Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences

The Public Health Genetics and Genomics Group (PHGGG) in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences is a team of experts focused on genetics and genomics of rare and common complex diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity that are prevalent in the San Antonio Community and elsewhere. A major focus of PHGGG’s research activities rests on understanding the genetic and environmental determinants of common complex diseases with profound public health burden especially among the Mexican American population in South Texas. The comprehensive PHGGG research facility is equipped with state-of-the-science wet- and dry-lab facilities to conduct large scale family- and population-based studies using technologies at the forefront of genetics. It is the first laboratory of its kind at TAMUSA supported by a team of experts in the areas of genetic epidemiology and molecular genetics. The PHGGG Faculty Members currently include Dr. Ravindranath Duggirala, Dr. Donna M. Lehman, Dr. Srinivas Mummidi, and Dr. Rector Arya.

Much of their research efforts over the past 28 years have been directed towards the discovery of genetic and environmental factors influencing metabolic disorders such as T2D, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and gallbladder disease and their comorbid conditions, through application of high-throughput omics approaches to samples and data from extensive Mexican American families in San Antonio, TX. These approaches include whole genome or exome sequencing, as well as transcriptomic, epigenomic and chromatin assays of biopsy tissues and single cells. To complement the groundbreaking large-scale genetic epidemiological studies, investigators of PHGGG also have expertise in determining the functional mechanisms by which genetic variants modulate gene expression and impact disease pathogenesis. A variety of studies are ongoing using molecular, cellular, and bioinformatics methodologies, including human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technologies to derive disease-relevant cells and tissues, such as cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, and brain organoids, for assessing cellular functions.

PHGGG members have a long history of receiving funding from the NIH and training many students, research fellows, and junior faculty members and colleagues over the years in the areas of statistical genetics, genetic and molecular epidemiology, molecular genetics, and public health genomics. Together with the research and teaching expertise of the PHGGG and its unique research facility providing hands-on experience to students, the PHGGG faculty are committed to the growth of our next generation of health science professionals at TAMUSA through training in public health genomics and clinical translational sciences.