Studies mammary gland biology and how cellular plasticity differs across mammalian models while coordinating lab operations.
Born and raised in San Francisco's Mission District, I had a colorful childhood that included dancing Flamenco and Samba on the weekends, boogie boarding along the California coast, and volunteering at the San Francisco Zoo every summer. When it came time to transfer from community college, I chose to stay close to home and study Animal Biology at the University of California, Davis. While at UC Davis, I conducted behavioral research on African lions and grizzly bears through a collaboration with the San Francisco Zoo. After graduation, I joined the hospital team at the California Academy of Sciences, where I assisted with surgical procedures on the Academy's animal residents. In the Gartner Lab, I now apply this experience by performing specialized surgical procedures and animal tissue collection, including naked mole-rat mammary epithelium, for studies investigating the plasticity of the prostate and mammary glands. When I'm not in the lab, you can find me in my kitchen making lattes and listening to music, visiting a farmer's market to make a TikTok recipe I saved months ago, or gardening in my yard with my son.