Cinthya Fillips
Program Manager
(979) 317-2505
[email protected]
Cinthya Fillips is a dedicated leader and researcher at the intersection of traffic safety, behavioral health, and criminal justice. As the Program Manager of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Education Studies (CADES) at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), she spearheads initiatives aimed at reducing impaired driving and fostering long-term behavioral change among justice-involved individuals.
With expertise in traffic safety, criminal desistance, behavioral health, and evidence-based interventions, Cinthya develops and implements programs to enhance the effectiveness of justice professionals in addressing mental health and substance use disorders. Her work includes creating specialized curricula for jailers, judges, prosecutors, and community supervision stakeholders, equipping them with the tools to improve screening, assessment, and referral practices for individuals with DWI offenses.
She currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator on the 24/7 Sobriety Monitoring Project and has led extensive training efforts to promote mental health literacy within the criminal justice system. Cinthya holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M University, as well as a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health. As a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPC-A), she integrates clinical insight with policy-driven research to drive impactful change in the traffic safety community and institutional settings.
Christine Adams
TTI Associate Research Scientist
(979) 317-2547
[email protected]
Christine Adams is an Associate Research Scientist for CADES. Her primary role is serving as the Administrator for the Texas Impaired Driving Task Force, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Texas and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Prior to joining CADES, Ms. Adams served as the vice chairperson for the Northern Nevada DUI Task Force for seven years, where she was presented with the State Impaired Driving Abatement Award for her work on the strategic highway safety plan and her advocacy at the Nevada legislature.
Ms. Adams’ knowledge and experience include prevention of underage access to alcohol, server/seller compliance, building community partnerships, public education campaigns, effective marijuana strategies and victim services. She has spent 18 years working to reduce harm caused by substance use in communities and on roadways.
Courtney Hrncir
Research Specialist II
(979) 317-2534
[email protected]
Courtney Hrncir joined the CADES team in July 2021 as a Research Specialist. She has aided in projects related to treatment and referral services for impaired drivers experiencing mental and/or substance use conditions, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reporting practices and more. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Texas A&M University.
Previously, Ms. Hrncir worked for Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station as a program specialist with the Engineering Professional Education team, where she was responsible for overseeing professional development course registrations, communication, management and more. She has experience in assessing community needs, program planning, implementation and evaluation, and technical and grant writing.
Komal Bhagat
TTI Assistant Research Scientist
(979) 317-2509
[email protected]
Komal Bhagat is an Assistant Research Scientist with the Center of Alcohol and Drug Education Studies (CADES) at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, where she serves as Principal Investigator, Co-PI, or significant lead on applied research and proposal development. She applies quantitative and qualitative methods to traffic safety research, manages sponsored projects, develops state and national proposals, and prepares technical reports and presentations. Her current work focuses on impaired driving, ignition interlock program evaluation, multi-state policy analysis, and DWI-related mental health comorbidity.
She brings over a decade of experience in epidemiology, biostatistics, and applied research. Prior to joining TTI, Komal served as Lead Research Analyst at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she managed sponsor-funded data analysis on healthcare and transportation safety datasets and led a NHTSA-funded project analyzing transportation-related injuries using CISS and CIREN data. She also co-authored a multi-year study of five million Maryland traffic stops examining racial disparities and stop outcomes using machine learning.
Komal’s peer-reviewed publications include “An analysis of drug recognition expert evaluations and comparisons with police issued citations in Maryland, 2017 to 2021” (Traffic Injury Prevention, 2025, first author), examining the agreement between DRE evaluations, blood test results, and citation outcomes across 4,931 evaluations, and “Multifactor analysis of cost of injury using classification and regression trees” (Traffic Injury Prevention, 2025, co-author), applying machine learning to predict crash-related injury costs using Maryland hospital and trauma registry data.
Earlier in her career, she served as an Epidemiologist with the Arizona Department of Health Services, where she developed the state’s electronic Vital Records System (D.A.V.E.) and built automated surveillance reporting for birth defects and EMS data. She also led the National Tobacco Control Programme in Delhi, India.
Komal holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, and a Bachelor of Nursing from Lady Hardinge Medical College.
Liaba Khan
Associate Transportation Researcher
(979) 317-2511
[email protected]
Liaba Khan holds a Master of Public Health in Social Marketing from the University of South Florida and brings interdisciplinary experience in behavioral research, transportation safety, and program evaluation. At the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), she has served as an Associate Transportation Researcher in the Center for Alcohol & Drug Education Studies (CADES) since May 2025, where she supports qualitative and quantitative research efforts aimed at improving roadway safety and reducing impaired driving.
Paige Goodnight
Project Manager II
(979) 317-2506
[email protected]
Paige Goodnight is a skilled project management professional with a strong background in public health, transportation safety, and nonprofit leadership. She currently serves as a Project Manager II for the Center for Alcohol & Drug Education Studies (CADES) at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), where she leads project execution, oversees budgets and timelines, and supports strategic planning and operational improvements. Her work focuses on enhancing program efficiency, managing data systems, and aligning resources with organizational goals.
Before stepping into her current role, Paige was a Research Associate at TTI, where she managed data collection and reporting for the Center for Transportation Safety. She collaborated with Principal Investigators and technical teams to ensure accurate, timely submissions and database development aligned with project needs.
Paige previously spent nearly a decade at Healthier Texas (formerly It’s Time Texas), where she advanced from After School Instructor to Program Director. In her leadership roles, she managed statewide health initiatives, directed strategic planning, and cultivated partnerships to expand program reach. She also led the planning and execution of annual conferences and virtual workshops, while mentoring staff and driving continuous improvement.
Paige holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from The University of Texas at Austin and is currently pursuing her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. She is known for her collaborative leadership style, data-informed decision-making, and ability to manage complex projects with clarity and purpose. Her technical toolkit includes Asana, Microsoft Planner, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office, which she uses to streamline communication and enhance team productivity.