I aim to understand how the broader context of environmental and social factors impacts metabolic, endocrine, and inflammatory systems as well as create cycles of adverse health outcomes. Additionally, I study how buffering systems, like social support and positive health behaviors, can interrupt these cycles.

I completed my doctoral training at UCLA where I worked with several cohorts of Latina mothers to explore how stress from systemic inequities can impact perinatal health, including the relationship of psychological distress (depression/anxiety) and placental physiology. I also investigate the importance of social relationships to buffer stress during the perinatal period. 

Currently, I am working in the Pontzer lab at Duke University on questions of metabolic limits of human pregnancy. We evaluate the physiological trade-offs within a limited energy budget and how these trade-offs may impact maternal-fetal health.