Board-certified pediatrician, neonatologist, and culinary enthusiast interested in the intersection of food, culture, and child development and health.I'm a passionate advocate for children and their families and have been extensively involved in children’s health care policy advocacy with the American Academy of Pediatrics. A former child development specialist of seven years with the State of Nevada Department of Health, I'm interested in neurodevelopmental outcomes of at-risk infants, along with maternal and child social determinants of health. Studies show that women experiencing food insecurity are more likely to have birth complications and have low birthweight infants. Children struggling with food insecurity are at risk for poor growth, delayed developmental milestones, and poor overall health. Born and raised in the Philippines and coming to Chicago for residency by way of Las Vegas, I co-founded and manage a Filipino food concept, pig & fire, with my chef husband Roel. I manage pig & fire’s general operations, marketing, and direct pig & fire’s social mission of addressing food insecurity in Chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods. pig & fire helps to meet community needs by partnering with a food business incubator, The Hatchery, along with Chicago west side community organizations to bring hearty meals to families in need.