Meet the Alumni: Elizabeth Yakes Jimenez, PhD, MS, RDN
Class of 2010
Elizabeth Yakes Jimenez, PhD, MS, RDN
Year of graduation from UC Davis: 2010
Current position: Professor and Assistant Dean for Research at University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
ORCID profile: 0000-0003-0315-7022
I’m grateful for the rigorous training that I received in both epidemiology and community and global nutrition at UC Davis, through the Graduate Group in Epidemiology and the Institute of Global Nutrition/Program in International and Community Nutrition. I regularly apply both skillsets in my research collaborations, as well as in my teaching and mentoring of public health students and clinicians. I’ve been excited to see interventions that I contributed to as a PhD student and postdoctoral scholar at UC Davis, including zinc-biofortified rice and small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements, be widely adopted across multiple countries. It was an incredible experience to get to work on such impactful projects early in my career.
Describe your focus area in the field of Global Nutrition or Global Health
I study interventions:
- to better prevent and treat chronic disease and malnutrition
- to improve maternal and child health, with a focus on improving food and nutrition security and diet quality and child health and development outcomes
- to improve access to and the quality of preventive health and community services
- to strengthen clinical-community linkages.
What advancements in your field are you most excited about?
Much of my work involves collaborating across disciplines to solve complex problems, which requires that I am constantly learning new areas. I am never bored! Teaching and mentoring the next generation of public health and clinical scholars is another especially rewarding part of my job.
What advice do you have for students who are considering joining the Designated Emphasis in Global Nutrition at UC Davis?
Do it! The Designated Emphasis in Global Nutrition faculty and students are a fantastic group of scholars doing cutting edge global nutrition research that has real world impact.