Valentina Paez
College of Family and Consumer Sciences
Graduate Research Assistant
307 Dawson Hall
305 Sanford Dr.
Athens, GA 30602
Education
| Degree | Field of Study | Institution | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | Dietetics | University of Florida | 2022 |
Research
Valentina is currently conducting research in Child Diet and Health Disparities Research Lab under the direction of Dr. Sina Gallo. Currently her research is focused on infants and vitamin D.
Teaching
NUTR4100/6100 Micronutrient Nutrition (Teaching Assistant) - Fall 2023
Awards
| Award Name | Awarded By | Year Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition Diversity Scholarship | Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics | 2023 |
| Virginia Wilbanks Kilgore Scholarship | UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) | 2023 |
| Martin Emerging Leader Award | UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) | 2023 |
| Nickols International Study Award and the Zena Costa Brown International Study Award | UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) | 2023 |
| George Griffeth and Leolene Chapman Montgomery Scholarship | UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) | 2023 |
| IDEA scholarship for Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) | Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) | 2022 |
| Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation General Scholarship | Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics | 2022 |
| Dean’s List of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences | University of Florida | 2021 |
| Dean’s List of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences | University of Florida | 2020 |
| IRM's Honor Scholar Award | Honors College Director Dr. Irmgard Bocchino | 2020 |
| IRM's Honor Scholar Award | Honors College Director Dr. Irmgard Bocchino | 2019 |
| President’s List BC | Honors College | 2020 (Spring & Summer) |
| President’s List BC | Honors College | 2019 (Spring, Summer & Fall) |
Service
| Organization | Title | Year(s) | Service Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics | IDEA committee and the public policy committee member | 2022 | |
| LAHIDAN Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics | Committee member | 2023 | |
| Hispanic Student Association | HSA graduate committee member | 2023 | |
| Sports and Human Performance Nutrition | Social Media Volunteer | 2023 |
Areas of Expertise
- Mothers and infants vitamin D recommendations
- Supplements
Valentina is a first-generation immigrant, originally from Colombia. She has received her BS in Dietetics from the University of Florida and is currently pursuing her MS in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Georgia with an emphasis in sports nutrition, dietary supplementation, and pediatrics. During this degree, she assists Dr. Sina Gallo in research on vitamin D inadequacy in infants and mothers, which coincides with her thesis focusing on the vitamin D status of predominantly low-income Hispanic infants. Her passion for aiding underprivileged communities can be seen not only through her engagement with the Hispanic communities in Athens, but also as far away as Ghana, where she has been involved in a service-learning and volunteer program, assisting the hospitals and communities in malnutrition. This enthusiasm can be attributed to her family-oriented personality and the struggles she has borne first-hand witness to from her experiences coming from Colombia to the United States.
On top of currently pursuing her official RD certification through the KADDI internship program, she spends her time researching the latest supplementation trends for a supplements company and is a teacher’s assistant for the micronutrients course at UGA. And even amongst all of this, she still relishes the opportunity to volunteer her time with the sports teams at UGA to help athletes understand the benefits and risks of dietary supplementation. She has proven to be indefatigable and insistent on pursuing her dreams of traveling the world to experience the numerous ways different cultures prepare their food and leaving her impact on the nutrition practices among the communities that do not have the knowledge or access that most are used to.
Current Research
- Infants current vitamin D recommendations
- Maternal and infant vitamin D intake