I finished my undergraduate studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. My undergraduate research focused on the thermoregulation of the body in sepsis. My work was mostly based in an in-vivo model of sepsis with some in-vitro assays. I have always had a passion for science and learning so I decided to pursue my PhD. I am currently a PhD student at Albany Medical College. My long-term research interest is to understand the endothelial barrier dysfunction in aim of development of a more effective therapeutic strategy for patients with inflammatory diseases in which vascular leakage is a problem. I focus in my studies on the role the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in regulating the endothelial barrier function. STAT3 is the major downstream target of the proinflammatory cytokine, IL6, which is one of the main cytokines that promotes vascular leakage.