Education & Affiliations
Biography
Maria Patrizia Santos, MSPH is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at Tulane University, with a strong foundation in biostatistics and neuroscience. Her research integrates epidemiologic methods, implementation science, and community-based participatory research to examine cardiometabolic outcomes, food access, and health inequities across the life course. Her work has been published in high-impact journals including The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and she has presented at national conferences such as the Society for Epidemiologic Research and the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions. Maria is a National Hispanic Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative Scholar and a recipient of the BIRCWH Award. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and French, and has extensive experience working with diverse communities across the U.S. and Latin America.
Maria's dissertation investigates the long-term impact of acute hyperglycemia during hospitalization on cardiovascular outcomes and mortality using national electronic health record data. She compares traditional epidemiologic methods with machine learning techniques to evaluate model performance and assess fairness across subgroups defined by social determinants of health.
Honors & Awards
- 2024: Alvarez Spark Innovation Award
- 2023: National Hispanic Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative Scholar
- 2023: Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Award
- 2023: Dean’s Excellence in Research Award
- 2021 - 2025: NHLBI T32 Trainee
- 2017 & 2019: Minority Health International Research Training Grant- NIH
- 2018: Changemaker Catalyst Award
- 2018: Felson Service Award
- 2018: Center for Academic Equity Research Grant
- 2017: Dean’s Grant
- 2016: Sisselman Grant
Publications
Selected Publications
Santos, M. P., Ogarrio, K., De Anda-Duran, I., Potts, K. S., Bazzano, L. A., & Ley, S. H. (2025). Association Between Dietary Patterns and Cognitive Function in Midlife Adults: The Bogalusa Heart Study. Nutrients, 17(10), 1636.
Santos, M. P., Bazzano, L., Carmichael, O., O’Bryant, S., Hsia, D. S., He, J., & Ley, S. H. (2025). Association of Age at Menarche With Inflammation and Glucose Metabolism Biomarkers in US Adult Women: NHANES 1999-2018. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 110(5), 1365-1374.
Santos, M. P., Li, Y., Bazzano, L. A., He, J., Rexrode, K. M., & Ley, S. H. (2023). Age at menarche, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease complications in US women aged under 65 years: NHANES 1999– 2018. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, 6(2), 293.
Santos, M. P., Brewer, J. D., Lopez, M. A., Paz-Soldan, V. A., & Chaparro, M. P. (2022). Determinants of food insecurity among households with children in Villa el Salvador, Lima, Peru: the role of gender and employment, a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1-8.
Santos, M. P., Turner, B., & Chaparro, M. P. (2021). The double burden of malnutrition in Peru: an update with a focus on social inequities. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 113(4), 865-873.
Book Chapters
Broussard, R. J., Kares, F. R., Ralston, N. C., & Santos, M. P. (2022). Black and bilingual: challenges in decentering whiteness in dual language bilingual education. In Critical consciousness in dual Language bilingual education (pp. 104-111). Routledge.
