Appointment
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Interests
My research interest is to understand the mechanisms by which chronic rejection develops after lung transplantation. Specifically, I am interested in how mitochondrial dysfunction, defective mitophagy or metabolic adaptations in the innate immune system result in augmented alloimmune responses that drive chronic rejection. Immunometabolism is an exciting field at the forefront of mechanisms and treatment targets for oncology and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases but is spared in its evaluation in solid organ transplantation. The ultimate goal is to identify metabolic targets to be used clinically to delay chronic rejection and improve the survival of our patients after lung transplantation.
I am also interested in identifying diagnostic imaging to diagnose chronic rejection earlier thus allowing us to intervene therapeutically prior to significant lung function decline.
My clinical interests are the management of end-stage lung disease and lung transplantation, as well as ICU management of acute lung injury. My teaching/educational interests include understanding how our management of lung transplantation specifically affects our patients from varied communities.
Education and Training
- 2005-2013, MD. PhD. Neuroscience, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA
- 2013-2016, Residency, Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA
- 2016-2019, Fellowship, Pulmonary and Critical Care, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
- 2019-2022, Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship, Lung Transplant Immunobiology, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
- 2021-Present, Graduate Certificate in Clinical and Translational Investigation, ICTS, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
- 2022-2026, Instructor in Medicine, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
- 2026-Present, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
Honors and Awards
- 2000-2001, College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) Scholarship
- 2000-2005, OLLU Honors, Dean’s List and Academic Undergraduate Scholarships
- 2001, HEP/CAMP Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award
- 2001-2005, Ronald E. McNair Scholar
- 2002-2005, Alpha Chi National College Honor Scholarship Society
- 2003 & 2004, Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar
- 2006, U of Iowa CCOM Outstanding Poster Presentation Award
- 2008-2010, T32 Pain Research Training Grant
- 2009, Health Disparities Conference Scholarship Recipient
- 2009-2011, Graduate Student Senate Representative
- 2010, Latino Medical Student Association Regional Delegate
- 2010, UI CCOM Neuroscience Research Day – First Place Award
- 2010-2011, Council of Status of Women of Iowa Executive Member
- 2010-2012, F30 NIH National Research Service Award Grant (NRSA)
- 2019-2021, Pulmonary T32 NIH Research Training Grant
- 2020, American Transplant Congress, Young Investigator Travel Award
- 2020, ISHLT selected to present to compete for Philip K. Caves Award
- 2020, Kouchoukos Research Fellow Award Finalist, CT Surgery Division, Washington University
- 2021, Annual Respiratory Disease Young Investigators’ Forum – Peer Award Winner
- 2021, CHEST Foundation Research Grant Awardee – MT-DNA as indicator of COVID19 severity
- 2022, Abstract to American Transplant Congress (ATC), highlighted in “What’s Hot, What’s New”
- 2022, American Journal for Transplantation (AJT) Editorial Fellow
- 2022, American Thoracic Society (ATS) RCMB Planning Committee Apprentice
- 2022, Cohort 10 Appointee to AZ-PRIDE Advanced Resp Research for Equity (AiRE) program
- 2022, KL2 Institutional Translational Research Awardee, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
- 2023, ISHLT Task force to increase transplant access to vulnerable populations
- 2023-2025, PROUDMed Awardee Faculty Development at Washington University in Saint Louis
- 2024, Keystone Immunometabolism: From Mechanisms to Pathways to Therapies Scholarship Award to present research, Killarney, Ireland
- 2026, American Society for Transplantation Basic Scientist Faculty Career Development Award Received – declined due to concurrent Parker B Francis
- 2026, Parker B Francis Fellowship Program Award Recipient