Staff and Faculty

Dr. Rahma Mungia, BDS, MSc, DDPHRCS

Director 

Rahma Mungia, is the Director of STOHN as well as an Associate Professor in the Department of Periodontics. She oversees all STOHN research and infrastructure activities. Her primary interests are dental public health and tobacco cessation. She has completed research on the effects of lead exposure in young children. Rahma is married with two children and enjoys living in the country.  Dr. Mungia can be reached by E-mail or by calling (210) 562-5685.

Melanie Taverna, RDH, MSDH

Assistant Director 

Professor Taverna is an Assistant Professor/Clinical Faculty in the Division of Dental Hygiene, Dept. of Periodontics, School of Dentistry; as well as Program Director of the Dental Hygiene Online Graduate Programs and Co-Director of STOHN. Melanie Taverna has been in practice since 1999 and at UTHSCSA since 2010. She teaches all three levels of the  Division of Dental Hygiene Program. Her goal is to increase the quantity and variety of dental hygiene research opportunities for graduate dental hygiene students. Currently, she serves as the Secretary of the Community Liaison Committee which brings State and local public health partners together with the Division of Dental Hygiene to better serve the public and students.  Ms. Taverna can be reached by E-mail or by calling (210) 567-3858.

Advisory Board Directors

Dr. Peggy Alexander, MPH, DDS

Clinical Professor, Periodontics

Dr. Alexander received a B.S. degree from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, in 1960, along with a certificate in Dental Hygiene from the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, Birmingham. After practicing Dental Hygiene for several years, she matriculated at Meharry Medical College, School of Dentistry, Nashville, TN, graduating with a DDS degree in 1981. She then became a commissioned officer in a branch of the Uniformed Services, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and was assigned to the Barrio Comprehensieve Health Center in San Antonio to provide dental services to underserved person in San Antonio. Seeking to ensure that high quality specialty dental services were made available to these worthy patients, she established a liaison between various specialties at the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry and the Barrio Clinic. After completion of her commitment to the NHSC, Dr. Alexander became part of UT Health San Antonio’s faculty in 1985. In this role she provided didactic and clinical instruction for predoctoral dental students and was a consulting dentist for the Dental Hygiene Program. Dr.Peggy Alexander can be reached by E-mail or by calling (210) 567-3361.

Dr. Cheryl Davis, MS, DMD

Dr. Cheryl Davis, MS, DMD is  the owner of Cheryl E. Davis, DMD, Family Dentistry located in historic Ellis Alley Enclave. She received her MS in Environmental Toxicology at Prairie View A&M University and her DMD at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, AL. She has served as a General Dental Officer in the United States Air Force, Associate Dentist in private practice, Adjunct Professor of General Biology at Northwest Vista Community College and a Contract Dentist for the Correctional Health Care Services/Bexar County Jail. She has a diverse background in research involving HIV, strep mutans and environmental toxicology which has taught her to think outside of the box when faced with challenging dental treatment. Her current research interests include the effects of diabetes and HIV/AIDs in the oral dentition. Dr. Davis can be reached by E-mail or by calling (210) 212-8707.

Dr. Kevin Donly, MS, DDS

Dr. Kevin Donly currently serves as Professor, Chair and Postdoctoral Director in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at UT Health San Antonio. He received his DDS in 1984, Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry in 1986 and MS in 1986 from the University of Iowa. He has published over 250 chapters, manuscripts and abstracts associated with pediatric dentistry and dental restorative materials research and clinical utilization. Presently, he is a principal investigator on a research study funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Dr. Davis can be reached by E-mail.

Jo Ann Jordan, MA, RDH

Jo Ann Diaz Jordan holds the position of Assistant Professor/Clinical and Program Director in the Division of Dental Hygiene, Department of Periodontics at UT Health San Antonio. She teachers dental hygiene courses at the baccalaureate and graduate levels. She received her certificate in dental hygiene from UT Health San Antonio in 1995 and her bachelor’s degree in 2001. She obtained her Masters of Arts in Healthcare Administration concentration from the University of the Incarnate Word in 2010. Her twenty-one years of experience as a hygienist includes private practice, education, research focused on oral piercings. She worked as a research coordinator for the Department of Periodontics overseeing studies involving dental implants, pregnant women, and preterm low-birthweight babies, diabetes and periodontal disease, and gingivitis. Jo Ann enjoys working at UT Health in San Antonio where she is able to combine her love of teaching and passion for research. Ms. Jordan can be reached by E-Mail.