I am from Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. I am married to my amazing wife Nahomi and have 2 beautiful kids (Oliver and Robin). I went to Medical School at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez (UACJ). Subsequently, I pursued a MS in Radiopharmaceutical Sciences at the University of New Mexico, where I characterized a novel diagnostic imaging tool for atherosclerosis development. For the last year I have been a postdoctoral fellow at Dr. Willis lab in the McAllister Heart Institute here at UNC working in identifying the role of Atrogin-1 in smooth muscle cell proliferation in cardiovascular disease models. During medical school, I lost an immediate relative due to complications of diabetes and heart disease, which I was not able to help. It was then I realized that my impact in medicine had to transcend my immediate relatives and direct patients-it had to be bigger and important. Such drive has led me to my new position in Dr. Bahnson’s lab were I will be working in the development and characterization of novel rat models of diabetic atherosclerosis which I am extremely excited about.
