I am a scientist, educator, and mentor. I have broad expertise in cell signaling, cell biology, and pharmacology. I trained as a postdoctoral fellow at UC San Francisco, where I developed expertise to rigorously study G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling and trafficking. I have been continuously funded by the NIH since starting my independent laboratory. I received the American Heart Association Established Investigator Award (2006-2010) and was elected American Society for Cell Biology Fellow in 2020, 100 Inspiring Hispanic / Latinx Scientists in 2020 and to the National Academy of Medicine in 2021.

I have a long history of engagement in service for the scientific community and activities aimed at improving the demographics of the biomedical workforce. I have a strong track for developing and implementing successful strategies, initiatives and programs to enhance inclusive excellence of the biomedical workforce.

Education

I earned my bachelor’s degree at UC Davis in 1986 and PhD from UC San Diego in 1992. I completed my postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Francisco. I started as an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2000. I was recruited to UC San Diego in 2008, where I was promoted to full professor with tenure in 2012. In 2014, I was appointed Vice Chair of the Department Pharmacology. In 2015, I earned an MBA from the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego. I was appointed Associate Dean for Health Sciences Faculty Affairs at UC San Diego in 2015, appointed to Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs in 2019 and promoted to Senior Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs in 2023.

Research

I am known for scientific discoveries that reveal how cellular responses are regulated by G protein-coupled receptors. My research focuses on protease-activated receptor function in the context of vascular inflammation, endothelial barrier dysfunction and breast cancer progression. I have made numerous discoveries related to the regulation of receptor signaling and function and have published >90 original research papers. I have been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (>20 years) and also received funding from the Komen Foundation, UC Tobacco-related Disease Research Program (UC TRDRP) and the American Heart Association (AHA) including the prestigious AHA Established Investigator Award.

Honors

2006 American Heart Association Established Investigator Award
2012 Women Who Mean Business Award, San Diego Business Journal
2014 UC San Diego Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Scholar Mentoring
2015 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ruth Kirschstein Outstanding Scientist Award
2016 UC San Diego Inclusive Excellence Award
2017 American Society for Cell Biology E.E. Just Award for Scientific Excellence
2019 SACNAS Outstanding Research and Professional Mentor Award
2020 American Society for Cell Biology/ HHMI Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity
2020 Elected, American Society for Cell Biology Fellow
2020 Elected, 100 Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists in America
2021 Elected, National Academy of Medicine
2022 Inaugural Vanderbilt Basic Sciences’ Hispanic and Latin Heritage Month, El Premio Titan Award