My research applies theories and methods from human biology and medical anthropology to understand how people cope with resource insecurities (food, water, energy) and the effects of these insecurities on their health and well-being. To explore this topic, I conduct original field-based research in several Latin American countries. In urban and rural contexts in Nicaragua I have studied the effects of food insecurity on mother’s mental health, children’s diets, and child growth. In the Amazon region of Brazil, I have studied the dietary impacts of rapid economic change and the role of Brazil’s large poverty alleviation program (Bolsa Familia) on dietary patterns and human health. Currently, I lead a large multidisciplinary project in Belém, Brazil that seeks to understand how cultural beliefs and practices intersect with household poverty and resource insecurities to shape the development of the infant gut and oral microbiomes during the first two years of life. This work is being conducted with colleagues and students in Anthropology, Ecology, Public Health, and Veterinary Medicine from OSU, the University of São Paulo, and the Federal University of Pará. My recent research in the Chocó region of Ecuador explores how food, energy, and water insecurities intersect to shape health and well-being. I direct the Medical Anthropology Major (B.A. and B.S. degree options) within the OSU Department of Anthropology, which aims to train students to understand and study health using holistic and critical frameworks. I also co-direct the Human Biological Anthropology Lab in the Anthropology Department, where I offer undergraduate and graduate students research opportunities.  

 As a member of the HEALMOD core faculty, I will be working with collaborators to analyze and model data from these projects to advance our understanding of how complex socio-ecological contexts shape human health.