Liliana Aguayo

Aug 2018 - Current: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at North Western University/Lurie Children’s Hospital, American Heart Association Children’s Strategically Focused Research Network

BA, International Studies & Political Science, Loyola University,Chicago

MPH, Master of Public Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PhD, Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Kinesiology and Community Health

Liliana Aguayo's research focuses on the specific cell-environment interactions through which stress and resilience influence the development of obesity and insulin resistance among Mexican families, in Mexico and the US. She has over 6 years of experience designing, conducting, and coordinating bilingual quantitative and qualitative data collection projects. Prior to graduate school, Liliana worked in more than 30 research projects including the National Children's Study (NCS), the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), and The Community Action for Child Health Equity (CACHE), among others. She plans to use her transdisciplinary training, and extensive research experience to continue exploring racial/ethnic differences in the developmental origins of obesity and diabetes.

Liliana worked in the Wellness & Weight Management (W&WM) Program, one of six interdisciplinary centers of the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, the research arm of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Liliana's project focused on reviewing best practice guidelines in pediatric weight loss surgery to inform the development of evidence‐based pediatric bariatric surgery protocols. Ms. Aguayo coordinated a transdisciplinary journal club that helped the interdisciplinary team at the W&WM Program, and at Central DuPage Hospital gain better understanding of the best practice guidelines in pediatric weight loss surgery, on the multidisciplinary process of pediatric bariatric surgery, and the development of pediatric bariatric surgery patient contracts.

Dr. Andiara Schwingel and Dr. Angela Wiley

Aguayo, L., Sandberg, E., Schwingel, A., Wiley A. (2017) Low Health Literacy Hinders Accurate Perceptions of Body Weight among Mexican Women. Poster presentation at Experimental Biology 2017, April 22-26, Chicago, IL.

De Leon, R., Aguayo, L., Schwingel, A. (2016) Use of GIS in Physical Activity Interventions: a Systematic Review. Oral presentation at the 2016 IL GIS day Regional Meeting, November 15, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Aguayo L., Gálvez P., Piñeros-Leano M., Wiley A. (2016) Young Children's Characterization of their Obesogenic World: Findings from an international qualitative study with children of Mexican background. Oral presentation at The Latin American Affairs Section and poster presentation at The Obesity Society Annual Meeting. 2016 Obesity Week, November 1-4; New Orleans, LA.

Hosseni, R., Delgado L., Zepeda E., Aguayo L., (2016) "To me she is perfect": Perceptions of Self-Body Image among Mexican Kindergarten-aged Children and their Mothers. Poster presentation at the 2016 Illinois Undergraduate Research Week. Office of Undergraduate Research, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, April 17-23; Urbana-Champaign, IL. 

Aguayo, L (2016) Visual Narratives: Analyses of children's perceptions of obesity. Oral presentation presented at the 2016 UIUC Community of Scholars Research Symposium. Graduate College Educational Equity Programs; March 6-8; Champaign, IL.   

Aguayo, L., Khan, M., Galvez, P., (2016) Visual Narratives: a Window to the Obesogenic World of Young Mexican American Children. Oral presentation presented at the 28th Annual Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference. 2016; February 1-2; Las Vegas, NV. 

Aguayo, L., Olave A., Ariza A., Binns H. (2015) Biologically Implausible: Characteristics of Very Young Children Referred for Obesity Management. Poster presented at the 2015 Biennial Symposium: Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program. Transdisciplinary Research and Education: Benefits and Barriers. October 8-9; Champaign, IL.

Aguayo, L. (2015) Impact of a Church-Based Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Depressive Symptoms among Latinas. Poster session presented at 27th Annual Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference. 2015; February 9-10; Las Vegas, NV.

Galvez, P., Aguayo, L., Torres, P., Bobbit, J., Castaneda, Y., Sati, M., & Schwingel, A. (2014). Impact of a Community Based Nutrition Intervention Focused on Older Latinas. Session no. 4323.0. Facilitating changes in dietary behavior. American Public Health Association's 142nd Annual Meeting & Exposition. 2014; Nov. 15-19; New Orleans, LA. Presenting author: Aguayo, L.

Sebastião E., Linares D., Galvez P., Bobbitt J., Adamson B., Aguayo L., Arias D., Tense N., Chodzko-Zajko W., Schwingel A. (2014). Examining physical activity levels and attitudes to physical activity in older Mexican women following six-month lifestyle intervention program. Session no. 312187. American Public Health Association's 142nd Annual Meeting & Exposition. 2014; Nov. 15-19; New Orleans, LA.

