Camila Sarcone

Camila Sarcone knew her whole life she wanted to be a scientist, having been exposed to the lab setting at an early age since her mom worked as a marine biologist. She began exploring this passion in high school.

As Camila grew older her research became more complex. She would spend her summers in labs in Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania learning about a wide range of topics, from genetic editing to pancreatic beta cell identity.

When she wasn’t in a lab, she was presenting her research at conferences where she often received high praise. Among her many achievements, Camila is an Honors College student, QBIC Scholar, MARC U*Star affiliate and McNair Fellow. She also served as President of the Undergraduate Research Society, with her main goal being to increase student membership in research labs. 

At FIU, she merged her interests in research and nutrition to begin researching obesity. Working with Manuel Alejandro Barbieri, Camila studied mutated forms of proteins to further understand fat cell pathways. She has also investigated the role of effector proteins on metastatic breast cancer cell lines. Her goal is to further understand the cellular and molecular processes underlying obesity and cancer.

After graduation, Camila will enter a postbaccalaureate program at the National Institutes of Health where she will be conducting clinical research focused on chronic metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity. She plans to study for her MCAT and hopes to earn her M.D./Ph.D.

By Alyse Mier
Junior Account Manager, Office of Media Relations