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Natalia Vergara
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Department of Ophthalmology
Maria Natalia Vergara at the University of Colorado Anschutz focuses on understanding the development and degeneration of the human retina. Her research aims to explore conditions like age-related macular degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease, particularly using 3D retinal organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. This approach allows her to model retinal diseases and develop potential therapies, with a special interest in applications for individuals with Down syndrome.
Mentoring Style
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Funding
Did your mentor apply for funding sufficiently to manage the lab?
Diversity
Was the lab a diverse environment relative to the rest of campus?
Research Breadth
Did the research span many fields, disciplines, techniques, etc.?
Networking
Did your mentor incorporate you into their professional network?
Energy
How did your mentor's energy influence lab morale?
Work/Life Structure
How flexible was your mentor with personal time, schedule, leave, etc.?
Availability
How readily could you meet with your mentor?
Competition vs Collaboration
Was competition or collaboration encouraged for projects, funding, etc.?
Project Sharing
How dependent were you on other members for project completion?
Risk Management
Did the lab reach for high-risk, high-reward projects or incremental impact?
Practicality
Did your mentor emphasize work with direct applications to a project?
Publishing Priority
What did your mentor value when determining where to publish?
Decision-Making
How did your mentor make decisions that affect the group?
Trainee Survey
Maximal Oversight
Avid Applicant
Uniform
Specialized
Networker
Energizer
Structured
Scheduler
Competitive
Independent
High-risk
Translational
Goes with gut
High-impact
Minimal Oversight
Mentees apply
Diverse
Multidisciplinary
Build own network
Energy empath
Flexible
Random walk-ins
Collaborative
Dependent
Incremental
Fundamental
Logical
Scientific Fit
Self Survey
Mentoring Style
How involved was your mentor in determining your projects' directions?
Funding
Did your mentor apply for funding sufficiently to manage the lab?
Diversity
Was the lab a diverse environment relative to the rest of campus?
Research Breadth
Did the research span many fields, disciplines, techniques, etc.?
Networking
Did your mentor incorporate you into their professional network?
Energy
How did your mentor's energy influence lab morale?
Work/Life Structure
How flexible was your mentor with personal time, schedule, leave, etc.?
Availability
How readily could you meet with your mentor?
Competition vs Collaboration
Was competition or collaboration encouraged for projects, funding, etc.?
Project Sharing
How dependent were you on other members for project completion?
Risk Management
Did the lab reach for high-risk, high-reward projects or incremental impact?
Practicality
Did your mentor emphasize work with direct applications to a project?
Publishing Priority
What did your mentor value when determining where to publish?
Decision-Making
How did your mentor make decisions that affect the group?
Maximal Oversight
Avid Applicant
Uniform
Specialized
Networker
Energizer
Structured
Scheduler
Competitive
Independent
High-risk
Translational
Goes with gut
High-impact
Minimal Oversight
Mentees apply
Diverse
Multidisciplinary
Build own network
Energy empath
Flexible
Random walk-ins
Collaborative
Dependent
Incremental
Fundamental
Logical
Scientific Fit
