Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso welcomes Deborah Clegg, Ph.D., as the university’s new vice president for research.
“My goal is to assist our researchers to be successful,” said Dr. Clegg. “The new motto for our department is: ‘We break down barriers to research!’ We’ll help individuals grow their research through campus and community-wide collaboration, submit applications, find funding opportunities that match their research, and help them navigate compliance and funding processes.”
She holds a faculty position as professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Foster School of Medicine.
Prior to arriving at TTUHSC El Paso, Dr. Clegg was a research professor and associate dean for research in the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University. She was also a professor in the departments of Internal Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Clegg earned her B.S. in nutrition from Oregon State University, her M.B.A. from Boston University and her Ph.D. in nutrition from the University of Georgia. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Cincinnati Diabetes and Obesity Center at the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Clegg has a unique background in both clinical and basic sciences, and extensive experience as a grant reviewer for institutions including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Diabetes Association, Veterans Affairs and the Swiss Government Federal Foundation.
One of the main purposes of the research department at TTUHSC El Paso is to ensure students, faculty and staff have the tools and funding needed for innovative research projects that benefit our community and the Hispanic population.
TTUHSC El Paso’s mission is to improve the lives of residents by addressing the health care needs of our predominantly Hispanic community, which is at higher risk for diseases such as diabetes, breast and colon cancer, and Alzheimer’s. To this end, the university conducts a wide range of public health research, and has established Centers of Emphasis in cancer, infectious diseases, diabetes and metabolism, and neuroscience.
“Our Centers of Emphasis allow us to expand the understanding of these particular diseases that are prevalent in our region,” said Dr. Clegg. “Research helps us develop new ways to diagnose and treat them.”
As TTUHSC El Paso has grown and strives to be at the forefront of research that serves our community, Dr. Clegg’s arrival couldn’t come at a better time to transform those efforts and guide faculty with her expertise.
Dr. Clegg has been awarded numerous grants as either a principal investigator or co-principal investigator. She has authored or co-authored over 140 publications in high-impact journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, Cell Metabolism, and Diabetes. She was also the recipient of the 2019 Gill Award for Transformative Research in Neuroscience.
For more info on TTUHSC El Paso, click here; for our previous coverage of the school, click here.
