Graduate Student Researchers

I’m from Washington, DC, and I’m a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at UT Austin. I earned a Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Health Quality from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where my capstone project focused on a nutrition intervention for cardiometabolic health in rural North Carolina.

Currently, I’m working on two projects that explore feeding and eating behaviors in the context of child development and cardiometabolic health. The first project evaluates the associations between responsive complementary feeding, food provision, and motor development during the first year of life, using Peabody scales. This project draws on data from the Widen lab’s MAGIC study. The second project examines childhood dysregulated eating behaviors in relation to 1) longitudinal growth and adiposity from early childhood through puberty and 2) food security in early childhood. For this project, I’ve built a collaboration with Dr. Dana Dabelea to examine data from the Healthy Start study in Denver, Colorado. Outside of my dissertation, my other work has examined gestational weight gain and long-term maternal cardiometabolic health as well as anthropometric approaches to monitoring visceral and total adipose tissue during pregnancy. 

My career goal is to become an independent researcher investigating how self-regulatory behaviors, lifestyle factors, and early-life exposures shape cardiometabolic health across pediatric development.

Fun fact: I’m a certified Lagree instructor!

I’m from Mexico City and in my fourth year as a doctoral student. I hold a Master of Science in Community Nutrition from the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico.  

My academic journey and professional experiences have focused on understanding the critical first two years of life. I have explored how caregiver-infant interactions shape eating behaviors and how these behaviors influence weight gain trajectories, health outcomes, and long-term obesity risk. I am deeply committed to advancing maternal and child health.

My professional background includes clinical and public health roles, where I have supported vulnerable populations, particularly women and children. As a WIC Nutritionist, I provide tailored nutritional counseling, breastfeeding support, and education to vulnerable families. This hands-on experience informs my research and reinforces my commitment to addressing health disparities through evidence-based strategies.

In my doctoral training, I am expanding my expertise with advanced methodologies such as video-sensitive feedback and video coding to explore responsive feeding practices. These tools will allow me to design and evaluate interventions that empower caregivers and promote healthy developmental outcomes for infants and toddlers. My work aligns with my goal of bridging research and practice to foster sustainable, equitable health improvements in at-risk communities.

I aim to contribute to the growing knowledge of early childhood nutrition and health through applied research, direct service, and academic inquiry. I want to influence policies and programs that support healthy growth and development during this formative period.

Fun fact: Back in Mexico, I used to rescue cats and dogs from the street, and once, we had up to 8 at home!

I am a third-year PhD student in the Widen Lab. I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees, as well as a dietetic internship, at the University of Houston. I worked as a pediatric clinical dietitian for three years at top children’s hospitals, which solidified my drive to pursue a doctoral degree in nutrition with a focus on infant and early childhood nutrition. My specific interests in this area of nutrition are caregiver feeding types, caregiver-responsive feeding sensitivity, and hunger self-regulation in children.

Fun Fact: I am a new mom and spend my time outside of work with my precious baby boy.

I am a second-year PhD student in the Widen Lab. In the four years preceding graduate school, I served as a research study coordinator for the UT Grand Challenge – Whole Communities Whole Health (WCWH), an interdisciplinary initiative focused on family and child health in the East Austin. I graduated magna cum laude from Austin College with a major in Public Health and minors in Spanish and Biology. I then earned my Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, where I focused on maternal and child nutrition within the Department of Maternal, Child, and Family Health. I am excited to work with Dr. Beth Widen and her lab and hope to pursue research focused on pre-pregnancy and prenatal nutrition. It is my current goal to pursue a career in teaching and maternal nutrition research following graduation.

Fun fact: I play piano and spend time with my husband and dog Peaches.

I am a first-year PhD student in the Widen Lab and am from Mumbai, India. I earned my Bachelor’s in Food, Nutrition and Dietetics and my Master’s of Science in Specialized Dietetics (Diabetes and Cardiac Nutrition) from SNDT Women’s University in Mumbai. Before joining the lab, I worked at St. John’s Research Institute in Bangalore as part of a national project focused on establishing India-specific growth and development standards for children. I’m excited to be part of the Widen Lab and look forward to learning and contributing to research in maternal and child nutrition, early-life nutrition, and child growth and development, with the goal of pursuing a career in academia.

Fun fact: I’m a crazy cat lady and have two cats back home in Mumbai!

I am a first year PhD student here at the University of Texas at Austin in the Widen Lab. Before coming to Austin, I received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in Applied Physiology & Kinesiology, where my initial interest in health behaviors, like exercise and nutrition, grew tremendously. I then earned my Master’s of Science (MS) in Human Nutrition from Columbia University with Honors and completed my thesis on the impact of nutrition education on dietary behaviors and knowledge of NYC public elementary school students. After finishing the MS program, I continued to work in nutrition education in NYC public schools, while working as a Teaching Assistant for the MS program. I also took on the role of Clinical Research Coordinator in Columbia’s Department of General Medicine to help develop and pilot a study on ultra-processed foods and energy balance. I am thrilled to be on Dr. Widen’s team, and hope to contribute to research in childhood nutrition education and early-childhood nutrition, with my professional end-goal in mind to become a teacher and researcher in the nutrition field!

Fun fact: My mom has been a public-school teacher my entire life! It was initially her passion for education that inspired my own.