Ciencia Puerto Rico

Arnaldo Diaz, PhD, has been at the Perelman School of Medicine, Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) for almost three years. Dr. Diaz is the Assistant Dean for Research Training Programs and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacology. Dr. Diaz worked collaboratively with the Associate Dean, Administrative Director, and program faculty to develop and implement targeted outreach and recruitment strategies aimed at increasing the total number of students from under-represented backgrounds pursuing PhDs in biomedical graduate programs.

Dr. Diaz co-directs the Summer Undergraduate Internship Program (SUIP) and the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PennPREP). These programs are aimed at training and educating underrepresented minority (URM) students in biomedical research. He works closely with PREP scholars and SUIP students by advising them, monitoring their progress, and assisting them with the graduate school admission process and fellowships. Dr. Diaz serves as the UPenn liaison for The Leadership Alliance, an academic consortium working to develop underrepresented students into leaders.

Dr. Diaz received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University. After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Diaz joined the Blair Laboratory for his postdoctoral training at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.