Guillermina Lozano

Dr. Lozano received her BS degree in Biology and Mathematics, Magna Cum Laude, from Pan American University now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She received her PhD from Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and performed post-doctoral studies with Dr. Arnold Levine at Princeton University.

Dr. Lozano was hired as an Instructor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1987 and quickly rose through the ranks to her current position as professor and chair of the Department of Genetics. She holds the Hubert L. Olive Stringer Distinguished Chair in Oncology in Honor of Sue Gribble Stringer.

Dr. Lozano's research is focused on understanding the activities of the p53 tumor suppressor and the upstream signals that regulate p53 function. Dr. Lozano used the mouse as a model system to demonstrate that Mdm2 and Mdm4 are critical inhibitors of p53, and identified gain-of-function mechanisms for p53 missense mutations which result in more aggressive cancers. Other models showed that cell cycle arrest and senescence (independent of apoptosis) were important p53 tumor suppressive mechanisms and explored the clinical implications of restoring p53 activity in different contexts in vivo.

Dr. Lozano is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She received the Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship and the Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Lectureship awards, both from the American Association for Cancer Research. She also received the EE Just Award from the American Society of Cell Biology. She is also the recipient of distinguished alumni awards from both her undergraduate and graduate alma maters.