About Me
Kristen grew up in Northern Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. She earned two bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology from the University of New Mexico in 2020 and 2021. Kristen strives to give back to her community by serving as medical physician. The Native American Research Internship (NARI) offered Kristen an opportunity to conduct research under Dr. McMahon in the summer of 2019. During that time, co-mentor Kali Dale and her studied the function of Integrin Beta 3 (ITGβ3) in Metastatic Melanoma. Kristen earned a second opportunity to conduct research in the summer of 2021. She is studying the regulatory mechanisms of ITGβ3 induction by sustained MAPK Pathway activation. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, long-distance running, hiking, and eating tacos.