Nutrition and Dietetics Faculty
Adriana Verdezoto Alvarado, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics
- Office:
- Hokona Zuni 156
- E-mail:
- averdezoto@unm.edu
- Education:
- Ph.D. in Nutrition Sciences, University of Delaware
- Research Interests:
- Home Food Environment and Child Health
- Diet Quality and Cardiometabolic Risk in Pediatric Populations
- Community-Based and Behavioral Nutrition Interventions
Dr. Adriana Verdezoto Alvarado joined the University of New Mexico as an Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2025. She earned her Ph.D. in Nutrition Sciences from the University of Delaware, where her research focused on the physical home food environment, diet quality, and cardiometabolic outcomes in children. Her work centers on the development of behavioral interventions to support dietary behavior change and chronic disease prevention. Dr. Verdezoto Alvarado has worked on multiple federally and foundation-funded research projects, including research funded by the NIH and AHA, and has experience working with underserved and immigrant populations.
Jean Cerami
Principal Lecturer II
Program Coordinator
Director, UNM Dietetic Internship
- Office:
- Hokona Zuni 154
- Telephone:
- 505-277-0937
- E-mail:
- jcerami@unm.edu
- CV:
- cv-jean-cerami.pdf
- Education:
- M.S. in Nutrition, University of New Mexico
- Professional Certification:
- R.D., L.D.
- Courses:
- Undergraduate:
- NUTR 2110: Human Nutrition
- NUTR 427: Medical Nutrition Therapy I
- NUTR 428: Medical Nutrition Therapy II
- NUTR 528: Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy
- NUTR 595: Advance Field Experience
Diana Gonzales-Pacheco
Assistant Professor
Assistant Program Director, Dietetic Internship
- Office:
- Hokona Zuni 152
- Telephone:
- 505-277-8185
- E-mail:
- dgonza21@unm.edu
- CV:
- dgonzalespacheco_cv1.pdf
- Education:
- DCN, Rutgers University
- Professional Certification:
- R.D., L.D.
- Research Interests:
- Relationship of medical nutrition therapy and adverse fetal and maternal outcomes in pregnant women with increased risk for gestational diabetes
- Impact of the Registered Dietitian on pregnant women meeting IOM pregnancy weight gain recommendations
- Comparative methodology in assessing body composition in normal and overweight adolescents and adults
- Courses:
- Undergraduate:
- NUTR 2110: Human Nutrition
- NUTR 345: Vitamins and Minerals in Human Nutrition
- NUTR 424: Nutrition Through The Life Cycle
- NUTR 593: Topics: Maternal and Child Nutrition
Deborah Luffey
Lecturer II
- Office:
- Hokona Zuni 155
- Telephone:
- 505-277-6430
- E-mail:
- dkluffey@unm.edu
- CV:
- cv-luffey.pdf
Luotao Lin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
- Office:
- Hokona Zuni 153
- Telephone:
- 505-277-1101
- E-mail:
- llin@unm.edu
- CV:
- luotao-lin-cv.pdf
- Education:
- PhD, Purdue University
- Professional Certification:
- RDN
- Research Interests:
- Generating, validating, and comparing temporal lifestyle behaviors patterns through machine-learning methods to investigate the importance of temporal characteristics of lifestyle behaviors like diet and physical activity with health indicators
- Developing food classification, recognition, and portion estimation algorithms integrating the nutrition information to improve the accuracy of the food identification and dietary assessment.
- Investigating the impact of food program on food insecurity and nutrition insecurity
- Courses:
- Undergraduate:
- NUTR 2110: Human Nutrition
- NUTR 527: Methods in Nutrition Research
Peter Pribis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director of Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Office:
- Hokona Zuni 156
- Telephone:
- 505-277-5566
- E-mail:
- pribis@unm.edu
- CV:
- peter-pribis-cv.pdf
- Education:
- Dr.P.H. in Nutrition and Epidemiology, 1996
- Professional Certification:
- R.D.
- Research Interests:
- Effect of lifestyle on health and disease
- Relationship between lifestyle quality and academic achievement
- Relationship between fast food consumption in children and adolescent on academic achievement
- Long- and short-term effects of nut consumption on sleep, mood and other cognitive processes
- Effects of plant proteins (soy, nuts) on health and cognition
- Courses:
- Undergraduate:
- NUTR 320: Methods in Nutrition Education
- NUTR 330L: Principles of Food Science
- NUTR 344: Energy Nutrients in Human Nutrition
- NUTR 593: Topics in Public Health and Community Nutrition: Prevention and Lifestyle Treatment of Chronic Diseases
