Welcome to Tresha Parsania, our volunteer population health disparities analyst. Tresha is a clinically trained research professional and holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from MGM Medical College and Hospital in Mumbai, India, and a Master of Public Health from Boston University. Her research examines how social, environmental, and neighborhood-level determinants shape health outcomes and disparities in the United States. She is particularly interested in leveraging large population-based datasets to investigate the relationships between health access, community environments, and chronic disease prevalence.

February was a milestone month for the Melaram Lab. The BREATHE-CC study reached a major milestone with Institutional Review Board amendments approved and participant recruitment officially launching on February 26th. The team continued advancing the National Institutes of Health R25 TEACH grant ahead of its March 17th deadline and is preparing three abstracts for the 2026 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo. These include the BREATHE-CC protocol, cyanotoxin biomonitoring in Lake Corpus Christi, and geographical disparities in asthma hospitalization rates across Texas. Two new projects launched this month: a harmful algal bloom exposure and asthma hospitalization study in Florida, and a project examining healthcare access and childhood asthma prevalence. The lab also welcomed a new Volunteer Population Health Disparities Analyst and extended offers for the Public Health Summer Mentorship program.

Dr. Rajesh Melaram, Assistant Professor of Public Health, recently co-presented a virtual workshop titled "Crafting Your CV for Multiple Career Paths" for the International Society of Exposure Science. During the session, Dr. Melaram discussed CV fundamentals, shared practical examples, and offered strategies for developing strong CVs tailored to early-career professionals pursuing academic positions. He concluded his presentation by encouraging participants with the message "Don't give up because your CV will grow with you," a statement that was well received by an audience of more than 30 attendees.

January marked a focused start to the year for the Melaram Lab, emphasizing research dissemination, recruitment, and public health leadership development. The lab began preparing multiple research abstracts for submission to upcoming national conferences, including the American Public Health Association and International Society of Exposure Science meetings, while teams collaborated to refine analyses and strengthen the scientific impact of ongoing projects. Recruitment efforts also expanded to include applications for remote Volunteer Environmental Health Scientist and Volunteer Population Health Disparities Analyst positions. Alongside these initiatives, the lab continued prioritizing mentorship in scientific writing, data analysis, and environmental exposure assessment to support the development of emerging public health leaders.

To kick off our Student Spotlight in the new year, we’re proud to recognize Jaden Riojas for their outstanding work and dedication. Over the past several months, Jaden has taken initiative in developing a foundational research proposal, collaborating closely with fellow scientists, and leading fieldwork efforts that included water sampling and quality assessments. In the lab, they have processed samples for analysis, extracted total microcystins for ELISA assays, organized and compiled datasets, and conducted basic descriptive statistics. Just as importantly, Jaden has helped translate preliminary findings into clear, accessible insights, making the research more meaningful to a broader audience. Their professionalism, curiosity, and strong work ethic have made a meaningful impact on the project’s progress, and we’re excited to see all they continue to accomplish.

Dr. Rajesh Melaram, Assistant Professor of Public Health, is pleased to announce the publication of his article, "Daily Time Series Analysis of Ambient Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter Levels in Corpus Christi, Texas," in Water, Air, & Soil Pollution. This study analyzed five years of air quality data along the Texas industrial coast, revealing distinct seasonal patterns and temperature-linked differences in ozone (O₃) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) levels. Using classical seasonal decomposition and autoregressive moving average modeling, the research identified persistent O₃ elevations and oscillating PM_2.5 concentrations in the petrochemical-intensive city of Corpus Christi, underscoring the need for targeted, pollutant-specific air quality interventions.

Dr. Melaram, Assistant Professor of Public Health, attended the CONHS Dean's Advisory Board Meeting where he presented his latest initiative, "BREATHE-CC", designed to address asthma health disparities among Hispanic children in South Texas. The meeting was highly insightful, providing strategic guidance to help shape the future of healthcare education in the region and expand opportunities for community impact.

Dr. Melaram, Assistant Professor of Public Health, and Dr. Jin, Professor of Statistics, are pleased to announce the acceptance of their publication, "Investigating Asthma Disparities in Hispanic Communities Using Machine Learning Algorithms on the All of Us Researcher Workbench" in Healthcare. Using interpretable machine learning models, their study revealed important nonlinear patterns indicating that older Hispanic women with higher BMI and greater access barriers experience the highest asthma burden, underscoring critical targets for intervention.

Welcome to Emma Doria, our newest undergraduate research assistant from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi! Emma is a junior majoring in Medical Laboratory Science, and her research interests include water quality, agricultural impacts on health, environmental exposures, and community health. Emma will contribute to ongoing laboratory and field-based research efforts, supporting projects that examine environmental exposures and their impacts on community health. We are excited to have Emma join the Melaram Lab!

