The University of Washington DeRouen Center is proud to celebrate a remarkable milestone for one of its former visiting scholars. Natalia Valverde, currently an Assistant Professor at Universidad Continental (UC) in Peru, has been accepted into the University of Washington’s PhD program in Nursing and Implementation Science, where she will begin her studies in September 2026. A trained midwife with a master’s degree in Teaching and Research in Health from UC, Natalia brings a strong interdisciplinary foundation to her doctoral pursuits. Her acceptance into this program reflects her commitment to advancing health research.
During her time in Seattle as a DeRouen Center visiting scholar, Natalia completed a research project that mapped all Institutional Review Boards (IRB) in Peru and assessed their compliance with the minimum requirements established by Peru’s national regulatory entity. This work shed light on the landscape of research ethics oversight in the county and has implications for strengthening research governance and protecting human subjects across Peruvian health and research institutions.
Natalia’s acceptance into this highly competitive doctoral program reflects both her academic excellence and the impact of her work. The DeRouen Center congratulates her on this well-deserved achievement and looks forward to supporting her continued growth as she advances her expertise and contributes to global health research and implementation science.