AUGUST 19, 2020 — Maria Gonzalez Porras, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering at UTSA, has been awarded a fellowship from the National Institutes of Health to study nanoparticle delivery in adipose tissue.
The three-year, $208,182 award is funded through National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and will support Gonzalez Porras’ work in studying the role of the extracellular microenvironment on adipocyte fat.
Obesity is a public health crisis and generates an economic burden of more than $190 billion annually on the U.S. health care system. Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and infection from COVID-19.
The unique bioengineering approach utilized by Gonzalez Porras could leader to new therapeutic treatments for obesity that could have a transformative impact on the American population and health care spending.
Gonzalez Porras joined UTSA in 2018 after completing her graduate studies in biomedical engineering at the Mayo Clinic. In her previous work she developed nanotechnology delivery strategies for treatment of neuropathologies.
This new work will combine her expertise in nanotechnology with research on the study of cell-matrix interactions to identify new treatments for adipose tissue in conjunction with Eric Brey, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering.
“Dr. Gonzalez Porras proposes work that will have significant impact on the study of obesity and diabetes. She has incredible potential and this work will help establish her as a future leader in the field,” said Brey, the Peter Flawn Distinguished Professor in biomedical engineering.
The National Institutes of Health’s Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship supports the research and training of outstanding postdoctoral fellows with potential to become leaders in biomedical research. Fellows receiving this award are more likely to be successful in securing NIH funding.
Gonzalez Porras is the first recipient of this prestigious grant in UTSA’s College of Engineering.
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The Dreamer and Undocumented student conversation consists of a panel discussion that will center in the immigrant experience while attending college and as a new professional. Our panelist will discuss their experiences as immigrants from different Latin American countries, and as current or former members of the undocumented community.
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Frio Breezeway, Downtown CampusA virtual conversation about how we can take action to improve our wellbeing to prevent future mental health burn out.
Virtual EventNo matter your first language, Coffee & Conversation can help you expand your horizons. We invite all UTSA students to come spend your lunch hour with Coffee & Conversation, where international and domestic students gather and build inter-cultural connections.
Anaqua Room, 2.03.08, Student Union, Main CampusFor Hispanic Heritage Month this year we will be reading two books, starting in September with "I, Rigoberta Menchú", an autobiography. The October book will be "Cemetery Boys" by Aiden Thomas. Students who join the RJBC are eligible to receive the book free.
Virtual EventThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
