
Research Interests
Cancer epidemiology; identification of cancer determinants; translational research; cancer disparities; colorectal and prostate cancer; dietary sources of carcinogenic exposures and cancer genetics, cancer patterns, tumor characteristics, and clinical outcomes among diverse populations.
Current Affiliations
Vice chair, diversity, equity, and inclusion and professor of population and public health sciences; and professor, preventative medicine and urology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California; Ira Goodman chair in cancer research and associate director of population science, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck Medical Center of USC, Los Angeles, California.
Previous Positions
Associate professor, urology (2016-2017); and associate professor (2010-2017) and assistant professor (2001-2010), preventative medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California.
Education
BS, biology, University of Buenos Aires, School of Science, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1992); PhD, cancer biology University of Texas, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences/MD Anderson Cancer, Houston, Texas (1997).
Postdoctoral Training
Postdoctoral training, molecular epidemiology, Epidemiology Branch and Molecular Carcinogenesis Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH (1997-2001), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
AACR Service, Honors, and Awards
Chair (2026) and cochair (2022), AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report Steering Committee; member, Special Conferences Committee (2024-2027); member, AACR Cancer Prevention Working Group (CPWG) Steering Committee (2021-2024); vice chair, Annual Meeting Program Committee (2021-2022); cochair, Annual Meeting Education Committee (2021-2022); member, AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism Judging Panel (2020-2023); member (2019-2020) and chair (2020-2021), AACR Distinguished Lectureship on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities Committee; member, AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report Steering Committee (2019-2020); chair, AACR Cancer Disparities Research Grants Review Committee (2019-2020); conference cochair, 12th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved (2019); member, Basic Cancer Research Grants Scientific Review Committee (2018-2020); program committee member, Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved (2016).
Non-AACR Service, Honors, and Awards
Invited participant, President’s Cancer Panel, NIH (2024); member, External Advisory Board, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center (2023-2024); keynote speaker, Disparities in prostate and colorectal cancer among Latinos, Rhode Island IDEaA Symposium, 2022 Emerging Areas of Science, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (2022); member, NCI Cancer Epidemiology of Hispanic Populations Meeting Steering Committee (2020); member, External Advisory Board, Brown University Cancer Center (2020); director, molecular epidemiology and applied biostatistics, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC (2020-present); member, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences Search Committee, Keck School of Medicine of USC (2019-2020); senior member, Editorial Board, International Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Genetics (2011-present); director, Molecular Epidemiology PhD Program, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC (2008-2016); recipient, Research Award, Prostate Cancer Foundation (2007); member, Editorial Board, Current Molecular Pharmacology (2007-present); recipient, Cancer Research Award, Robert E. and May R. Wright Foundation (2002, 2003); recipient, Research Career Developmental Award, STOP Cancer Foundation (2001); recipient, Outstanding Achievement Award, Texas Southmost College (1983).