Karina Olivo-Holzl, MD, MPH, IBCLC, graduated from medical school at the Universidad de Los Andes in Merida, Venezuela, and Universidad Central de Venezuela as a Pediatrician. After moving to the US, she worked as a researcher for the NICU Milk Bank at Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital where she was exposed to breastfeeding challenges for premature babies and how mothers’ milk impacts the well-being of babies and mothers. Afterward, she obtained an IBCLC and continued practicing as a lactation consultant. Her medical practice ignited her interest in disparities and social determinants of health, and she decided to enroll in a Master’s Degree in Public Health at George Washington University. Soon after her MPH graduation, she worked for the NYS-DOH Covid-19 Initiative in 2020-21. And months later, she started a PGY1 position at South Shore University Hospital in NY to pursue a medical career in preventive medicine and public health, before joining the UNC Preventive Medicine program.