Emilia is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Her research focuses on health communication, specifically health behavior, persuasive messages, and decision-making. She studies how communicative, informative, attitudinal, and social factors influence people's willingness to adopt health-related behaviors.  

Her current research focuses on the communicative experiences of women with endometriosis and their impact on treatment-related decision-making. Previously, she studied the influence of different uses of social media on cultural adaptation and psychological well-being. 

Emilia earned her Bachelor's in Social Communication from Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (Ecuador) and her Master of Arts in Journalism and Communication from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China). Alongside her academic and research work, she has several years of professional experience in communication advisory positions for local governments and global organizations. At Mizzou, she is a teaching assistant for COMM 4474 Theory and Research in Persuasion, and COMM 1200 Public Speaking. She is a member of the Graduate Student Experience Committee (GSEC).