I am a health and exercise enthusiast. I graduated from ASU with a degree in Kinesiology and I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion where I am developing my research skills under the mentorship of Dr. Gabriel Shaibi. I have been an integral part of a community-based lifestyle intervention in obese Latino adolescents, developing and delivering the exercise portion of this intervention. With this involvement I gained first-hand experience in intervention delivery, which allowed me to explore some of my research curiosity. Through my experience in Dr. Shaibi’s lab I was also able to assist in more lab based research studies. In addition, in 2013 I co-Founded P1Kids. P1Kids is a culturally competent Health & Wellness Education Program designed to reduce health disparities in minority communities and low-income families. The program engages children in fun activities that teach healthy lifestyle choices. It improves their attitudes and cognitive behaviors towards health and wellness. I have dedicated my life to health and wellbeing. My motto is "The best way to bring change and affect the lives of the people around you is by leading by example."
Joon Young Kim
Joonyoung.Kim@asu.edu
I am in the final year of my doctoral studies in the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion at Arizona State University. During my doctoral training under the mentorship of Dr. Shaibi, I have been involved in several clinical research projects focused on the physiologic and molecular mechanisms underlying insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in youth. I am typically interested in non-traditional markers of type 2 diabetes risk that may help early/accurate identification of high-risk youth for type 2 diabetes. In addition, to fully understand the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, I also take into consideration the genetic contribution to metabolic disorders. My lab experiences with Dr. Shaibi include data collection, analyzing multi-level, longitudinal datasets, and laboratory techniques to determine gene expression patterns (microarray and single nucleotide polymorphism profiling).
Manroop Kaur
Mkaur7@asu.edu
My name is Manroop Kaur and I am currently a senior at Arizona State University studying Human Nutrition and completing an honors thesis at Barrett, the Honors College. I have been working on my honors thesis with Dr. Shaibi since August 2014. I am involved with the Every Little Step Counts study in which I am studying nutritional behaviors in relationship to pancreatic beta cell function in Latino youth undergoing a lifestyle intervention. I am currently working as an instructional aide at ASU, where I teach General Biology 1 and 2 labs. I will be graduating in May and will be pursuing a Master’s program in healthcare delivery after which I hope to attend medical school. Along with school and work, I enjoy hiking and love visiting new places.
Hanna Rahman
Hanna.Rahman@asu.edu
I am a native of Phoenix, AZ, and cannot wait until I can move to California. I am at ASU studying kinesiology. I hope to take my degree and pursue medical school and specialize in pediatrics. While being a part of the research team of Every Little Step Counts, I have learned so much about the different factors that contribute to developing diabetes in adolescent children and how these factors vary in every culture. In the near future, I hope to write my honors thesis about the physical activity component of the research. Through this research, I hope to further expand my knowledge and apply the skills I acquire to my career. I would like to focus on the determinants of physical activity in children and provide practical outlets and motivation for initiating and continuing physical activity. Lastly, I enjoy playing with my niece, basketball, the Wii, traveling and weight lifting.
Ana M. Rentería-Mexía
Ana.renteriamexia@asu.edu
Ana graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Food Chemistry at the Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora- ITSON (Technological Institute of Sonora) in México. She studied her Master in Food and Nutritional Sciences at Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. (Research Center in Food and Development) also in México. She is now a professor at ITSON and she is currently studying her PhD in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness at ASU with Dr. Gabriel Q. Shaibi in the College of Health Solutions. Her primary interests reside in the area of nutritional interventions, exploring the interaction between diet, genes and physical activity that results in prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
Jessica Reyes
Jessica.Reyes@asu.edu
I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from Arizona State University, Barrett Honors College in 2010 with a B.A in Global Studies and concentration in Economic Development. While pursuing my interest in international policy and global disparities, I was also a pre-medical student. Upon graduation I was awarded a United States Fulbright Scholarship, English Teaching Fellowship. During my award year I lived in Madrid, Spain where I taught science, woodshop, and English at a middle school. Over the years I have worked in Emergency Departments and volunteered as a Spanish interpreter at a community health clinic. My goal is to attend medical school and become a physician. Specifically, my interests are in preventive medicine and public health, particularly among the medically underserved.
Last year, I joined the ASU Every Little Step Counts Research Study as the new Research Technician and was recently promoted to Research Specialist. As such, I hope to develop a better understanding of the physiological and socio-cultural variables that influence the prevalence diabetes and other metabolic disorders in high-risk populations. Additionally, I am collaborating on a review paper focused on the state of the science for diabetes prevention in Latino youth.
Allison Williams
Allison.Nagle@asu.edu
Allison Williams holds a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Planning, Administration, and Community from Arizona State University. She is also a Field Supervisor for master’s students in the ASU School of Social Work, and serves on the boards of Community Health Outreach and Empowering Communities and Organizations Network. She has a wide variety of direct practice, community practice, and research experience. Since 2009 she has managed health promotion research studies funded by the National Institutes of Health. She currently works as the project manager for Dr. Gabriel Shaibi’s community based, culturally grounded, randomized control trial to prevent Type 2 Diabetes and improve weight specific quality of life in obese Latino adolescents (Every Little Step Counts).
In her role as project manager Allison manages a team of research technicians, students, and nurses who conduct the screening, enrollment, data collection, and retention efforts for study participants. She is responsible for fidelity evaluations, initiating and monitoring IRB and Biosafety approvals, and fostering new community collaborations for ongoing research. She conducts statistical analysis for dissemination of results and is involved in manuscript development. Her research interests include evaluating changes in quality of life, social support, and self-efficacy in overweight and obese Latino adolescents and how these factors contribute to reducing their risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
