Dr. Benitez received her PhD in Health Education and Promotion from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and holds a Master’s in Social Work degree from Stony Brook University in New York. She completed postdoctoral fellowships in Health Disparities Science at Arizona State University and Integrated Cardiovascular Epidemiology at the University of California, San Diego. As a bilingual Latina, her research focuses on promotion of physical activity among Latinos, with particular emphasis on women at risk for lifestyle-related health conditions. Dr. Benitez's areas of research include the development and testing of culturally appropriate physical activity interventions in underserved populations; examination of social, cultural, and behavioral mechanisms influencing health disparities; and application of behavior change theory and technology to physical activity promotion in Latinos.
