I received a BS in Chemistry from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. During my undergraduate studies, I participated in the MARC Honor Program and the Purdue University MARC/AIM Summer Research Program.
As a graduate student, I received the George Washington Carver Doctoral Fellowship and conducted my doctoral research under the guidance of Dr. Eric L. Barker in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. The objective of my research project was to explore the structure and function of the antidepressant- and cocaine-sensitive serotonin transporter using a homology model-driven approach.
After completing my Ph.D., I joined the laboratory of Dr. James A. Bibb in the Psychiatry Department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to conduct postdoctoral research studies. I received an NIH research supplement award to study neurobiological mechanisms underlying mental illness. My interest has developed into understanding the mechanisms of neuronal signal transduction that become dysregulated upon injury and contribute to neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases.