Meet the Staff

About the Editor

Karen Krakower Kaplan, editor of HealthLeader, brings with her 25 years of experience as both a medical writer and editor. Karen’s work has appeared in over 50 journals, magazines, newspapers and anthologies. Her additional work with AIDS organizations, organ transplant and hospice provides a necessary depth to her understanding of current health information needs.

Under her management, HealthLeader has received seven awards for outstanding writing and web design and content. Karen also leads seminars at UT Health Science Center at Houston in scientific writing, lectures on health and its impact on media, and speaks frequently in the community on various health-related topics.

Synonymous with the mission of HealthLeader, Karen strives to inform, engage and inspire readers through her work using the wealth of expertise at The UT Health Science Center at Houston.

Please feel free to email Karen at HealthLeader with suggestions, comments on stories or to request additional information on health issues.

About the Designer

Web designer Sophia Solis came to the Department of Institutional Advancement in 2001 with seven years experience at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She is responsible for HealthLeader’s eye-catching graphics, layout and design and content management. Under her watch, HealthLeader received the national “e-Healthcare Award” for overall excellence and The Web Marketing Association's Web award for outstanding achievement in Web site development.

Sophia is also the designer behind the sleek “look” of several other websites and publications for the UT Health Science Center at Houston. She also maintains both the content and design of several hundred of our institution’s Web pages.

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Health Tip:

Packing Bag Lunches Safely

If you pack lunches for your child to take to school, be careful that you do not accidentally expose them to foodborne illness.

Bagged lunches, especially those containing perishable foods, need to be packed and handled properly in order to keep the food safe. In general, perishable foods should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours. If left out too long, the temperature of the food can enter the danger zone where bacteria grow most rapidly, which is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Below are some tips to help families pack bagged lunches safely:

Pack foods that are nonperishable and won't require refrigeration.
If you do pack perishable foods such as luncheon meats or prepackaged cheese and crackers, include a frozen gel pack or a frozen juice carton with the food in an insulated lunch bag or box.
Pack only the amount of perishable food that your child can eat at lunch.
Preparing lunches the night before and storing them in the refrigerator until you pack your child's lunchbox in the morning can help keep food cold longer the next day.
Don't reuse packaging materials such as paper or plastic bags, aluminum foil, etc. as they can contaminate other foods and cause foodborne illness. Have your child discard all used food packaging and paper bags after lunch.

Before eating lunch or snacks at school, make sure your child washes his or her hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If your child's school does not have a handwashing program in place, encourage them to adopt a such a program, as handwashing is one of the best ways kids and parents can protect health and stop the spread of germs.