Karen Mae Bacalia

Karen Mae Bacalia is a third-year Nutritional Sciences – Community and Applied PhD student. She graduated from the University of Guam in 2021 with two bachelor degrees, a B.S. in Chemistry and B.S. in Agricultural Sciences – Human Nutrition and Food Science, with a minor in Biology. She is currently in the Fitzgerald lab where her research focuses on culinary medicine as an intervention to prevent metabolic disease risk in the South Asian population and to encourage more collaboration between physicians and registered dietitians. She received her M.S. in Nutritional Sciences from Rutgers University in 2023 studying the therapeutic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) for post-menopause. In her free time, Karen enjoys jogging, swimming, finding new restaurants and cafes, or trying different arts and crafts.