Adamson, B., Aguayo, L., Castaneda, C., Schwingel, A. (2014) Abuelas en Acción: A promising faith-based intervention to promote healthy lifestyles among older Latinas. Round Table Presentation Session no. 303904. American Public Health Association's 142nd Annual Meeting & Exposition. 2014; Nov. 15-19; New Orleans, LA.

Bobitt J., Shengzhang S., Aguayo, L., Linares D., Sebastiao E., Sati M, Chodzko-Zajko W., Schwingel A. (2014)  Impact of a Community-Based Behavior Intervention on Health Status of Older Latinas. APHA Late-breaker Poster Session. American Public Health Association's 142nd Annual Meeting & Exposition. 2014; Nov. 15-19; New Orleans, LA.

Aguayo, L. (2014). Development of Protocols for the Pediatric Bariatric Surgical Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Poster session presented MPH Practicum Presentations; 2014; December, 11; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Aguayo, L., Galvez, P., Linares, D., & Schwingel, A. (2014) Examining the relationship between fried food intake and depressive symptoms in older Latinas. Poster session presented at the 2014 Nutrition Symposium; 2014; April 23; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Aguayo, L., Linares, D. M.A., Galvez, P., Arias, D., Carlos, L., Rodriguez, A., & Schwingel, A. (2014) Abuelas en Acción : Outcomes of a Lifestyle Intervention. Poster session presented at the Obesity Across the Lifespan Symposium; 2014; May 8; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Aguayo, L., Aguilar, P., Urquiza, S., & Grigsby-Toussaint, D. (2014) Review of Smartphone Applications Designed to Improve Latino (a) Diabetics Self-Care Behaviors: "Opportunity" or Risk? Abstract no. 2014-LB-5973-Diabetes. Poster no. LB-54 (Late Breaking Session). American Diabetes Association's 74th Scientific Sessions; 2014; June 13-17; San Francisco, CA.

Goel, M.S., Rachel O'Conor, R., Aguayo, L., Boyd, A., and Baker, D. (2013, April). Patients in a Community Health Center Consider Patient Portals Important but Face Barriers to Adoption. Poster session presented at the 36th Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting; 2013; April 24; Denver, CO.

• 2017 The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)/ MARC Mentored Poster/Platform Presenter Award. The Minority Access to Research Careers Program of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
• 2017 President's Research in Diversity Travel Award. Executive Vice President/ Vice President Academic Affairs. The University of Illinois System
• 2017 CLACS Graduate Student Professional Development Fellowship. Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana – Champaign
• 2017 Finalist for the 2017 Image of Research Competition. The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 2017 Nomination to attend the 2017 Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) meeting. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 2016 The Latin American Affairs Poster Award from the Obesity Society, Obesity Week, New Orleans, LA
• 2016 Service Award in recognition of Service to the Graduate College Educational Equity Programs. The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 2016 Spring 2016 Conference Travel Award. The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 2016 Seed Grant "FIESTA: Family-based International Evaluation of Salivary Telomeres & Acculturation. "Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I-TOPP) grant
• 2015-2016 Britta L. and James A Wolfe Award. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. College of Medicine
• 2015 Seed Grant "HOPS: Holistic Obesity Prevention Study with Mexican Mothers and Preschool Age Children." "Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I-TOPP) grant.
• 2013 Robert Louis Katz Summer Scholars. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
• 2013-current Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I-TOPP) Scholar USDA-Grant number 2011-67001-30101

Jansen T, Aguayo L, Whitacre J, Bobitt J, Payne L, Schwingel A. (2019). Diabetes Disparities In Illinois. Prev Chronic Dis., 16: E19. doi: 10.5888/pcd16.180154.

Bobitt J, Aguayo L, Payne L, Jansen T, Schwingel A. (2019). Geographic and Social Factors Associated With Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Participation: Going the "Extra-Mile" for Disease Prevention. Prev Chronic Dis., 16: E25. doi: 10.5888/pcd16.180385

Aguayo, L., Olave-Pichon, A., Ariza, A. J., & Binns, H. J. (2017). Characteristics of Very Young Hispanic Children Referred for Obesity Management. Global Pediatric Health, 4, 2333794X17739192.

Schwingel, A., Linares, D.E., Gálvez, P., Adamson, B., Aguayo, L., Bobbit, J., Castañeda, Y., Sebastião, E., and Marquez, D.X. (2015). Developing a Culturally Sensitive Lifestyle Behavior Change Program for Older Latinas. Qualitative Health Research. 25(2): 1733-46.