Daniela Drummond-Barbosa

Rank: Associate Professor
Joined BMB: July 1, 2009
Upbringing: Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Postdoc: Dr. Allan Spradling, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Previous Position: Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Research interests: We are interested in how adult stem cells sense and respond to their systemic and external environments. Specifically, we have been investigating how ovarian stem cells and their descendents sense and respond to diet in Drosophila, with a special focus on the role of insulin, steroid hormones and adipose tissue factors in this process. A second area of research in our lab is the control of meiotic maturation. Understanding the conserved molecular basis for the response of ovarian stem cells to their environment and for the control of meiotic maturation will likely lead to insights into potential causes of infertility, as well as into new contraceptive strategies. Our research advances are also likely to inform us about broadly relevant aspects of stem cell biology.

"Joining the BMB department and the Bloomberg School of Public Health was a very exciting move in my career. Both areas of focus in my research program mesh well with the broad mission of the School. The diversity of research programs, combined with the warm and collegial environment in the BMB department, the School and the Johns Hopkins University as a whole, create a great scientific environment for interdisciplinary research.”
- Daniela Drummond-Barbosa