Anna VandeBunte is a doctoral candidate in the Casaletto lab, where Dr. Casaletto serves as her primary research mentor. Anna's research interests center on the heart-to-brain connection and the interplay between modifiable risk and cardiovascular burden on the brain. Her work combines biological and lifestyle indicators of cardiovascular health states to better understand the mechanisms through which systemic cardiovascular health impacts brain aging. Anna has completed clinical rotations at a community clinic for Spanish-speaking individuals and at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center's inpatient psychiatric and rehabilitation units, where she again conducted intervention and assessment work in Spanish. Anna's clinical experiences have influenced her interest in modifiable risk in Spanish-speaking populations, particularly related to cardiovascular health indicators. Anna is originally from Holland, Michigan, where she played volleyball and fell in love with exercise. In her free time, she loves running, yoga, and hiking with her dog Willow!