professional organizations and educational institutions. He is a past president of the NJ Board of Nursing, Philippine Nurses Association of NJ and Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA). He was the PNAA Parliamentarian and now the Executive Director. He is also the Associate Editor of the Journal of Nursing Practice Applications & Reviews of Research. His research agenda includes foreign-educated nurses and men in nursing. He has spoken at regional, national and global conferences regarding his program of research. He received several distinguished awards in nursing education and research, health care, community leadership and mentoring. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Marietta Dela Cruz, graduated in Nursing at the University of Luzon 1978, finished her BSN at Quezon City Medical Center and College of Nursing in 1982—both from the Philippines. Her nursing experiences involved medical surgery, MICU, home health, hospice, Outpatient surgery, and ED. She just retired from the South Central Veterans Health Care System as of 2018 (for 23 years). She is an active member of the Philippine nurses association of America. She served two terms as president of the Philippine Nurses Association of San Antonio, Inc.