Doctoral student receives award during A&M Student Research Week

Brenda Bustillos, M.S., RD, LD, a doctoral student at the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) School of Rural Public Health, was recently awarded first place at the Graduate Oral Presentation competition during Texas A&M University’s Student Research Week event.

A captain in the U.S. Army Medical Specialist Corps, Bustillos participated in the division of Health, Nutrition, Kinesiology and Physiology. This award not only recognizes the significant contributions that she has made to her field of study but also the work of the Program for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities at TAMHSC-School of Rural Public Health.

In addition, Bustillos was awarded the Melbern G. Glasscock Humanities Award, Vice President of Research Diversity Award and the Sigma Xi Theme Award for Genomics, the act of translating research into public health practice and disease prevention.

Bustillos’ oral presentation focused on the work she has done with the promotora-inspired nutrition workshops in South Texas. She has been working on a project, “Promotora Nutrition Empowerment Initiative: A culturally and linguistically-centered education program for Promotoras de salud (community health workers) to foster community health education and outreach in Texas border colonias.”