Associate Professor
University of Guelph, Canada
Dr. Viloria-Petit obtained her MSc in Immunology from the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research, and a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Toronto. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto, she joined the University of Guelph, where she currently is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Viloria-Petit’s research focuses on understanding how cancerous tumours disseminate to and colonize vital organs, with the aim of improving early diagnosis and treatment of metastatic breast and bone cancer. She is the co-creator and co-leader of Guelph’s DOGBONE, a multidisciplinary research team aimed at the discovery, pre-clinical and clinical testing of biomarkers and therapeutic targets for dog and human bone cancer. Dr. Viloria-Petit is also the co-creator and co-leader of Geeky Latin@s, a multi-allies virtual program aligned with the UN Agenda 2030 and targeted to youths of all the Americas, with a focus on Latinas and other minorities. The purpose of this program is to educate these youths on, and ignite their interest in, STEAM careers, sustainable innovation, and global citizenship. Among other distinctions, Dr. Viloria-Petit was one of the recipients of the “TD Bank's 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians” award in 2016.
