Structural Anatomy & Rehabilitation Sciences (STARS)

Graduate Program

 

Table of Contents

Current Graduate Students

Counts Headshot 1 Crop
Caroline Counts
PhD Student – Maddux & Cho Labs

Thermoregulatory anatomy & physiology

   
Zoie Munoz
Zoie Muñoz
MS Student – Cho Lab
   
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Indya Thompson
PhD Candidate – Gonzales Lab

Locomotor anatomy, Primate paleontology

   
Baonhu Tran 2
Baonhu Tran
PhD Candidate – Maddux Lab

Respiratory anatomy, Biological anthropology 

   
Carter Unger
Carter Unger
PhD Candidate – Lesciotto Lab

Forensic anthropology

   
Lyndee Ward
Lyndee Ward
PhD Candidate – Maddux Lab

Respiratory anatomy, Geometric morphometrics

 

Recent Alumni

PhD Graduates
Courtney Miller
Courtney Miller, PhD (2025)

Assistant Professor of Anatomy
Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Meridian, ID

Menegaz Lab. PhD Dissertation: Musculoskeletal craniofacial evolution & developmental plasticity during early life oral motor development.

   
Taylor Robertson
Taylor Robertson, PhD (2024)

Assistant Professor of Anatomy
Central Michigan University College of Medicine, Mount Pleasant, MI

Reeves Lab. PhD Dissertation: Investigating the Link Between Gross Anatomy and Ultrasound Education: Implications for Students Learning Clinical Anatomy.

   
Alexa Kelly Campbell
Alexa Kelly, PhD (2023)

Assistant Professor
Department of Anatomy
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Buies Creek, NC

Maddux Lab. PhD Dissertation: The interactive influence of climate and energetics on human nasal morphology.

   

Libby Bradley

Libby Bradley, PhD (2023)

Assistant Professor 
Division of Anatomy 
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Reeves Lab. PhD Dissertation: Quantifying student satisfaction and academic performance: a comparison of four active learning techniques in an online, asynchronous graduate anatomy course.

   

Graci Finco

Graci Finco, PhD (2022)

Assistant Professor
Department of Kinesiology
Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas

Patterson & Menegaz Labs. PhD Dissertation: Quantifying Musculoskeletal & Biomechanical Symmetry in Individuals with Lower-Limb Amputation: A Step Towards Assessing Injury & Fall Risk.

   
Maureen Purcell
Maureen Purcell, PhD (2022)

 

Reeves Lab. PhD Dissertation: Does Diversity matter? Disparities in diagnostic delays and contralateral risk factors with slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

   
Sarah Kim
Suhhyun ‘Sarah’ Kim, DO, PhD (2022) 

Attending Physician
Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Pathology Fellow
Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR

Maddux Lab. PhD Dissertation: Three-dimensional variation in maxillary sinus anatomy: Implications for health disparities in sinonasal disease.

   

Ricardo Belamares

Ricardo Belmares, PhD (2018)

Assistant Professor
School of Medicine
University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX

Abbott Lab. PhD Dissertation: Histological Investigation of Human Glaucomatous Eyes: Extracellular Fibrotic Changes and Galectin 3 Expression in Trabecular Meshwork and Optic Nerve.

   
Jessica Juarez
Jessica Juarez, PhD (2018)

Assistant Professor 
Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and Criminology
Troy University, Troy, AL

Reeves Lab. PhD dissertation: Heterotopic Ossification: A Recurrence Model and Novel Approach to NSAID Prophylaxis.

   
Victoria Carroll Kowalewski
Victoria Kowalewski, DPT (2016), PhD (2018)

Assistant Professor
Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences
Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

Bugnariu Lab. PhD dissertation: The Effect of Hearing Loss on Balance

   
Vuvi Nguyen
Vuvi Nguyen, PhD (2017)

Associate Professor of Anatomy
School of Dentistry
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Reeves Lab. PhD dissertation: A Cadaveric Investigation of the Dorsal Scapular Nerve

   
Addison Wood
Addison Wood, DO, PhD (2017)

Spine/Orthopaedic Surgeon
Montrose Regional Center, Tulsa, OK

Patterson Lab. PhD dissertation: An Anatomical Approach to Reconstructive Surgery of the Lower Extremity.

