Who we are

Paula grew up in Santiago, Chile, where she studied biochemistry and immunology as an undergraduate. She earned her PhD at Vanderbilt University in the lab of Dr. Terry Dermody, investigating how mammalian viruses remodel host cells. As a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jennifer Bomberger’s lab at Dartmouth College, and with support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), she studied interactions between the respiratory epithelium and bacteriophages used in phage therapy—research that bridged virology, bacteriology, and epithelial biology with translational medicine. Now a faculty member in the Division of Genetics, Environmental and Inhalation Disease, Paula leads a research program focused on how chronic inflammation and environmental exposures shape host-microbe interactions in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis. Outside the lab, she enjoys biking, running, exploring new crafts, and relaxing with her two senior dogs and ever-growing collection of plants.