Institutional Cores

The UTHealth Houston Fetal Institute is dedicated to advancing fetal health through a multidisciplinary approach, leveraging the expertise and resources of our specialized cores

Clinical Research and Innovations Core

Led by Dr. Ashley Salazar, the Clinical Research and Innovations Core develops and supports innovative research and scholarship, including developing the tools and data infrastructure to track long-term outcomes after fetal intervention. The Perinatal Mental Health program, led by Dr. Jerrie Refuerzo, is housed in this core.

Title	Name
Core Director	Ashley Salazar, DNP
Principal Investigator, Spina Bifida Research Program	Ramesha Papanna, MD, MPH
Principal Investigator, Perinatal Mental Health Program Director	Jerrie Refuerzo, MD
Principal Investigator CDH, RAFT, Cook Shunt	Anthony Johnson, DO
Clinical Research Sr. Program Manager	Elisa Garcia, RN
Follow Up Research Nurse	Stephanie Whitney Conaway, RN
Sr. Research Nurse	Tania Clarete, RN
Clinical Research Coordinator	Percy Pacora, MD

Translational Research and Biorepository Core

The Translational Research and Biorepository Core, led by Dr. Lovepreet Mann, improves pre-clinical translational research, allowing discoveries to move quickly and efficiently into practice. The Biorepository will ensure the availability of biological samples and data needed to support the institute’s translational research programs.

Title	Name
Core Director	Lovepreet Mann, MBBS
Principal Investigator Spina Bifida Research Program	Ramesha Papanna, MD, MPH
Research Assistant I (PRN)	Shreya Pandiri
Sr. Research Associate	Jong Hak Won
Histology Technician II	Linh Tran
Research Technician II	Janna Kluge

Fetal Imaging, Genetics, and Diagnostics Core

The Core Directors, Drs. Jimmy Espinoza and Blair Stevens, MS, CGC, will identify initiatives focused on advancing imaging and genetics for fetal diagnosis and develop related training programs and dissemination events. This core will also focus on clinical informatics and machine learning capabilities.

Title	Name
Core Co-Director/ Genetics and Diagnostic Technologies	Jimmy Espinoza, MD
Core Co-Director/ Informatics and Machine Learning Program Director	Blair Stevens, MS, CGC
Investigative Collaborator	Hope Northrup, MD
Investigative Collaborator	Jennifer Johnston, MD

Education and Training Core

Led by Dr. Papanna, the Education and Training Core will leverage partnerships across UTHealth Houston and the Texas Medical Center to advance fetal science and promote the principles of fetology in education and research activities.

Title	Name
Core Director	Ramesha Papanna, MD, MPH
GME Fellow	Sami Backley, MD
GME Fellow	Felicia Lemoine, MD
Research Fellow	Neha Agarwal
Research Fellow	Linoy Bastri

Administrative Core

Led by Nelcy Ramirez, the Administrative Core oversees the Fetal Institute's administration and budget management, directed by the Executive Director and the Steering Committee. The core also partners with community-based organizations to provide community-facing activities, symposia, and collaborations.

Title	Name
Core Director	Nelcy Ramirez, MBA
Scientific Writer	Jonathan Feinberg, PhD
Data Scientist	Sen Zhu, PhD
Executive Assistant	Heleva Bacchus