Whitney is a 4th-year doctoral student in Epidemiology at Indiana University-Bloomington (IU), with a concentration in Mental Health and Substance Use epidemiology. Her research explores the relationship of health behaviors (exercise and substance use) with psychiatry disorders. Her doctoral thesis will explore the epidemiology of tobacco use and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) among Hispanics and People of African Descent. Whitney also holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Universidad del Valle in Colombia and a Master’s in Public Health degree from IU, which she completed as a Fulbright Scholar.
Prior to joining her doctoral program she worked as a program evaluator at Centerstone, an outpatient mental health clinic in the city of Bloomington, as well as a research assistant at Cisalva Institute, a violence prevention institute in Cali, Colombia and, as a regional director of the exchange program at the International Federation of Medical Student Associations. In her free time, she likes to learn new recipes, travel to new destinations and dance salsa.
PhD student Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University-Bloomington