Email

valeria.melendez@bcm.edu

Positions

Graduate Student

Pediatrics-Nutrition
Baylor College of Medicine

Addresses

Children's Nutrition Research Center (Lab)

1100 Bates Ave
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Children's Nutrition Research Center (Office)

1100 Bates Ave
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Education

BS from University of Puerto Rico

12/2018 - Humacao, Puerto Rico

Biology

MS from University of Illinois Chicago

06/2020 - Chicago, Illinois United States

Medical Biotechnology

Professional Interests

• Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), Intestinal microbiome, Preterm birth, Maternal passive immunity, Human breast milk, Animal models

Professional Statement

I am currently a 3rd year graduate student in the laboratories of Dr. Douglas Burrin and Dr. Robert Britton. My work is mostly focused on studying how maternal milk components impact the infant's risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) with the ultimate goal of developing ways to protect infants from this devastating disease.

Selected Publications

• Per Torp Sangild, Caitlin Vonderohe, Valeria Melendez Hebib, and Douglas G. Burrin "Potential Benefits of Bovine Colostrum in Pediatric Nutrition and Health." Nutrients. 2021 Jul 26;13(8):2551. Pubmed PMID: 34444709
• Vonderohe C, Stoll B, Guthrie G, Melendez Hebib V, Dawson G, Burrin DG "Increased Circulating Cortisol After Vaginal Birth Is Associated With Increased FGF19 Secretion in Neonatal Pigs.." Endocrinology. 2022; Pubmed PMID: 36367732
• Melendez V, Turner C, Khatri V, Davis J, Chauhan N, Nagalati Sudhakar DS, Cabullos R, Carter D, Gray SA, Kalyanasundaram R. ". Pre-clinical Development of a Vaccine for human Lymphatic Filariasis.." Front. trop. dis.. 2022;

Memberships

American Society for Microbiology

Co-Secretary (05/2021)

GSBS Graduate Student Council

Junior Lead Digital Media Committee (08/2022 - 08/2024)