³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ

Published November 15, 2023
By Darlene Muguiro
³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ College of Health Sciences

Dr. Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia, associate professor of Public Health and ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ’s resident environmental health expert, will take on more prominent roles in sharing information about environmental health with underserved communities in the Paso del Norte region. Ibarra-Mejia, who is now serving a second year as a regional task force leader for the Environmental Protection Agency’s U.S.-Mexico Border 2025 program, was also recently appointed as ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ’s representative for the NIH National Library of Medicine’s Environmental Health Information Partnership (EnHIP).

In his role for the Border 2025 program, Ibarra-Mejia helps address the need for more education regarding environmental risks within the region, providing resources to local or state governments, schools and nonprofits. Task force leaders are also asked to hold a minimum of two public presentations per year. The next presentation will be held at the Colegio de Juarez in December.  

Ibarra-Mejia says that among all of the issues identified during his time in his role with the EPA, air quality is one of the most hotly debated.

“The most passionate people attend our joint advisory meetings on air quality. For example, the proposed expansion project for the Cordova Bridge has generated a lot of polarity,” he said. “One of the things that I’m most proud of is the fact that I’ve been able to help these folks understand that the issue is multi-faceted, and not solely due to traffic on the bridges.”

Ibarra-Mejia says that one of his major goals is to bring “environmental literacy” to communities in need. His new role with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) EnHIP program fits neatly into that plan. EnHIP focuses on dissemination of scientifically-validated information located with the NLM to underserved communities.

“EnHIP began as a program designed to address toxic waste, but now, the goal has broadened, and is focused on promoting environmental justice,” he said. “EnHIP does fund proposals for dissemination of the NLM information, but they also promote incorporating environmental health and awareness into the curriculum at universities. I also happen to teach the courses here at ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ focused on environmental health.”

Ibarra-Mejia says that research about health outcomes related to climate issues in El Paso and the immediate region is very limited, due to its location in the most southern part of far-west Texas and Eastern New Mexico, along the US-Mexico border.  For this reason, his team in the Bioergonomics Lab is examining health outcomes (specifically hospitalizations) associated with extreme heat, dust storms, chronic diseases and emerging infections. 

“Essentially, we’re in between two major regions, in what I call an ‘unnamed region,’ where we have all the same problems that exist in the Texas Panhandle and in Phoenix,” he said. “But we’re also looking at issues related to desertification, like a rise in emerging fungal infectious diseases whose causing agents live in the top surface of the soil. So, we need to protect ourselves – breathing is a key human right. When you see a haze in the air, whether dust or air pollution, always wear your mask.”  

For more information about the work of the Bioergonomics Lab, please email Dr. Ibarra-Mejia at gabmejia@utep.edu.

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