PhD Student
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
After serving as a Peace Corps community health volunteer in Manabí, Ecuador from 2018-2020, and completing a 3-month dietetics practicum in Quito, Ecuador in 2022, Ivonne began her career as a research scientist at RTI International where she strengthened her skills in research analytics. While working at RTI, Ivonne continued fostering collaborative relationships with colleagues at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, where she served as the lead data analyst for a cross-sectional study assessing attitudes and confidence towards providing nutrition care among medical doctors. She then began working towards her PhD in Nutrition with a focus on behavioral interventions in the fall of 2023. Ivonne’s research in Galápagos focuses on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) promotion as well as reducing the child dual burden of malnutrition through double-duty action. Her EBF research in particular focuses on women with obesity and/or diabetes and effects on offspring adiposity and inflammatory biomarkers. She utilizes formative research methodologies and mixed-methods research design to inform the craft and implementation of behavioral interventions.