Natalia I. Heredia received a BA in both Psychology and Policy Studies from Rice University, an MPH in Health Promotion from Columbia University and a PhD in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. She has been an Assistant Professor (tenure-track), at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA since 2020. She was a predoctoral fellow on a National Cancer Institute R25 training grant and a postdoctoral fellow on a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas training grant at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research focuses on the promotion of physical activity and healthy diets in Hispanic/Latino adults and families. Dr. Heredia’s research seeks to identify psychosocial and environmental determinants of physical activity and diet using mixed methods, and then use this body of work to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions to improve lifestyle behaviors, especially in Hispanic/Latino adults and other minority populations. She is particular interested in the prevention and management of chronic conditions, including metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease.
Dr. Jayna M. Dave is an Associate Professor in Pediatrics Nutrition, at the Baylor College of Medicine. She completed her PhD studies at the University of South Carolina and has been awarded the TCH/BCM Young Investigator Award. She has Memberships in the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, the American Society for Nutrition, and the American Public Health Association. Her research topics mainly include health disparities, obesity and chronic disease prevention, food assistance programs, behavioral nutrition, children and families' food/nutrition security, and population health.
