BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Juanita C. Barrena

Department of Biological Sciences telephone: 916-278-6519

California State University, Sacramento e-mail:

A. Professional Preparation

Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY Biological Sciences B.S. - 1969

Iowa State University, Ames, IA Zoology (Physiology) M.S. - 1972

Iowa State University, Ames, IA Zoology (Physiology) Ph.D. - 1975

McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento, CA Law J.D. - 2001

B. Appointments

1984-present Professor of Biological Sciences, California State University, Sacramento (CSUS)

1986-present Director, Science Educational Equity Program, CSUS

1987-91 Chair, Academic Senate, CSUS

1980-86 Chair, Department of Biological Sciences, CSUS

1979-84 Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, CSUS

1975-79 Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, CSUS

1969-75 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Iowa State University

C. Publications/Presentations

The Promise of the CSU–Dead or Alive. CSUS Livingston Award Lecture, October, 1996.

Higher Education: A Partner in Addressing the Causes and Symptoms of Poverty. Invited Speaker. Forum on Strategic Issues, Department of Community Services and Development, March, 1997.

Graduate School: What’s That? Where Do I Go? Key Note Speaker. The California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education. October 2005.

Student Retention: Academic, Financial and Social Support Systems. Invited Speaker. California Wellness Foundation Conference on Increasing Diversity in the Health Professions. June, 2007.

Diversifying Our Future Health Care Workforce. Invited Speaker. 22nd Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education. May, 2009

D. Synergistic Activities

Director (1986-present): California State University, Sacramento Science Educational Equity (SEE) Program. The SEE Program is a University funded program established in 1986 to serve as a comprehensive academic support program for students who face social, economic and educational barriers to careers in the health professions, science research, and science teaching. The program provides academic support through structured supplementary instruction for introductory science classes, small group study sessions, ongoing academic advising, and specialized workshops. Career preparation is provided through advising, pre-professional workshops, field trips to graduate and health professional schools, invited speakers, assistance with the application process for graduate and health professional schools, and preparation for standardized exams. Student retention is further enhanced through counseling, assistance with financial aid issues, student advocacy, program scholarships, peer mentoring, extracurricular activities, and student clubs. I have served as Director of the SEE Program since its inception.

Principal Investigator (1997-1999; 1999-2002, 2002-2005, 2005-2008, 2008-2013): NIH-NIGMS Bridges to the Baccalaureate Grant. The goal of the project is to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups transferring from the Los Rios Community College District to CSUS or other four-year institutions to pursue baccalaureate degrees in majors related to research careers in the biomedical sciences. Project activities include early academic advising of community college students, articulation conferences, academic assistance in form of study groups for community college students, peer mentoring, and research.

Principal Investigator (2002-2005, 2005-2008, 2008-2011): California Wellness Foundation-Preparation of Pre-Health Professional Students. This project funded by the California Wellness Foundation provides core operating support to underwrite the SEE Program’s efforts to increase diversity in the health professions by enhancing the pre-health professional preparation and competitiveness of a pool of health professional school applicants whose demographics reflect the racial, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of California.

Co-Principal Investigator/Lead Project Director (2003-2009, 2008-2013): California State University-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. This project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is a state-wide effort statewide program dedicated to increasing the number of students from underrepresented minority groups (URM) graduating from campuses of the California State University (CSU) with baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. California State University, Sacramento is the “Lead Campus” for the CSU-LSAMP Alliance and I serve as “lead project director” for the state-wide effort. I also served as lead project director for the five Bridge to the Doctorate Supplemental Activities associated with Phase III (2003-2009) of CSU-LSAMP.

Principal Investigator: CSU-LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate at California State University, Los Angeles (2007-2009, 2010-2012), CSU-LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate at California State University, Northridge (2009-2011). These projects, like the Bridge to the Doctorate supplemental activities associated with Phase III of CSU-LSAMP, aim to broaden participation of underrepresented minorities (URM) in doctoral level science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by providing a Master’s level “bridge” to doctoral studies for successive cohorts of 12 new Master’s students recruited from the national pool of graduates of LSAMP undergraduate programs.

E. Collaborators & Other Affiliations

(1)  Collaborators and Co-Editors

Sheldon Axler (Dean of Science and Engineering, San Francisco State University); Frank Bayliss (Professor of Biology, San Francisco State University); Ana Cadavid (Professor, Physics and Astronomy); David Ellis (Professor of Mathematics, San Francisco State University); Carlos Gutierrez (Professor of Chemistry, Cal State Los Angeles); Laurel Heffernan (Associate Dean, CSU Sacramento); Kathleen Marsaglia (Professor of Geology, CSU Northridge; Mary McCarthy- Hintz (Associate Professor of Chemistry, CSU Sacramento); Karla Pelletier (Director CECS Student Services Center, CSU Northridge; Joseph Sheley (Provost, California State University, Sacramento); Carol Shubin (Professor of Mathematics, CSU Northridge); Jill Trainer (Dean, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, CSU Sacramento); Margaret Jefferson (Professor of Genetics, Cal State Los Angeles); Carlos Robles (Professor of Biology, Cal State Los Angeles); Enid Gonzalez (Ass't Professor, CSU, Sacramento).

(2) Graduate and Postdoctoral Advisors: Graduate Advisor: David Griffith, Ph.D. (deceased)

(3) Thesis Advisor and Postgraduate Sponsor: Total students supervised: 3 M.A.