   
Victor Taylor
Victor Taylor, PhD (2014)

Assistant Professor of Anatomy
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
George Washington University, Washington, DC

Reeves Lab. PhD dissertation: Comparing the change in force between iliotibial tract cut and gluteus maximus cut in Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome

 

MS Graduates
Daniela Guadarrama
Daniela Guadarrama, MS (2026)

Gonzales Lab. MS Practicum: Examination of Vomeronasal Groove Morphology in Strepsirrhine and Haplorrhine Primates.

 

Joanna Bui
Joanna Bui, MS (2025)

Cho Lab. MS Practicum: Surface area vs. composition: Development of a CT segmentation protocol for investigating human hand variability.

Raul Tejada Figueroa
Raul Tejada Figueroa, MS (2025)

Medical Student
Long School of Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX

Maddux Lab. MS Practicum: Core vs. shell: Experimentally investigating relationships between central body and peripheral skin temperatures in different climatic conditions.

Gwen Moores
Gwen Moores, MS (2025)

Medical Student
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
UNT Health, Fort Worth, TX

Menegaz Lab. MS Practicum: The Effects of Bisphosphonate and Exercise Treatment on Craniofacial Morphology in a Mouse Model of Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Chloe Boettger

 

Chloe Boettger, MS (2024)

Maddux Lab. MS Practicum: Assessment of Digit Skin Temperatures via Infrared Thermography Under Different Climatic Conditions.

Tony Easo

 

Tony Easo, MS (2024)

Tovar Lab. MS Practicum: ADAM19 and ADAMTS4 Expression in Human Optic Nerve Head Astrocytes.

Vanessa Stalls
Vanessa Stalls, MS (2023) 

Medical Student
College of Osteopathic Medicine
Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL

Menegaz Lab. MS Practicum: A Novel Scanning and Staining Methodology for Visualizing Skeletal and Soft Tissue Using Micro-CT.

Clay Carey
Clay Carey, MS (2022) 

Doctor of Medicine (MD)
Long School of Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX

Maddux Lab. MS Practicum: CT-based assessment of lower limb surface area, volume, and tissue composition:  Implications for ecogeographic rules of thermoregulation.

Tooba Husain

 

Tooba Husain, MS (2022)

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education, Fort Smith, AR

Menegaz Lab. MS Practicum: Neurocranial Growth in the OIM Mouse Model of Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Milo Huston
Lila ‘Milo’ Huston, MS (2022)

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX

Gonzales Lab. MS Practicum: Osteogenesis imperfecta: An analysis of inner ear development in Mus musculus (house mouse) with comments on hearing quality.

Jacob Moore
Jacob Moore, MS (2022)

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of Louisiana, Monroe, LA

Handler Lab. MS Practicum: Dental tissue volumes with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Sara Aldeeb
Sara Aldeeb, MS (2021)

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
System College of Pharmacy
UNT Health Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX

Handler Lab. MS Practicum: Sexual dimorphism without permanent human dentition.

Andrew Su
Andrew Su, MS (2021)

Medical Student
College of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro University, Vallejo, CA

Menegaz Lab. MS Practicum: The effect of tooth loss on craniofacial morphology.

Zachary Terrell
Zachary Terrell, MS (2021)

Doctor of Medicine (MD)
McGovern School of Medicine
University of Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX

Patterson Lab. MS Practicum: Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment on Parkinsonian Gait: A statistical parametric mapping analysis.

Ashley Steele
Ashley Steele, MS (2020)

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
UNT Health Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX

Menegaz Lab. MS Practicum: Craniofacial morphology of juvenile mice with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Elizabeth Thai
Elizabeth Thai, MS (2020)

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
UNT Health Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX

Maddux Lab. MS Practicum: Evaluating morphological variation in human nasal passages using 3D modeling.

Jonathan Sweeney
Jonathan Sweeney, MS (2020)

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
UNT Health Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX

Reeves Lab. MS Practicum: The Cephalic vein: Anatomical study and evaluation of the coracoid process as a topographical body landmark.

Alexandra McBride
Alexandra McBride, MS (2019)

Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
College of Dentistry
Texas A&M University, Dallas, TX

Menegaz Lab. MS Practicum: Craniofacial bone mineral density in mice with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Summer Ladd
Summer Ladd, MS (2018)

M.A. in Professional Counseling
Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas

Menegaz Lab. MS Practicum: The craniofacial phenotype in a mouse model of osteogenesis imperfecta.

Elizabeth Nelson
Elizabeth Nelson, MS (2015)

Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

Kirchhoff & Planz Labs. MS thesis: Possible fluoride toxicity in North America: A paleopathological assessment and discussion of modern occurrence.