Welcome!
My name is Maricarmen Vizcaino. I am a scientist that studies how to change human behavior to improve health, well-being, and our planet.
I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Kinesiology/Exercise Science, and a doctoral degree in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences from the University of Texas at El Paso. I have more than 10 years of experience conducting scientific research within the broad area of chronic disease prevention and management, mental health, and sustainability. I recently completed my role as Research Assistant Professor in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, and I am currently a Visiting Scholar in the Swette Center for Sustainable Systems at the same institution.
My goal is conducting research to improve people’s lives and the world around us. Thus, in this website I aim to provide you with practical, simple, and applicable tips derived from scientific studies that you can use in your everyday life to enhance your health and well-being, and promote planetary health.
Maricarmen Vizcaino, PhD
Behavioral Scientist
Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher
Areas of Research
Mind-body connection
I study the impact of mind-body approaches like yoga and mindfulness on the different dimensions of human health. My primary focus has been on markers of metabolic health and the stress response, as well as indicators of psychological stress and well-being.
Health & Sustainability
I explore different approaches to simultaneously promote human and planetary health. This includes work on the prevention of food waste, barriers for the adoption of plant-based diets, and generation of educational materials to prevent heat-related illnesses.
Methodological approaches
I have developed several instruments to subjectively measure a variety of concepts related to behavior change. I have also applied advanced statistical techniques to generate models that predict ecological behavior.