Hi, I'm Valeria, a biostatistician with a background in Biology, a Master’s in Biostatistics and a PhD in Data Science. I've spent the last eight years applying my statistical skills to health-related research. I'm proficient in R and currently learning JavaScript to improve my abilities in reporting and data visualization. Now living in Asturias, Spain, I look forward to working with people and organizations who are passionate about research. When I'm not crunching numbers, I love being outdoors, taking photos, and diving into a good science fiction book.
You can check my (not-very-updated-right-now) resume or my full curriculum vitae.
Below are some of the notable projects I am currently collaborating on as a member of various teams. Note that while I have contributed to these projects, they are the collective efforts of many individuals and organizations.
The first-trimester pre-eclampsia validation (PREVAL) study is a non interventional prospective cohort study aiming to implement first-trimester screening of pre-eclampsia in Spain. It was awarded a Leonardo grant from the BBVA Foundation and supported by a grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCII). It has been recently published (April 2023) in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The first-trimerster prediction and prevention of preterm preeclampsia (DECREASE) study is being currently carried out, aiming to estimate the effect of the clinical implementation of the pre-eclampsia screening in maternal-fetal health.
Chilhood obesity rates have reached and all-time high in many parts of the world. With the aim of identifying trends and patterns that can help inform public health interventions and prevent the further advance of excess weight, this projects works with whole population data from children from Asturias, Spain.
Currently, there is no prevention strategy for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), instead, all efforts are focused on its early diagnosis and trying to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes through healthy lifestyle habits and appropriate treatment. This project aims to first evaluate the prevalence of GDM in Spain and the performance of the current Spanish screening model (population-based in the second trimester and in the population with risk factors in the first trimester); and second to develop a screening algorithm in the first trimester of pregnancy to predict the risk of developing GDM and a program to reduce its incidence later on.