Karina Díaz Rios

Karina Díaz Rios is an Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension at the University of California, Merced, within the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. Her work focuses on culturally responsive nutrition education and improving food environments for families with young children in medically underserved communities.

• Specializes in socioecological determinants of nutritional health
• Employs participatory and implementation science methodologies
• Develops tele-nutrition solutions for remote rural areas
• Created validated tools for measuring home food environment and diet quality

Her research directly impacts local/state/national nutrition education programs through systematic evaluation frameworks and resource-bridging strategies.