He/Him/His
Hometown: Santa Fe, NM
"I was born and raised in the American Southwest and I am a first-generation college graduate. For undergrad, I attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque where I earned a BS in Chemistry. Initially, I wanted to be a medicinal chemist, however, the summer after my junior year I attended a summer research program at the University of Washington’s Department of Pharmacology. I worked Dr. Charles Chavkin’s lab where I was introduced to the concept of Pharmacology and I decided I wanted to become pharmacologist. I did not feel like I had the biology background to make the jump from Chemistry to Pharmacology, so I applied to Post-Bacc programs to gather additional experience. I was accepted to the Post-Bacc program here at Michigan, and I joined Dr. Jimmy Rae’s lab and studied breast cancer pharmacology. While my initial goal was to complete my Post-Bacc program and then go to graduate school on the West Coast, I loved all the mentors and friends I made during my Post-Bacc year that Michigan became my top choice graduate school. Currently, I am a fourth year PhD student, in Dr. Yoichi Osawa’s lab where I study whether pharmacological modulation of Hsp70 can enhance degradation of misfolded proteins. Outside of lab, I enjoy mentoring students and spending time outside with my dog."