Laura Lara-Castor is a postdoctoral scholar in the Cardiovascular Health Metrics program at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. Her work involves contributing to the estimation of cardiovascular disease burdens for the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), manuscript writing, and generating innovative research ideas. She is also leading work summarizing the evidence available on the effect of behavioral and metabolic risk factors on heart failure.
Before joining IHME, Laura earned her PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology and Data Science from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Her doctoral dissertation focused on analyzing intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and quantifying their attributable cardiometabolic burden globally, regionally, and nationally. She quantified estimates stratified by key population subgroups including age, sex, education level, and area of residence. Furthermore, Laura modeled the impact of an SSB tax on SSB intakes and cardiometabolic burdens. Her research aims to inform current and future policies aimed at curbing SSB consumption, focusing on social inequities to efficiently improve global population health. Notably, her doctoral work received support from the American Heart Association and has been recognized in high-impact journals and awarded by the American Society of Nutrition.
Prior to her PhD, Laura’s academic journey includes a master’s degree in Nutrition and Metabolism from the School of Medicine at Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from Universidad de las Americas Puebla, Mexico. Before and after her master’s, Laura worked as a research assistant at the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, contributing to projects focused on improving the detection and care of cardiometabolic diseases and their complications. These experiences provided her with valuable insights into public health challenges and the importance of evidence-based research, shaping her keen interest in public health, epidemiology, and quantitative methods.
In her current role as a postdoctoral scholar, Laura is committed to refining her quantitative and analytical skills to contribute with rigorous and meaningful research that positively impacts global health policies.