Biography

Marcela Rodríguez-Flores has a joint appointment as Attending Physician in Internal Medicine in two institutes; the Obesity and Eating Disorders Clinic of the National Institute of Medical and Nutrition Sciences “Salvador Zubirán”, and the Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center of the Institute for Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE). Dr. Rodríguez received her medical training and her masters in science degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and completed her residency training in internal medicine through the ISSSTE health system. During a period of social service in a rural area, she first became aware of the great impact of environmental and socioeconomic factors on risk for chronic and acute diseases and how healthcare and health education delivery varied according to local policies and available resources. Later, during her medical residency, she again noticed a large number of patients from rural areas outside of Mexico City, whose chronic outcomes were dependent on education and primary healthcare. This lead to her research interests which include the impact of environmental and socioeconomic factors and the impact of health care and health education delivery disparities on patient outcomes, and her involvement in training projects aimed at developing the skills of primary health care professionals in the areas of chronic, non-communicable diseases. She has participated in the development of a national obesity prevention and treatment program which is in the process of implementation throughout Mexico.

Dr. Rodríguez has a special interest in cardiovascular diseases and obesity, and has a report of study on the prevalence and risk factors for atherosclerosis published in Cardiovascular Pathology. Dr. Rodríguez recognizes the strength of multidisciplinary approaches in addressing risk factors for NCDs that involve public policy and lifestyle interventions, and the need for the design of sustainable models in the prevention and management of NCDs.

Project Title: Barriers to change in eating and physical activity behaviors in the treatment of obesity

Project Objective: To identify barriers to change in treating obesity through diet and physical activity in order to improve adherence to weight-loss regimens.

Publications

• View publications on PubMed Central