Our team

Eduardo Esteban Bustamante
Email: ebusta2@uic.edu

Eduardo Esteban Bustamante holds a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2006) and a Doctor of Philosophy in kinesiology, nutrition and rehabilitation from the University of Illinois Chicago (2013). He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Prevention Institute (2015).

Dr. Bustamante works in exercise psychology with an emphasis on ADHD and community-engaged intervention research. His research focuses on evidence-based lifestyle interventions that promote physical and mental health among children and families in underserved communities.

He is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at UIC, where he is director of the Healthy Kids Lab. His research partners include the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District and Urban Initiatives, one of the city’s largest sports-based youth development providers. His work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the UIC Center for Health Equity Research, the UIC Chancellor’s Office and the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities.

Mandy Vukits

Doctoral graduate student
Email: avukit2@uic.edu

Mandy Vukits received a bachelor’s degree in mathematical sciences and a master’s degree in public health from DePaul University. She worked as a communications director in the nonprofit sector before earning a master’s in nutrition science with a focus on community health and nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher.

She is a PhD student in the UIC Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition. Her research interests include intervention development, community health, and the effects of mind-body therapy practices on mental health. She joined the Healthy Kids Lab in fall 2021.