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Sophie Ravanbakht, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Population Health Sciences and Duke Center for Childhood Obesity Research. Sophie received her PhD in Health Policy and Management with a concentration in Decision Sciences and Outcomes Research from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill. Using systems science tools and a mixed-methods approach, her dissertation research helped to increase understanding of how stress-related mechanisms that underlie discordant acculturation in Latino immigrant children and their caregivers influence health behaviors, quality of life, and weight status.
Sophie’s research interests center on exploring solutions to complex health problems that emerge from systemic and cultural intersections affecting underserved immigrant and pediatric populations. Using systems science tools and a mixed-methods approach in her research, Sophie is interested in the biosocial influence of stress, immigration, and acculturation across generations and the life course in order to improve clinical guidelines, patient-centered care, policy guidance, and community resources for vulnerable populations.