Affiliations
Postdoctoral Fellow, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Education
Ph.D., Public Health, University of California Merced
Laboratory Of
Dr. Valentina Parma
Research Summary
My research focuses on the factors influencing taste and smell variation and its impact on health. Specifically, I study the role of smell and taste as early disease markers. Chemosensory tests have potential in identifying neurological diseases, infectious diseases like COVID-19, monitoring aging populations’ health, and tracking exposure to toxins. However, these tests are underutilized. My research aims to assess the public health burden associated with olfactory and gustatory alterations to better inform and devise strategies for population-based and targeted screening programs.
Keywords
smell, taste, epidemiology, public health, disease screening
Representative Publications
Hannum ME, Ramirez VA, Lipson SJ, Herriman RD, Toskala AK, Lin C, Joseph PV, Reed DR. Objective Sensory Testing Methods Reveal a Higher Prevalence of Olfactory Loss in COVID-19-Positive Patients Compared to Subjective Methods: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Chem Senses. 2020 Dec 5;45(9):865-874. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjaa064.
Ramirez VA, Wooding SP. Worldwide diversity, association potential, and natural selection in the superimposed taste genes, CD36 and GNAT3. Chem Senses. 2022 Jan 1;47:bjab052. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjab052.
Wooding SP, Ramirez VA. Global population genetics and diversity in the TAS2R bitter taste receptor family. Front Genet. 2022 Oct 11;13:952299. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.952299.
