Teresa Reyes named senior associate dean at the College of Medicine

Reyes said that research is strong at the college and she sees much she hopes to build upon. She plans to work closely with the UC Foundation to think creatively about philanthropy and how it can support research growth in building new programs.

Reyes said she appreciates the needs and challenges of postdoctoral fellows and research staff, plans to work to retain current faculty and recruit new faculty to the college and looks forward to partnering with other associate deans and the department chairs to address research-related challenges and opportunities within the college.

Reyes also looks forward to supporting the 573 graduate students in 15 doctoral and 11 master’s programs. Additionally, she expects to look for ways to build infrastructure to support the research mission, find creative ways to bring researchers from different areas together and continue the research recognition efforts that the college has had for the last several years.

“I would like my colleagues to know that I am aware of the challenges that scientists face from funding to publishing to hiring because I deal with these challenges myself. I look forward to collaborating closely with them to find ways to help them do what they do best, and that’s science. That will be a priority for me,” Reyes said.

Reyes has been an active researcher during her eight years at UC and will continue her research program located on the Reading Campus. Her lab is focused on how early life environment shapes brain development and cognition, with a focus on understanding neuron-glial interactions. Her work examines a range of environmental influences, including nutrition as well as exposure to inflammation, drugs of abuse and chemotherapeutic medications.

Reyes also has led National Institutes of Health-funded projects that provide training for underrepresented and disadvantaged students to prepare them for graduate biomedical programs at UC. She is a co-principal investigator for the RISE UP Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience Program, which is funded by an R25 award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. She also is the co-principal investigator of PREP@UC, a postbaccalaureate training program in biomedical sciences that is funded by an R25 award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

“It is the people who make the college’s research endeavor successful and there is an extraordinary depth here in the PIs, the trainees and the research staff," she said. "I look forward to learning from them and working together to advance basic and translational research at the University of Cincinnati.”