Research Team
Laura Delfausse
Project Coordinator and Health Educator
Laura Delfausse is a registered and licensed dietitian serving as Health Educator and Project Coordinator at The University of Texas at Austin. She holds an M.S. from Georgia State University and a B.A. from Flagler College. Laura specializes in community nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, and clinical research, focusing on health equity, diabetes education, and overall wellness. At the Latino Research Institute, she serves as a liaison between community partners and develops healthy lifestyle interventions for underserved populations. Additionally, she has established a partnership with the Central Texas Food Bank to provide food across UT campus pantries.
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Jaime Fuentes
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Jaime Fuentes-Balderrama is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Steve Hicks School of Social Work with The University of Texas at Austin where he acts as project manager and senior data analyst for two projects funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Fuentes joins the university with six years of teaching experience at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and over ten years of clinical experience. He approaches his work through a strengths-based perspective and his research interests intersect with parenting, Latinx youth mental health; cultural adaptation and therapeutic efficacy of parenting programs, as well as educational attainment in underprivileged groups. Jaime is a graduate of the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City where he attained a Bachelor's in Psychology, a Master's in Community Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Psychological Research.
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Christina Galvan
Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III, Healthy Rural TX
Christina Galvan is the Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III for the Healthy Rural Texas project at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a first-generation graduate, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her educational background centers on direct practice with Latino populations. Her interests include increasing mental health education, awareness, and resources to those in her community. Specifically, those who are survivors of trauma and narcissistic abuse. Previously, she was a part of implementing a newly launched project in the Rio Grande Valley that aimed at providing mental health psychoeducation, processing, and mindfulness to students and families in rural areas. Further, she has experience in individual, family, and group therapy in social service agencies and in academic settings. She was formerly a Research Associate in the Entre Familia project, which aims to increase HPV vaccination among Hispanic adolescents and young adults.
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Oriana Lozano
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Associate II
Oriana Lozano Castro is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Associate II, who supports the coordination of policy and special research initiatives. Originally from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Oriana earned her B.A. in International Relations from the University of Monterrey and a Master of Global Policy Studies from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, specializing in Global Governance and International Law. Before relocating to Austin, she worked for two years with the Government of the State of Nuevo Leon, contributing to the development of strategic planning instruments. Having lived in Mexico, Germany, and the United States, Oriana brings a global perspective to her work. Her academic and professional interests focus on the intersection of global health and human rights.
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Minyu Zhang
Database Coordinator
Minyu Zhang is Database Coordinator at the Latino Research Institute. In addition to her extensive data management experience, she has rigorous training in advanced statistics using primary and secondary datasets. Dr. Zhang earned a PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences and completed a yearlong postdoctoral training program at the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Trained as a quantitative social scientist, she believes that maintaining organized datasets and preserving research data throughout the lifecycle are critical elements in conducting ethical, quality research. She is the LRI’s point of contact for preparing and interpreting database structure and facilitating the efficient use of data for research projects internal and external to the Latino Research Institute.
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