Loreilys is a Genetics & Epigenetics graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania. She’s from Puerto Rico, where she graduated from the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus (UPRRP) in 2021 with a Molecular and Cellular Biology major/Human Rights minor. While she conducted research in biomaterials for their application in bone tissue regeneration as a RISE scholar at UPRRP, in 2019 she conducted research studying the role of talc in ovarian cancer at Brown University. Loreilys recently joined Eileen Shore’s lab at Penn where she will investigate the role of muscle-resident mesenchymal progenitors in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), a rare genetic disease characterized by the formation of bone tissue in the muscle, usually after an injury. Loreilys is passionate about advocating for underrepresented minorities in the biomedical field and is very excited to be a mentor! She enjoys playing with her cat, Vaca, exploring nature, and having a fun night out.