She has her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences and is a Registered Dietitian. Her research focuses on designing and disseminating nutrition, physical activity, and behavioral interventions to reduce obesity and related metabolic disorders in overweight minority youth. She has a strong background in nutrition, physical activity, body composition assessment, and metabolic testing in pediatric populations. She has written numerous papers examining the role that dietary intake, specifically added sugar and dietary fiber, plays on adiposity and metabolic profiles in overweight Latino children.