PhD in Social Work from Boston College, USA. She has held academic positions, teaching quantitative research methodologies to undergraduate and graduate students at universities such as Boston College and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, among others. She has conducted research using primary and secondary data in countries such as Chile, Guatemala, and the USA, addressing various topics, including the intersection of nutrition and school feeding programs for elementary students, the adoption of cleaner cooking methods in India, retirement age, its determinants, and its impact on the health and well-being of older adults, public and private pension systems, the impact of exercise on the health of older adults, and substance use/abuse and its effect on suicidal behaviors in young people. Her research aims to generate a significant impact on the design and evaluation of public policies.