The Melaram Lab is excited to be attending the APHA 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo in Washington, D.C. The lab’s first collaborative work, “Daily time series analysis of ambient ozone and fine particulate matter in Corpus Christi, Texas” was accepted for presentation.

Today marked the first Public Health Summit in Corpus Christi – Nueces County. The event titled “A.R.T. of Public Health Summit” addressed access, resources, and teaching in relation to chronic disease prevention and management. During this special occasion, Dr. Melaram served as a panelist on the topic “Preparing the Future of Public Health Work.” He shared his background and motivation for pursuing public health, highlighted the importance of community to improve health and well-being, and discussed key initiatives aimed at strengthening public health education and preparing the next generation of public health leaders. 

Destini presented her research “Daily Time Series Analysis of Ambient O₃ and PM_2.5  Levels in Corpus Christi, TX” at TAMU-CC’s 2025 SSIRCA (Symposium for Student Innovation, Research, and Creative Activities).

Please welcome, Jaden, our fourth undergraduate team member! Jaden will be supporting a field study examining the distribution and occurrence of cyanotoxins at Lake Corpus Christi. We look forward to the valuable contributions to our environmental health research.

Dr. Melaram welcomed Justin Ramsaran to the Island University! Justin presented an engaging seminar on “From Data to Decisions: Empowering the Next Generation of AI-Driven Healthcare Leaders” to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Justin emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations in academic institutions to solve complex problems in the healthcare space. He also had the opportunity to connect with Dr. Melaram’s Public Health class and educated them about having the necessary base knowledge in their respective domains when integrating AI resources, such as ChatGPT.

Dr. Melaram is thrilled to announce the acceptance of his publication “The Association of Childhood Allergic Diseases with Prenatal Exposure to Pollen Grains Through At-Birth DNA Methylation” in Epigenomes. This study revealed that epigenetic changes in the genes, ZNF99, ADM2, and HCG1, from high prenatal pollen grain exposures, are linked to a decreased incidence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in early childhood.

Read the full paper here

AAAAI/WAO Joint Congress | San Diego, CA | Feb 28 - Mar 3, 2025

Dr. Melaram presented his groundbreaking research “The association of childhood allergic diseases with prenatal pollen exposure through at-birth DNA methylation” at the 2025 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)/World Allergy Organization (WAO) Joint Congress in San Diego, CA. His work was well-received by the scientific community as it unveiled novel epigenetic mechanisms linking prenatal pollen exposure to the development of childhood allergic diseases, including asthma and rhinitis.

Ethics Professionalism Innovation Compliance Conference | Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Dr. Melaram presented his recent findings, “The association of childhood allergic diseases with prenatal pollen exposure through at-birth DNA methylation” at the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s (TAMU-CC) EPIC conference.

Please welcome, Kellen, our third undergraduate research assistant! Kellen will contribute to a scoping review on the health risks of using contaminated harmful algal bloom water for agricultural irrigation.

APHA Annual Meeting and Expo | Minneapolis, MN | October 27-30, 2024

The Melaram Lab was honored to attend the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo in Minneapolis, MN. We engaged in powerful discussions on public health issues affecting communities across the country.

Dr. Melaram is excited to share his latest publication, “Pollen exposures in pregnancy and early life are associated with childhood asthma incidence” in World Allergy Organization Journal. This study sheds light on how early exposure to high pollen levels may contribute to asthma risk.

Pollen exposures in pregnancy and early life are associated with childhood asthma incidence - ScienceDirect

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Donald E. Warden.  As a leading expert in biostatistics and epidemiology, Dr. Warden will play a key role in advancing our studies on early life environmental exposures and childhood allergic diseases.

Welcome to our newest Destini! Her research will focus on the association between PM2.5 and O3 and asthma prevalence in the Corpus Christi region.

Our very first undergraduate research assistant has joined the team. Welcome aboard, Aidan! Aidan will be investigating the role of prenatal exposure to PM2.5 on DNA methylation patterns during early childhood.

Dr. Melaram is proud to announce his latest publication entitled “Early life exposures of childhood asthma and allergies – an epidemiologic perspective” in Frontiers in Allergy. This work offers insights into how early environmental exposures influence allergic disease development in children.

Frontiers | Early life exposures of childhood asthma and allergies—an epidemiologic perspective

Today marks the official launch of the Melaram Lab at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Our multidisciplinary team brings together expertise in environmental science, epidemiology, epigenetics, and biostatistics to address critical public health challenges facing our communities.