Faces and Voices

Gustavo Arrizabalaga, PhD, joined the Jacobs School in 2024. He previously served on the faculty at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he was professor in the departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Microbiology and Immunology, assistant dean for faculty affairs and professional development, and director of faculty mentoring. Arrizabalaga earned his PhD at MIT, studying the Drosophila protein Nanos, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. He has developed an internationally recognized, NIH-funded research program on the cell and molecular biology of T. gondii, currently supported by four awards and a team of trainees. He has received multiple honors, including teaching and mentoring awards.

My mission as the senior associate dean for faculty affairs is to create and support the infrastructure and resources that foster faculty vitality. I want each one of our faculty, regardless of their role, to feel productive, achieve career satisfaction, and feel engaged in their profession and in our school and community. To accomplish this, my two main goals are to create professional development programs and resources that facilitate faculty development and to advocate for policies that support faculty in achieving their full potential. While my own experiences as a faculty member define my mission, to achieve my goals, it is critical that I gain the expertise needed to implement best practices at our school. Accordingly, I continuously seek my own professional growth in the professional development and faculty affairs field by attending workshops, conferences, and reading relevant literature. I am committed to bring to faculty affairs the same professional rigor that I apply to my scientific career..

What success looks like and how you get there is different for each individual. There are many ways of doing things, and you have to find what works for you. So, when established faculty give you advice, know that they are providing you with one successful strategy, not the ultimate answer. You must understand what your values, goals, and strengths are as to identify those strategies that will likely work well for you. 

I grew up in Puerto Rico from immigrant parents, and was the first in my family to pursue higher education. I came to the mainland for college with little English or understanding of what attending university was like. For large parts of my academic career, I felt like an outsider and like I did not belong. I have come to understand that many, regardless of background, have similar experiences. Academia is riddled by ‘unspoken rules’ and a sense that you either have the innate ability to succeed or you don’t. The beginning of my academic career was characterized by many attempts and failures. My training in laboratory research had little to do what I found myself doing day in and day as a faculty.  While I learned a great deal through the trial by fire approach, I wasted time and resources. Much of what we do as faculty is actually teachable and learnable. So, my identities and experiences have led me to dedicate a big part of my career to mentoring early-stage faculty. I am committed to demystifying academia and to revealing those spoken rules that get in the way of success. 

Dr. Arrizabalaga can be contacted at garrizab@buffalo.edu

Dr. Alice Villaseñor is the Faculty Development Programs Lead at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She brings a wealth of experience to the role, including five years as a community engagement professional at the University of Southern California and Buffalo State University. She also spent ten years as a tenure-track and tenured English faculty member at Medaille College, where she earned the highest honor for faculty: The Brian R. Shero Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award. Dr. Villaseñor is a Jane Austen scholar who graduated from the PhD Program in English at the University of Southern California with a graduate certificate in gender studies; she also has undergraduate degrees in English and Political Science from the University of California at Riverside. 

The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. 

Professor Paul Alkon, one of my PhD committee members said, “Never turn down a job you haven’t been offered.” Over the years, I have come to interpret these words more generally to mean, “Don’t count yourself out of any potential opportunities.” These words have encouraged me to successfully pursue opportunities that I might otherwise have talked myself out of. 

The Buffalo Garden Walk encouraged me to try gardening. Now, my own urban garden is featured in my community’s garden tour! Buffalo is so lucky to have non-profit organizations like MAP (Massachusetts Avenue Project) and Grassroots Gardens that promote urban gardening for newbies and experts alike. I have learned so much from the Buffalo gardening community.

Dr. Villseñor can be contacted at alicevil@buffalo.edu

Dr. Anyango Kamina is the Assistant Dean for Trainee and Faculty Development at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She is also the director of the Biomedical Sciences Master's program. Dr. Kamina is a graduate of the PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences at the Jacobs School, where she received her doctoral degree in microbiology and immunology. She has various leadership roles at the Jacobs School that are focused on improving the learning environment, as well as increasing the Jacobs School's engagement with our neighboring communities. 

It means doing actionable and measurable work to acknowledge, address and respond to our community needs and wants. It also means practicing competence in every aspect of our society on how we show up as individuals in our various roles.

The PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (PPBS). I was excited about the opportunity to rotate in different laboratories before deciding which lab to join for my PhD training. From the rotations learned new techniques and I studied different organisms. All these experiences developed my critical thinking skills and provided me with a holistic approach to problem solving.

I consider Buffalo home since I have grown up here as an adult. Therefore, there are so many things I like about Buffalo. To list some of them, I like the communities that I get to work with and work for. I like the growth and innovation of the city on areas such as healthcare accessibility, food insecurity, sustainability, and community empowerment. I also like the chicken wings and the farmers markets!

Dr. Kamina can be contacted at dorothya@buffalo.edu

I am really curious in nature, so it is not unusual that I am interested in a lot of different things. From history, to current affairs, from culture to entertainment... I find beauty on everything I see and learn from it is a privilege that I do not take for granted.

My goal every day is to build bridges between our community and the Jacobs School. When I get to show the wonderful opportunities this school has for the community, it is a great joy! The partnership we build along the way are a great testament that we do have great neighbors doing extraordinary things in Buffalo. Our community is thriving and we are celebrating their accomplishments!

Migrating. To move to another country, with a different language, a different way of life, and ”start over” as an adult has been one of the most difficult things I have experienced. The cultural shock and discovery journey has been challenging and stimulating, at the same time.

Maria can be contacted at mlw29@buffalo.edu