Dr. Vita is a Post-doctoral Research Investigator in the Helfgott Research Institute. Her passion for complementary and integrative health research began with her training in various herbalism apprenticeships and continued through her doctoral research investigating the therapeutic utility and mechanism of specific botanicals in the context of autoimmunity. She received her PhD from the University of Northern Colorado where she studied immunology, as well as pedagogy strategies for teaching biological sciences. Dr. Vita is currently receiving clinical research training through the NIH-funded BRIDG R90 program at NUNM. Her research interests include non-pharmacological interventions (e.g., dietary supplements, nutrition) that have the potential to mitigate chronic inflammatory diseases; specific dietary practices and supplements that may influence the gut microbiome; and the intersection between environmental factors, the gut microbiome, and autoimmunity.