Celebrating scientists during Hispanic Heritage Month
Two College of Medicine researchers discuss their cultures and work
September 25, 2023 — To celebrate the contributions of our Hispanic and Latin community members this National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, the College of Medicine spoke with two researchers about their work at the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida.
Hear from Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D., who grew up in Puerto Rico, and Laura Falceto Font, who was born and raised in Spain, below.
Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, College of Medicine
Jesse Jones
Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D.
Without having a clear understanding of how the brain normally functions, it’s difficult to address psychological disorders that impact the mind.
This is the foundation upon which Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D., bases her research. Using tools including in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics — controlling a neuron’s activity using light and genetic engineering — and machine learning, she and her team study behavior in mouse models, with the goal of identifying the neural circuits that guide social behavior and how they are impacted by abnormal brain functions.
“Humans are hypersocial, and psychological disorders have the ability to disrupt that,” said Padilla-Coreano, an assistant professor in the department of neuroscience. “Many animal models are social just like we are, so studying them can help us better understand ourselves.”
Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D.
Jesse Jones
Growing up in Puerto Rico, Padilla-Coreano initially wanted to research the effect of music on the human brain. However, she became interested in the possibilities of learning about social behavior through animal models during her undergraduate days at the University of Puerto Rico and at Columbia University in New York, where she earned her doctoral degree in neurobiology and behavior.
In 2021, Padilla-Coreano joined the faculty of the UF College of Medicine, where she and her team use neural networks, a form of AI, to measure data points that are more difficult or impossible to view with the human eye. This also allows quantitative measurements to be taken more quickly. Her team hopes studying social behaviors in animal models will enable scientists to better understand how different parts of the brain affect psychological disorders in humans.
Padilla-Coreano said applying AI to her research lab augments what trained researchers can do, but it’s not meant to serve as a replacement for the expertise offered by humans.
“There is still some degree of error to consider when using machine learning, so it’s a useful tool that helps our researchers work more effectively,” she said. “You cannot ask a mouse what they’re thinking, but using these different methods we have at hand enables us to discern their social behaviors more clearly.”
Laura Falceto Font
Louis Brems
Laura Falceto Font
After traveling to the U.S. from her hometown of Zaragoza, Spain, for a Division I tennis scholarship, Laura Falceto Font discovered a calling in research during her undergraduate biotechnology studies at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. She had always been interested in biology, but the opportunity to explore genetics with an associate professor inspired Falceto Font to pursue a doctoral degree at the UF College of Medicine after completing her undergraduate education in South Florida.
Now, Falceto Font is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, where she works with stem cell gene editing to boost the efficacy of immunotherapies and create more effective cancer treatments for patients.
“I really like my project,” she said. “It’s mentally challenging, but I’m grateful that I’m in a good environment and my principal investigator is super supportive and helpful.”
Paella, one of Falceto Font's favorite Spanish dishes.
Photo courtesy of Laura Falceto Font
While far away from home in the U.S., Falceto Font stays connected to her culture through food and conversation with fellow Spanish speakers at UF. Her favorite dish to cook and share is a traditional Spanish omelet made with potato, onion, egg and olive oil, and croquetas and paella are two other nostalgic recipes from her childhood. In addition to enjoying Spanish cuisine and language, Falceto Font maintains a strong support system of friends in the local tennis community and throughout UF.
She and a fellow College of Medicine doctoral candidate, Victoria Leroy, recently launched an internship program to help their peers and future students in the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences gain industry experience outside of their classrooms and laboratories. This fall, Falceto Font is completing her own internship helping a small biotechnology startup company with business development.
Falceto Font, right, with her mother, center, and sister, left.
Photo courtesy of Laura Falceto Font
After graduation, she hopes to use her foundation in academia and bench research to continue focusing on her passion for assisting students with career development and working with biotechnology businesses.
“Being in the field of cancer research, there is still a lot of work to be done,” Falceto Font said. “I would like to contribute to eradicating this disease by helping companies and institutions bring promising therapeutics to cancer patients.”
