DrPH, 2001, Harvard School of Public Health (Epidemiology and Nutrition)
MPH, 1996, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
MD, 1993, National University of Colombia

Nutrition, Immunity, and Infection

How the nutritional status of individuals influences their risk and response to infectious diseases, and how infections alter the nutritional status in the short and long term.

Current areas of research include:

1. The nutritional determinants of HIV shedding in breastmilk and mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
2. The relations between the nutritional characteristics of breastmilk and health outcomes in children born to HIV-infected, lactating women.
3. The impact of nutritional interventions on the outcome of tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV infections.
4. The associations between birth weight and the risk of autoimmune diseases in adulthood.
   

Maternal and Child Nutrition

Current research topics are:

1. The impact of maternal nutritional status before pregnancy on gestational outcomes and child health.
2. The effect of school-based nutritional interventions on child's health.

Auxological Epidemiology

The use of anthropometric indicators to assess the impact of general political, social, and economic historical processes on the standard of living of populations.