Annabel Biruete

Annabel is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Indiana University School of Medicine, where she is studying the effects of iron-based phosphate binders on intestinal physiology, gut microbiome, and mineral and bone metabolism in rat model of chronic kidney disease under the mentorship of Dr. Sharon Moe. She completed her Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Escuela de Dietética y Nutrición in Mexico City. After she finished her Bachelors in Science, she practiced as a nutrition support dietitian and was involved in several pilot studies, including a trial that assessed the effects of intraperitoneal nutrition in incident peritoneal dialysis patients. She then moved to Champaign, IL and joined Dr. Ken Wilund’s lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received her PhD in Nutritional Sciences. Her dissertation aimed to study the effects of a dietary fermentable fiber (inulin) on chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) and the gut microbiota in end-stage kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment. While she completed her PhD, she was part of several randomized clinical trials assessing the effects of nutrition and exercise interventions on cardiovascular function, bone and body composition, physical function, nutritional status, and quality of life of hemodialysis patients. During her graduate studies she held a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Mexico’s Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT), received the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Commission of Dietetic Registration Diversity Scholarship, and earned several internal and external grants. After completing her PhD, she moved to Indiana and did her dietetic internship at Ball State University. Annabel’s research interests include renal nutrition and the gut microbiome. She is also interested in the use of social media in Academia. In her spare time, Annabel loves to travel and try food from different countries, spend time with family and friends, and play with her puppy Kali.