Internal Advisors

Kimberly Fulda, DrPH

Dr. Fulda serves as the Executive Director of the North Texas Primary Care Practice-Based Research Network (NorTex); a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UNT Health Fort Worth. As the Executive Director of NorTex, Dr. Fulda works with primary care clinicians to conduct research that is relevant to primary care practice to improve the health of the community. Dr. Fulda’s research experience includes over 17 years of coordinating and/or leading funded clinical and population health research projects.  She has served as co-investigator or principal investigator on federal, private, and intramural funded projects with a primary focus of understanding and reducing health disparities.

These studies have included both adults and children, including examining health services research, issues surrounding unmet health care needs for children with special health care needs, and disparities in risk for type 2 diabetes in adolescents.  Dr. Fulda also has experience working with large databases to examine public health and population based concerns.  Dr. Fulda earned her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University.  She completed her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Doctor of Public Health in Clinical Research from UNT Health Fort Worth as well as a Graduate Academic Certificate in Teaching and Adult Learning Medical Education from the University of North Texas.  Dr. Fulda currently serves on the editorial board for the Texas Public Health Journal.

Anna Espinoza, MD

Dr. Espinoza serves as the Assistant Director of NorTex and a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Family Medicine at UNT Health Fort Worth.  Dr. Espinoza provides oversight for all NorTex research projects, and supervises and coordinates project-specific research associates.  She also serves as the liaison for Institutional Review Board activities at UNT Health and organizations across north Texas.  She assists primary care providers with study implementation, coordination quality improvement activities, and training assistance.

She has experience recruiting physicians to participate in research studies and collaborating with investigators for subject recruitment at multiple sites.  In her role, she facilitates the expansion of research between the NorTex and outside organizations including hospital systems, private practices, county health systems, and federal and rural clinics.  Dr. Espinoza received her MD degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela, in 1981 and completed her residency in gastroenterology in 1986. She was in the Venezuelan Navy for 16 years and reached the rank of commander. While in the Navy, she saw patients in naval bases in remote areas of Venezuela for several years and practiced as a gastroenterologist for 11 years at the military hospital in the capital, Caracas, before immigrating to Fort Worth, Texas, with her family.

Frank Filipetto, DO

Frank Filipetto, DO, is the Dean of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) at UNT Health Fort Worth. Board Certified in Family Practice by the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians, Dr. Filipetto’s academic contributions have been recognized for his nearly 30 years of work in the field of family medicine.

Dr. Filipetto earned his degree in osteopathic medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency training in family medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). Prior to joining UNT Health, he spent nearly 20 years at UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine, in several academic leadership roles including Residency Director and Vice/Acting Chairman of Family Medicine. In 2007, he was named a UMDNJ Master Educator, the highest teaching recognition awarded by the University, for his contributions to medical education.

Dr. Filipetto joined UNT Health in 2011 as Chairman of TCOM’s Department of Family Medicine and in 2014 became the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, where he currently holds the appointment of Everett Endowed Professor. In 2017, he was named Interim Dean of TCOM, and in 2019 Dr. Filipetto became the Dean of TCOM. As Dean, Dr. Filipetto’s main objective is to work with faculty and students to develop innovative strategies to provide the students with the skillset to change the way health care is delivered. He wants medical education to emphasize its focus and resources towards health system science, which includes areas of health care policy, patient safety, professionalism, innovation, IPE, and population health, all working together to reform the delivery of health care.

While committed to academics, Dr. Filipetto practices medicine intermittently as a faculty member and preceptor in the family medicine residency program here at UNT Health. He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, Texas Osteopathic Medical Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, of which he served as Chair of the Osteopathic Clinical Research Committee. Dr. Filipetto also serves as a member of the NorTex Advisory Board.

Dr. Filipetto is an avid outdoorsman. He enjoys hunting and fly-fishing. Cruising on his motorcycle on the weekends is his way of relaxing, along with spending quality time with his wife, two daughters, and his newly rescued Saint Bernard, Enzo.

Curtis Galke, DO

Dr. Galke is the Chairman and Professor of Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Galke is passionate about the concept that the root of excellent healthcare is the relationship fostered between the patient and their physician. This relationship is best cultivated in the primary care setting with the patient at the center of all healthcare decisions. Integral to wellness is access to behavioral healthcare in the primary care office.

Dr. Galke has championed the concept of Integrate Behavioral Health in Family Medicine by making it the keystone of residency training at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Doctor’s Hospital at Renaissance family medicine residency program. Dr. Galke believes that the greatest contribution to the health of the nation comes from developing a robust and demanding curriculum to train future family physicians. Dr. Galke has been active in national professional organizations to include the Association of Directors of Family Medicine (ADFM) and the Association of Family Medicine Residency Program Directors (AFMRD). He was elected to the board of directors of the AFMRD for a two-year term and then was elected by the membership of the AFMRD to serve as the organization’s treasurer for two years.

Cindy Abrego Lopez, MPH, CPH

Cindy Lopez is the Senior Program Manager for the Texas College Osteopathic Medicine and the Administrative Director for NorTex. Her experience includes working with the county in aiding in the efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic as well as addressing health disparities through her work with the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee reviewing maternal health records.

Ms. Lopez’s interests include community engagement and health along with her background in a clinical laboratory sparked her interest in preventative research to address health disparities.

Rita Patterson, PhD

Rita Patterson, PhD

Rita Patterson, PhD, serves as the Associate Dean of Research for the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNT Health. Dr. Patterson is a biomedical engineer with a career-long focus on applying engineering principles to solve medical problems in clinical settings. Her work bridges technical and clinical domains, enabling effective translation between engineering design and patient care. Her research centers on orthopaedics, human performance, and rehabilitation, with a strong emphasis on biomechanics and data analytics.

For 20 years at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, she has collaborated closely with a hand surgeon in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation. Together, they investigated the anatomy, biomechanics, and kinematics of the carpal bones and upper extremity, producing widely cited research that impacted surgical practice and patient outcomes. In recognition of this work, she was awarded the 2019 ASME Savio L-Y Woo Translational Biomechanics Medal for influential research that led to improvements in the treatment of hand and wrist disorders and for my mentorship of future engineers and clinicians.

Since joining UNT Health, she has continued her interdisciplinary collaborations, supporting research by physicians, residents, and medical students. As an adjunct professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Texas, she fosters cross-disciplinary learning by pairing engineering and medical students to work together on translational projects at the interface of clinical need and technical innovation.

In recent years, she has expanded her research to include data collection and analysis related to balance and fall risk in older adults. Recognizing a gap in routine balance assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic, she initiated a pilot program to collect postural stability data in our university clinics. This work received funding through the A2 Consortium and is now focused on older adults at risk of cognitive and physical decline. Her work builds on this foundation by extending balance and performance assessments to identify early cognitive decline using static and dynamic physical balance measures.