Water, Food and Human Health in the Galapagos, Ecuador

Amanda L. Thompson, Ph.D., MPH, is Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a faculty research director at the Center for Galapagos Studies and a faculty fellow at the Carolina Population Center. Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on the biological pathways linking social and physical environments to the development of obesity, chronic disease and the dual burden of disease across the lifespan in a range of international settings. She has over 60 publications in leading anthropology, nutrition and biomedical journals and her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Valeria Ochoa-Herrera is the Dean of the School of Engineering, Science and Technology at Universidad del Rosario, Colombia. Previously, she was the Vice Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Ecuador. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, USA and an associated researcher at Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Dr. Ochoa-Herrera’s research areas involve freshwater quality, wastewater treatment, and anaerobic bioremediation and sustainability. She has contributed to promoting technological innovation and action against water pollution in the region. Dr. Ochoa-Herrera has published 46 peer review publications, 3 books, 2 book chapters and her research has been presented at 15 international conferences.

Enrique Teran is an Ecuadorian medical doctor and holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology. He has been working for more than 20 years on vascular factors, infectious and metabolic diseases, oxidative stress, and pharmacogenetics in the Ecuadorian population. Dr. Teran is the author of more than 90 publications in peer review journals and also is a member of the Ecuadorian Academyof Medicine and the Academy of Science from Ecuador. Dr. Teran is currently a professor at the College of Health in the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and also a researcher at the Galapagos Science Center.