Dr. Rajesh Melaram, Assistant Professor of Public Health, along with Research Assistants, Hiea Almekhlabi and Manasa Kuchavaram, successfully presented and defended their initiative, “Breathe and Boogie,” to the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) of the Corpus Christi Independent School District. During the meeting, the community engagement team addressed board concerns and questions related to health topics such as diet and nutrition, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) alignments, and special needs accommodations. The board approved the initiative, marking a key step toward implementing an asthma education workshop in local schools across Nueces County.

Dr. Rajesh Melaram represented Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi at the 2025 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo in Washington, D.C., presenting the Melaram Lab's research on "Daily Time Series of Ambient Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter in Corpus Christi, Texas." This research provides critical baseline data to inform local air quality policy decisions and improve understanding of pollutant dynamics in petrochemical industrial regions. The work, which originated as an undergraduate research project, has now been presented at a national conference within its first year.

Dr. Rajesh Melaram, Assistant Professor of Public Health, was invited to present as part of the Epidemiology-Biostatistics Lecture Series at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. During the session, Dr. Melaram presented his research on "Daily Time Series of Ambient Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter in Corpus Christi, Texas." He discussed long-term air quality patterns along the Texas industrial coast and highlighted seasonal trends, pollutant variability, and temperature-associated changes in air pollution levels. The presentation emphasized the use of time series modeling approaches, including seasonal decomposition and autoregressive methods, to better understand environmental exposures in petrochemical regions and their implications for public health.

Hiea Almekhlabi and Manasa Kuchavaram, Research Assistants, co-presented their workshop proposal, "Breathe and Boogie", to the School Health Advisory Council of the Corpus Christi Independent School District. Their presentation provided meaningful context for the BREATHE-CC initiative in South Texas, emphasizing the importance of helping children identify triggers and manage asthma symptoms through guided breathing techniques. They further demonstrated how asthma education can empower children, families, and communities to take an active role in promoting respiratory health.

Dr. Melaram, Assistant Professor of Public Health, delivered an informative and engaging Leading, Edifying Discussions talk at the Health Sciences and Technology Research Symposium. His presentation, "BREATHE-CC: Where Environment Meets Child Health", highlighted childhood asthma as a major public health issue while showcasing a successful statewide collaboration aimed at reducing health disparities and building a healthier South Texas. Dr. Melaram envisions uniting a city through science, community-engagement, and policy-driven action to ensure every child breathes cleaner, healthier air.

Dr. Melaram, Assistant Professor of Public Health, and Dr. Jin, Professor of Statistics, shared their knowledge on, "AI, Machine Learning, and Asthma" at the Fall 2025 Science Thursdays. Dr. Melaram discussed what public health means and how educating youth can shape healthy behaviors and promote long-term community well-being. He also highlighted the BREATHE-CC study as a groundbreaking initiative in Corpus Christi to address environmental health disparities related to asthma. Both Dr. Melaram and Dr. Jin are dedicated to interdisciplinary research that integrates data science and public health to improve health outcomes in underserved communities. 

Dr. Melaram launched the Fall 2025 Share-It seminar series hosted by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Research & Innovation Committee. His presentation, "From Teaching to Research - Making Community Impact," highlighted his academic journey from teaching undergraduate biology to advancing public health through research and community engagement. Dr. Melaram emphasized how his work is helping to shape the next generation of public health leaders, empowering them to become agents of positive social change within their communities and beyond.

Dr. Melaram presented his latest research to the Center for Rural Resilience during their campus visit. His presentation,
“Asthma Surveillance in Rural Communities Using Machine
Learning,” highlighted innovative approaches to addressing asthma disparities in underserved populations, particularly rural Hispanic communities. Dr. Melaram, in collaboration with Dr. Jin, is leveraging machine learning and large-scale
health datasets to better understand and predict asthma outcomes.

Welcome to Manasa Kuchavaram, our newest research collaborator! Manasa is a geospatial systems engineer specializing in spatial databases, GIS, and data visualization. She holds an M.S. in Geospatial Systems Engineering from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and a B.E. in Computer Science from Osmania University. Manasa will be playing a major role in our recently funded BREATHE-CC Cohort Study and supporting regional criteria pollutant and meteorological dynamics research across South Texas through interactive dashboard development and spatial analysis. We are excited to have Manasa join the Melaram Lab!

Welcome to Hiea, our newest undergraduate research assistant from TAMU-CC! Hiea is majoring in Public Health, and her research interests include community health, environmental exposures, and pediatric health. Hiea will play a major role in developing community engagement materials, coordinating with community partners, and converting research findings into accessible community summaries for the BREATHE-CC Cohort Study.

Dr. Melaram presented his research "Human Health Impacts of Freshwater Cyanobacterial Toxins - Epidemiological Insights on Microcystins and Nodularins" to the California Cyanobacteria and Harmful Algal Bloom (CCHAB) Network. His presentation was informative, providing insights into the toxicity and health effects of cyanotoxin exposure, supported by both biological explanations and epidemiological findings. 

Image Credit: Ren et al. (2023)