Dr. Diana Cervantes named as a 2022 Fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology

Diana Cervantes. Assistant Professor Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Dr. Diana Cervantes, assistant professor and director of the MPH Epidemiology Program at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth School of Public Health has been named as a 2022 Fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.  

This distinction honors infection prevention professionals who are advanced practitioners and leaders within their field. 

Cervantes is among 35 new APIC Fellows selected this year. The organization is represented by 113 chapters, including three internationally. The honorees were recently recognized at APIC’s annual conference and will be highlighted in the fall 2022 issue of Prevention Strategist 

Through her HSC teaching, student mentorship and community service, Cervantes is active in helping North Texas prepare for community health emergencies and prevent the spread of contagious outbreaks.  

In 2021, she was honored as a Fort Worth Inc. Person of the Year for being one of the “400 Most Influential People,” helping to protect the community’s health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through countless media interviews on television, radio, print and online, she responded to pandemic questions and served as an experienced, science-based source of information and support to the public. She also provided nursing homes in North Texas and those serving the aging population with accurate and timely information to prevent the spread of infection in this highly susceptible population.  

She can be seen in a 2021 TEDxUNT Talk on “Person-Centered Prevention: The Key to Pandemic Progress” discussing the important role that individuals can play in battling COVID-19 misinformation and actively promoting community health protections.   

Dr. Cervantes taught as an adjunct faculty member for seven years before joining HSC in her current role. She is a graduate of the HSC School of Public Health, where she received both her MPH and DrPH degrees in epidemiology.  

She has previously served as a bioterrorism response microbiologist and epidemiologist for Tarrant County Public Health and as chief epidemiologist for the Texas Department of State Health Services, Health Service Region 2/3, which provides services to 49 counties in North Texas. In that role, Dr. Cervantes led a team of seven epidemiologists to implement infectious disease surveillance and prevention and control activities in response to major public health concerns, including Ebola and the 2009 influenza pandemic. 

Recent News

Dr. Teresa Wagner 768x960 1 240x300
  • Our People
|Jul 9, 2025

Dr. Teresa Wagner co-authors a national statement on health literacy from an interprofessional perspective

Teresa Wagner, DrPH, associate professor in the College of Public Health at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, collaborated with interprofessional colleagues on a national health literacy statement on behalf of the National Academies of Practice. The National Acade...
Professional Photo Wesling 2025
  • Community
|Jul 8, 2025

College of Pharmacy’s Dr. Megan Wesling to join the AACP Academic Leadership Fellows Program

Megan Wesling, PharmD, chair and associate professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth College of Pharmacy, has been selected for the 22nd cohort of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Academic Leadership Fellow...
Hsc Leadership Team.
  • Our People
|Jul 3, 2025

TCOM’s Dr. Frank Filipetto among the first in world to earn Certified Professional in Human Factors in Health Care

Frank Filipetto, DO, CPPS, CPHFH, FACOFP, one of the leading voices for changing how health care is delivered, has become one of the first in the world to earn the Certified Professional in Human Factors in Health Care credential. Filipetto, an Everett Endowed Distinguished Professor at The Unive...
Tonychris Nnaka Headshot 240x300
  • Our People
|Jul 1, 2025

American Academy of Nursing to induct Tonychris Nnaka into 2025 class of fellows

Tonychris Nnaka, Ph.D., MPH, RN, CPH, associate dean for research and associate professor at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s College of Nursing, will be inducted into the American Academy of Nursing’s 2025 class of fellows during the organization’s annua...