Dr. Gonzalez-Guarda graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor in the Science of Nursing (BSN), from Johns Hopkins University with a Master in Nursing and Public Health (MPH), and from the University of Miami with an Interdepartmental Doctorate in Nursing, Epidemiology and Psychology (PhD). In the past she has worked on community health nursing projects, public health programs and research targeting African Americans, Hispanic Americans and other vulnerable populations in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Her current research focuses on the intersection of substance abuse, intimate partner violence and risky sexual behaviors among Hispanics and the development of culturally tailored interventions to address these. She is the principal investigator of a community-based participatory research study aiming to develop a teen dating violence prevention program for Hispanic youth. Speaks Spanish.