Lein Lab: Our most valuable asset - the people who work here

Ana Cristina Goncalves Grodzki

Project Scientist

I am originally from Curitiba, Brazil. At the Federal University of Parana I completed my undergraduate degree in Biology and met an amazing professor, Dr. Maria Celia Jamur who helped me to see science as a fun and fulfilling profession. During my PhD at Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, I studied the progression of maturation and differentiation of mast cells in rodents and the process of migration of immature mast cells from bone marrow to the peripheral tissues. During my post-doctoral training at NIH, I was mentored by another outstanding scientist, Dr. Reuben Siraganian, and studied intracellular signal transduction pathways in mast cells that lead to the release of inflammatory molecules. Here at UC Davis, I am again under an amazing mentor, Dr. Pam Lein. In Dr. Lein’s lab I am a Project Scientist investigating the effects of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) on nerve-immune cell interactions, specially implicated in airway hyperreactivity. This research will help us to understand how environmental factors influence susceptibility to airway disease. I am also the primary technical contact for the high content imaging equipment in Dr. Lein’s lab., which is part of the Biological Analysis Core of the MIND Institute Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC). My time outside the lab is as fun and productive as the time inside lab. I enjoy traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with my family. My husband John and I have 2 bright and fun kids: Gabriela and Leo. And we all love to take care and have fun with our dog Zoey.
List of collaborators: Dr. Fredric Gorin, Dr. Ann Knowlton and Dr. Edward Schelegle.