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PhD Student
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
Ana Maafs is a PhD Candidate at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, where last year she obtained an MS degree in Nutrition Interventions, Communication and Behavior Change. Originally from Mexico City, she worked there as a nutritionist and a researcher at a National Institute of Health. She was involved in a research project exploring nutrient composition of fish species to identify best options for renal patients’ diets, which lead to a few publications on the topic. However, she perceived some disconnect between the research taking place at the lab and the nutrition information individuals and families where receiving. This contributed to her interest in education, communication and community engagement. She completed a master’s degree in Education and later collaborated in projects related to nutritional assessment of indigenous communities in Central Mexico, improving diet quality in school-aged children, and developing a campaign to promote water consumption at a local elementary school. Her doctoral dissertation is related to communication strategies that influence nutrition outcomes in underrepresented populations. She hopes to work exploring ways to communicate science effectively and in culturally relevant ways to reduce health disparities in vulnerable populations.