Overview

Natalie Reyes grew up in the small Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. She attended the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus and obtained a BS degree, with high honors (magna cum laude), in General Biology. Natalie moved to Houston TX where she completed a two year post baccalaureate program in bacterial antibiotic resistance and the cell division process of S. pombe. She was then accepted to the Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences doctoral program. Natalie's thesis focused on the role of the estrogen receptor alpha in the metastatic process of Estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. During her years as a basic research scientist, Natalie developed the necessary skills to design, conduct and analyze various assays to determine how breast cancer cells migrate and invade when exposed to estrogen and anti-estrogens. Once she graduated, Natalie desired to have a more meaningful and direct impact on patient care and decided to pursue a career in clinical research. During her year as a clinical research coordinator at Ben Taub Hospital, Natalie managed two clinical trials with patients with tuberculosis. She is currently working as a clinical research coordinator for Radiology Specialists of Florida in AdventHealth in Orlando.