Arnaldo Diaz Vazquez, Ph.D.

Dr. Arnaldo Diaz Vazquez is an Associate Dean at the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Diaz Vazquez received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University. After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Diaz Vazquez completed postdoctoral training in cancer pharmacology in the Blair Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Dr. Diaz Vazquez has over a decade of experience developing and implementing outreach, recruitment, retention initiatives, and research training programs. These initiatives aim at increasing the number and enhancing the success of Ph.D. and postdoctoral trainees from underrepresented backgrounds in the biomedical sciences. Dr. Diaz Vazquez is a Leadership Alliance Doctoral Scholar and an alumnus of the Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institute. Dr. Diaz Vazquez has participated in training offered by the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). Dr. Diaz Vazquez also received the 2022 SACNAS Distinguished Mentor Award.

At UT Southwestern, Dr. Diaz Vazquez oversees diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the graduate school in addition to serving on several institutional committees, including the Diversity in Health Professions Advisory Committee Meeting. Dr. Diaz Vazquez represents GSBS in the UTSW Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion (OSDI) which supports academic and professional development programs and community events that cultivate diversity, support inclusiveness, promote cultural awareness and enhance learning and social environment. In addition, Dr. Diaz Vazquez directs UTSW's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, the Amgen Scholars Program, and UTSW Postbaccalaureate to Ph.D. (PB2PHD) program. In addition, Dr. Diaz Vazquez co-directs the UTSW Provost's Initiative for Diverse Emerging Scholars (PROVIDES). PROVIDES aims to close the racial diversity gap at most academic institutions nationwide in the sciences by offering resources to early-career scientists from underrepresented backgrounds and facilitating their transition into independent faculty positions. Dr. Diaz Vazquez also serves as the faculty advisor for several student-led organizations, such as The African American Association for Scientists (TAAAS), the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM).

Before joining UTSW, Dr. Diaz Vazquez was the Assistant Dean for Research Training Programs at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, where he spearheaded numerous DEI initiatives, including overseeing recruitment, retention, and training efforts for students from underrepresented backgrounds in the biomedical sciences. Dr. Diaz Vazquez was also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational and served as the co-Principal Investigator of Penn's Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program, director of Penn's Summer Undergraduate Internship Program, and co-director of Penn's Postdoctoral Opportunities in Research and Teaching program.

• AAMC GREAT (Graduate Research Education and Training) Group (2021)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (2021)
• American Chemical Society (2001)
• Graduate Career Consortium (2021)
• National Postdoctoral Association (2018)
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (2009)