Personal Statement
I obtained a bachelor’s Degree in biology and a Ph.D. in Developmental Neurobiology, both from the University of Puerto Rico. After completing my Ph.D., I pursued postdoctoral training in molecular cancer biology, first at the Pathology Department at Harvard Medical School, and then at the Molecular Oncology Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center. My postdoctoral training focused on cell cycle control and the molecular aspects of the tumor suppressive functions of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb). I am a trained molecular cancer biologist, with expertise in cell cycle control and signal transduction pathways and I am currently one of the few researchers on the Rb field in Puerto Rico. I have an extended network of collaborators in the mainland US, mostly in the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL. I am currently is an Associate Professor at the Basic Science Department, Biochemistry and Cancer Biology Divisions, at Ponce Medical School Foundation, where I am actively involved in both teaching and research. My research is focused on the characterization of a novel role for Rb, which is traditionally known as a cell cycle repressor, as a regulator of cellular adhesion and metastasis, and as a potential biomarker for lung cancer metastasis.