About
I'm an Epidemiologist Assistant Professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston), School of Public Health in Austin, Department of Epidemiology (DE). Faculty Member of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, and Director of Cardiovascular-Brain Health and Lifestyle Epidemiology Laboratory. B.Sc. in Kinesiology, Residency in Human Physiology, M.Sc. in Pediatrics, and 2 Ph.D. diplomas: Epidemiology earned from the Medical School, the University of São Paulo, and another in Health Science earned from the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Zaragoza. Postdoctoral Fellow at the Medical School, the University of São Paulo, and Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology. I have been a member of the Scientific Societies: Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) and the American Heart Association (AHA) since 2021. At the AHA, I’m a mentor of the National Hispanic Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative and the American Society of Nutrition (ASN) since 2016, The Obesity Society (TOS) & World Obesity Federation since 2019. Committed to advancing our scientific understanding of cardiovascular health and neurocognitive development in children and adolescents, my research employs a multifaceted approach integrating cardiovascular epidemiology, cognitive neuroscience, and predictive analytics. I specialize in examining how lifestyle behaviors, cognitive development, and environmental factors interact to impact cardiovascular outcomes in young populations. My research has global relevance, extending to low- and high-income countries in North America, Latin America, and Europe. I contribute to evidence-based medicine and public health using advanced diagnostic and predictive methods.
Center Affiliation
Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living
Research Interests
- Adolescent Health
- Behavioral/Mental Health
- Big Data/Data Science
- Biostatistics
- Cardiovascular and Chronic Diseases
- Epidemiology
- Maternal and Child Health
- Physical Activity and Nutrition
- Social Determinants of Health