'Become A Researcher'
By Melissa Simon & Hansook Oh
Watch Lorenzo Ramirez's interview on YouTube (click above).
Ramirez's is the fourth in our "BUILDing Future Researchers" series highlighting BUILD scholars who graduated in the Class of 2022.
What does it take to become a scientific researcher? The Diversity Program Consortium’s (DPC) Enhance Science project explores this question in a new video series called “Become A Researcher.”
The series features five biomedical researchers who are at different stages of their careers, from starting graduate school to managing multiple grant-funded projects as accomplished senior faculty. Each of the five researchers are affiliated with the DPC, a network of institutions funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to implement training and mentoring interventions, and to enhance individuals' success in biomedical research careers.
This is the second video series from Enhance Science, a visual media project produced by the DPC Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC) at the University of California, Los Angeles. The first series, “Face of Science,” was released in 2021 and featured 10 undergraduate researchers pursuing scientific careers. Through telling the stories of real scientists from different walks of life, Enhance Science aims to visualize inclusive excellence in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM).
“Become A Researcher” is available on YouTube and the Enhance Science website. To stay updated, follow Enhance Science on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Read below to learn about the five researchers featured in the series: Juan Castillo, Cecilia Hinojosa, J. Zak Peet, Halaevalu Vakalahi and Keith Norris.
Juan Castillo, PhD
Dr. Juan Castillo grew up in the "Canal" neighborhood in San Rafael, California. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from San Francisco State University (SFSU) in 2016, where he participated in the NIH-funded undergraduate research program, SF BUILD. Castillo earned his PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of California, Davis in 2021.
Castillo is currently a research scientist for Gilead Sciences, where he works with small molecule therapeutics to help people with life-threatening diseases.
In the future, Castillo plans on giving back to community members. He likes to participate in outreach programs as an authentic role model and share educational experiences with historically underrepresented students in science.
Connect with Castillo on LinkedIn.
- Watch Episode 1 "From the Canal to Chemistry" now on YouTube.
- Watch Episode 2 "Embracing the Journey" now on YouTube.
- Watch Episode 3 "Possibilities Through Education" now on YouTube.
Read more about Juan Castillo, PhD, and his reaction to his story being shared in the Become A Researcher series.
Cecilia Hinojosa, PhD
Dr. Cecilia Hinojosa grew up in El Paso, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where she studied psychology and gained research experience through the NIH-funded BUILDing SCHOLARS program for undergraduates. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2016, she obtained her PhD in experimental psychology at Tufts University in 2021. At Tufts, Hinojosa focused on determining whether pre-treatment brain activation can predict treatment response to prolonged exposure therapy in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Currently, Hinojosa is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Emory University School of Medicine, working under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Stevens and Dr. Sanne van Rooij. Her research focuses on better understanding the neurocircuitry of PTSD using neuroimaging techniques and the role substance use may have in the development and maintenance of the disorder.
Hinojosa first became interested in science when she noticed a family member dealing with PTSD and wanted to understand the underlying mechanisms that promoted the development of the disorder, and really understand the question “Why do some individuals develop the disorder while others do not?"
Connect with Dr. Hinojosa on LinkedIn.
- Watch Episode 4 "Serving My Country Through Science" now on YouTube.
- Watch Episode 5 "Freedom to Focus on Research" now on YouTube.
- Watch Episode 6 "Overcoming self-doubt" now on YouTube.
- Watch Episode 7 "Why I was put on earth" now on YouTube.
Read more about Cecilia Hinojosa, PhD, and her reaction to her story being shared in the Become A Researcher series.
J. Zak Peet
J. Zak Peet is a graduate student pursuing a PhD in the Community Research and Action program at Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. He received a Bachelor of Arts in honors psychology and a Master of Arts in psychological science, both from the California State University, Northridge (CSUN).
Peet participated in the NIH-funded BUILD PODER program, where he discovered his passion for scientific research and gained the skills it takes to become a researcher.
In his episode, Peet talks about his journey from homelessness and addiction to finding academic success as a later-in-life student. His personal experience informs his research interests, which lie within the realm of homelessness and substance abuse through the lens of critical race theory (CRT) and intersectionality.
Specifically, Peet is interested in how race and gender intersect to perpetuate the stigma that surrounds addiction and homelessness. Although academia is of great importance for Peet, he also prioritizes self-care — daily meditation and a connection with nature are high on his priority list.
- Watch Episode 8 “Research isn’t Linear” now on YouTube.
- Watch Episode 9 “Meditating through imposter syndrome” now on YouTube.
- Watch Episode 10 “Able to believe in myself” now on YouTube.
Read more about Zak Peet and his reaction to his story being shared in the Become A Researcher series.
Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi, PhD
Dr. Halaevalu Vakalahi is a Pacific Islander woman, born in Tonga and raised in Hawai’i. Vakalahi was formerly the Dean of the College of Health and Society at Hawai’i Pacific University (HPU) and served as the principal investigator on an NIH-funded grant called HPU Undergraduate Infrastructure Student Research Center (HUI SRC).
She left her position at HPU in 2022 and is now the President and CEO of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
Born in Tonga and raised in Hawai’i, she credits her family’s indigenous knowledge and practices for setting her up to become a scientist.
Vakalahi is passionate about diversity, inclusion and equity as women’s issues that ultimately impact family and community well-being, with a deep commitment to the advancement of women in academia. With over 24 years in academia, she is privileged to have served in various faculty and administrative positions in a number of universities, professional organizations and communities. She has contributed peer-reviewed articles, chapters/references, co-edited/co-authored books on Pacific people and communities, broader communities of color, leadership and mentorship, and women of color in academia.
Connect with Dr. Vakalahi on LinkedIn.
- Watch Episode 11 "Representation Matters" now on YouTube
- Watch Episode 12 "HUI SRC: Kuleana of emerging scientist" now on YouTube
- Watch Episode 13 "Ancient scientists: Indigenous ways" now on YouTube
Read more about Halaevalu Vakalahi, PhD, and what she shares in her episodes of Become A Researcher.
Keith Norris, MD, PhD
Dr. Keith C. Norris is a professor of medicine and the Executive Vice Chair of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is the Co-director of the community engagement research program for UCLA’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the Senior Principal Investigator and Co-director of the Administration Core of the Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA.
As a young boy growing up in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York, Norris was passionate about science and math–interests that eventually led him down the path of becoming a researcher. He attended Cornell University to pursue medicine and he ultimately graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from Howard University. In 2014, he earned a PhD in religious, spiritual and metaphysical philosophy.
He has co-authored hundreds of articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as scientific abstracts. He also serves on the editorial boards for Ethnicity & Disease, the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Connect with Dr. Norris on LinkedIn.
- Watch Episode 14 - "Become a person" now on YouTube
- Watch Episode 15 - "Life has a different idea" now on YouTube
- Watch Episode 16 - "Keep doors open behind you" now on YouTube
Read more about Keith Norris, MD, PhD, and what he shares in his episodes of Become A Researcher.
Story updated October 16, 2024.
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The Diversity Program Consortium Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA is supported by Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health / National Institutes of General Medical Sciences under award number U54GM119024.
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