After years of research in the area, we identified three key susceptibilities of Lubbock to dust storms:

(1) the low risk perception of the population due to the synoptic nature of dust storms in this area,

(2) the increase in urgent care demand after dust events due to Lubbock’s health care support to rural West Texas, and

(3) the lack of appropriate monitoring for mineral particles.

To move legislation forward, we presented evidence-based data to persuade council members, the board of health and the Public Health Department to support our proposal. 

We approached the issue from two different fronts: The national impacts at the epidemiological level through a systematic review of peer-reviewed publications, and the experimentation of particle toxicity in vitro.

Using live-imaging microscopy techniques, we quantified the interaction between lung cells and mineral particles and we investigated the association between this interaction and cell death, cell proliferation, and engulfing.

Together, these projects contribute to our understanding of the impacts of dust storm exposure in the health of rural communities in the Southwestern U.S. and the Caribbean, and what are the mechanisms that lead to these impacts.