Meet Dahlia Gomez, the College of Public Health’s New Assistant Director for the Office of Research Services
By: Maya McMillian
The College of Public Health (CPH) at The University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) recently welcomed Dahlia Gomez who assumed the position of assistant director for the Office of Research Services (ORS).
As assistant director, Gomez’s role involves overseeing pre-award and post-award grant processes, developing policies and procedures, managing budgets and expenses for grants and contracts, and providing strategic guidance and support with the goal of creating a robust research infrastructure while effectively facilitating a culture of collaboration between CPH and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).
Gomez joined UNTHSC in 2023 as a Post-Award Department Research Administrator (DRA) in the OSP where she managed all active grants for the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, the Pharmacotherapy Department and the North Texas Eye Research Institute. In September of 2024, Gomez was also assigned as the Post-Award DRA for the College of Public Health, managing all active grants for the Department of Health Administration & Health Policy and the Department of Population & Community Health.
In working closely with CPH’s Associate Dean for Research and Innovation (ADR), Senior Academic and Business Director and various faculty managing their active awards, a strong rapport was established leading to her current role.
Gomez attended a private high school in Arlington, Texas. She earned her Associate of Arts from Tarrant County College and her Bachelor of Animal Science from Texas A&M University before choosing a career in police dispatching. Over the span of 14 years, Gomez was a communications training officer, a tactical dispatcher for the SWAT team, and a member of the Peer Support Team. Despite the intense nature of her career and the long hours where she was often on-call (tactical call outs), she loved the work. Her decision to enter the field was inspired by her late mother’s profound 20-year career in law enforcement, as she was the first Hispanic female police officer in Arlington, Texas. After years of working nights, weekends, and holidays, Gomez decided it was time for a “normal” life and chose to pursue a Master of Business Management degree at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.
In 2020, Gomez took on the role of caring for her mother. Requiring more flexibility and availability in her work schedule, she launched a permanent makeup business in microblading while also working for an independent school district until her mother’s passing in 2021. It was a few short months after the tragic loss that she met her husband; she believes her mother was instrumental in their paths crossing when they did.
Gomez’s career and academic journey takes inspiration from her late mother’s own journey in academia. In her early childhood, she was fortunate to witness her mother’s attainment of both of her degrees while raising a small child as a single mother. She has always valued the example of strength and a dynamic work ethic in her mother.
When asked about her journey and how it led her to the College of Public Health, Gomez says, “There is no doubt I am exactly where I am meant to be.” She is passionate about making a difference in the lives of others and inspired by the quality and genuine care of the work at UNTHSC stating “The research conducted here is improving and changing lives, and it truly matters.” Gomez is eager to learn and grow in her new role and to contribute to the success of the College of Public Health.