Biography

Dr. Bayles is Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. He works closely with Department and University leadership to help spearhead A&M-SAs growing public health teaching, research, and service initiatives. Dr. Bayles has also held faculty appointments in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at University of Texas Health-San Antonio for over 15 years, where he has taught medical, nursing, and allied health students, while also serving as Assistant Director of the Center for Integrative Health (CIH).  Dr. Bayles previously served as Curator of Anthropology and Health at the Witte Museum, where he led content, educational programing and data analysis for the Wittes pioneering exhibition: The H-E-B Body Adventure Powered by University Health System. This permanent exhibition has won multiple awards for its innovative use of interactive technologies and multimedia to nurture Health IQ, Empowerment and Wellness, while generating actionable health behavior data at the zip-code level for tens of thousands of school-age youth and adults in central Texas. This data was highlighted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a contributor to San Antonios receipt of the prestigious RWJF 2018 Culture of Health Prize. 

Dr. Bayles recieved a Masters degree studying art history with the eminent late Mayan epigrapher Linda Schele at the University of Texas at Austin. He subsequently received a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Missouri Columbia and a Masters degree in Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houstons San Antonio Regional campus. Dr. Bayles worked closely with indigenous Mayan midwives and traditional healers in Chiapas, Mexico, as well as curanderos (folk healers) and biomedical clinicians throughout South Texas and the Texas-Mexico border region. Upon receiving a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral National Service Award (F32 AT001995-01A2), Dr. Bayles gained further experience in epidemiological methods and community health promotion, with an emphasis on maternal and child health and chronic disease. Dr. Bayles has particular passion for merging qualitative and quantitative research methods for the deisgn, implementation, and evaluation of community public health and teaching interventions.

Dr Bayles serves as the Chair for the San Antonio Mayors Fitness Council and is an Executive Board Member of Community First Health Plans. Dr. Bayles works to nurture creative, sustained partnerships that will result in culturally humble community health initiatives and transformative social change.

• Kalmbach, K.C., Basinger, E.D., Bayles, B., Schmitt, R., Nunez, V., Moore, B.A., & Tedeschi, R.G. (2023). Moral injury in post-9/11 combat-experienced military veterans: A qualitative analysis. Psychological services. Advancd online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000792
• Ogbeide, S.A. & Bayles, B. (2023) Using a Delphi Technique to Define Primary Care Behavioral Health CLinical Supervision Competencies. Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings, 1-14. Advanced online publication.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-023-09964-2
• Huynh, H. & Bayles B. (2022). Secure yet Flexible: Can Intellectual Humility Protect against Belief in Conspiracy Theories? A Brief Report. North American Journal of Psychology. Vol. 24, No. 4, 561-570.
• Sheperis, CJ & Bayles B. (2022). Empowerment evaluation: A practical strategy for promoting stakeholder inclusion and process ownership. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation. https://doi.org/10.1080/21501378.2022.2025772
• Young RA, Bayles B, Benold T, Hill J, Kumar KA, Burge SK. (2013) Family physicians perceptions on how they deliver cost-effective care: A qualitative study from the Residency Research Network of Texas (RRNet) (2013) Family Medicine 45(5):311-318.
• Ferrer RL, Cruz I, Burge S, Bayles B, Castilla MI. (2014) Measuring capability for healthy diet and physical activity. Annals of Family Medicine 12(1):46-56. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1580
• Palmer RF, Walker T, Mandell D, Bayles B, Miller CS. (2010) Explaining low rates of autism among schoolchildren in Texas. American Journal of Public Health. 100(2):270-272. Epub 2009 Dec 17.
• Bayles B. (2009) Perceptions of childhood obesity on the Texas-Mexico border: A pilot study. Public Health Nursing. 27(4):320-328.
• Bayles B and Usatine R. (2009) Evening Primrose Oil. American Family Physician. 80(12):1405-1408.
• Bayles B and Katerndahl D. (2009) Culture-bound syndromes in Hispanic primary care patients. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. 39(1):15-31.
• Bayles B. (2008) Metaphors to cure by: Tojolabal Maya midwifery and cognition. Anthropology and Medicine. 15(3):227-238.
• Rakel DP, Guerrera M, Bayles B, Desai G, Ferrara E, Nedro A. (2008) CAM Education: Promoting a salutogenic focus in health care. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 14(1):87-93.
• Bayles B. (2007) Herbal medicine use among direct-entry and certified nurse midwives in Texas. Journal of Midwifery and Womens Health. 52(5):473-478.
• Fornos L, Mika V, Bayles B, Serrano A, Jimenez R, Villarreal R. (2005) Why dont they reach out? A qualitative study of Mexican American adolescent depression. Journal of School Health. 75(5):162-70.
• Bayles B. (2004) Engaging the field of integrative medicine. Anthropology News 45(1).
• Bayles B. (2002) Infant mortality. In Health Disparities in Texas: An Epidemiologic Review of Priority Health Outcomes. Texas Department of State Health Services. Austin, Texas. pps 53-59.
• Bayles B. (2012) Nervios. In Encyclopedia of Immigrant Health. Loue S and Sajatovic M (Eds.). Springer U.S. DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-5659-0. ISBN: 978-1-4419-5655-2 (Print) 978-1-4419-5659-0 (Online); Pages 1122-1123.
• Bayles B. (2001) The rayo and the ribbon: Tradition and transformation in a Tojolabal folktale. Latin American Indian Literature Journal. 21(1):55-78.
• Bayles B. Scaling the world trees: Ethnobotanical insights into Mayan spiked vessels. Journal of Latin American Lore. 21(1):55-78.