Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Gonzalez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
David, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.
My current position is Postdoctoral Scholar in Cardiology at UCLA where I conduct research on the toxicity of air pollution and electronic cigarettes. My doctoral training is in atmospheric chemistry so my path to biomedical research was unorthodox.
I moved to Simi Valley, CA in 2007 following graduation from Pearland High School in southeast Texas. I attended Moorpark Community College where I received an associate of science degrees in Chemistry, Physics and Astrophysics before transferring to UCLA in 2010 as a Chemistry Major. After completing my undergraduate education I remained at UCLA for doctoral studies in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences and postdoctoral work.
My doctoral work in atmospheric and oceanic sciences began in 2013 under the supervision of renowned atmospheric chemist, Professor Suzanne Paulson. I developed an intense interest in the health impacts of airborne particulate matter–the component of air pollution most strongly linked to adverse health effects. My initial graduate studies focused on how airborne particles generate free radicals in cloud water and simulate lung fluid, but given that we were an atmospheric chemistry group, we lacked resources to study this work on a biological level. At the time, it was quite rare for atmospheric chemists and aerosol scientists to work at the interface of biomedical research.
Determined to expand the relevance of our work to people, I managed to establish a collaboration between Dr. Paulson’s atmospheric chemistry group and the EPA. We began collaborating with Dr. Andy Ghio, a pulmonologist and medical officer at EPA, who provided our group with human lung fluid for use in research. With this connection I was able to expand the research to be more relevant to humans while receiving mentorship in environmental toxicology and biomedical methods. I graduated with a PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences specializing in atmospheric chemistry in 2019. The interdisciplinary work I did during my PhD received the attention of Professor Jesus A. Araujo, a scientist-physician at UCLA who is a pioneer in the field of Environmental Cardiology. Dr. Araujo would ultimately offer me a postdoctoral appointment which has provided me training in toxicology and biomedical research.
I think these anecdotes touch on something I tend to look for in scientific projects–critical areas of research that require integration of multiple disciplines. For example, a few months into my postdoctoral appointment, the COVID19 pandemic hit and overtime the importance of experts that study airborne particles interacting with medical research became abundantly clear. These days, it is critical that interdisciplinary research be encourages such that we can address critical issues related to climate change and the rise of wildfire episodes.
David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and grew up between The Rio Grande Valley and Southeast Texas. I spent my childhood in Pharr, Texas and my high school years in Pearland, Texas. While in high school, I developed interest in both playing bass guitar and the science of chemistry. To get a change of environment and seek academic opportunity, My father and I moved to Southern California in 2007 so I could attend community college. My initial plan was to move to southern California so that I could attend college and study chemistry while simultaneously pursuing a music career. However, in 2008, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away a couple of weeks later and I would move in with family in the area. Consequently, my focus shifted to academic studies while any thought of a music career took the backburner. I would go on to transfer to UCLA and move to Culver City where I remained for a BS, MS, PhD, and postdoctoral studies. It is important to note that throughout my academic training I still practiced bass and guitar and sparingly wrote music, albeit at home only.
Thus, the bulk of the years following my father’s passing focused on developing my scientific skills and research interests. The scientific research I do seeks to answer this question: Why does air pollution make people sick? We try to understand which chemicals in the air are toxic and the molecular details of how they impact our biology. It turns out, although we know that air pollution exposure is the largest global environmental health hazard, we do not know the biological mechanisms and chemical constituents that underly air pollution toxicity. Our work can help guide policy makers in terms of potential regulations that could reduce air pollution and inform researchers on biological pathways activated by air pollution that could be targeted for interventional strategies and therapeutics.
However, in 2021 I found myself at an unexpected crossroads. I moved back in with family in Simi Valley due to difficult circumstances related to COVID19. It was a period of intense self-reflection and analyzing if I am doing exactly what I wanted in my career and life. While I still thought a scientific career was my core pursuit, I knew something particularly important to me had been missing–the creative art of playing and writing music. So in the Fall of 2022, I managed to move back to Culver City, CA with a revived intention of making music an important part of my life. I began performing solo instrumental music on a nylon string classical guitar at Open Mic Revival at the Cinema Bar in Culver City. Invented and curated by Mary Beth Abella and Omar Mohsen, Open Mic Revival provides a weekly supportive space for local artists to perform and network every Wednesday. My initial open mic performance marked the first time being on stage in over a decade. To my surprise, received a positive response and this helped break the self-doubt that for years, inhibited musical creativity and activity. I began playing regularly at Open Mic Revival and this led to revival of musical activity and songwriting for me. Within a year, my solo instrumental music project I call, Gonzalitos, gained traction and I began performing every first Wednesday at Bigfoot Lodge West. Additionally, I began playing bass for local LA band, The Vincenzo’s, and occasionally for other local acts such as Marybeth Abella and Harry Hochman. Playing bass marked personal milestone as it was the first instrument I learned to play. Regularly playing bass again felt like a sign from the universe that said, “Welcome Home.”
Since getting involved in music again, it has become a nice balance of the stress of academic research and provides consistent practice of creative arts. I feel this has led to an improvement of my own mental health and the renewed creativity has motivated me more in the space of scientific research which demands fresh creativity to tackle tough questions.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
I think it is critical that people have a support system and outlet while pursuing a PhD and/or academic research careers. The pay isn’t great, hours are long, and demands are intense during a PhD. Having some kind of outlet such as art, music, dance, exercise etc can help free up a lot of the pressure that come with an academic career.
Any advice for managing a team?
Throughout my academic career, I have been executive officers of graduate student run clubs and led small teams of undergraduate research volunteers in the lab. I think the best advice for a successful team and execution, is to have set expectations and goals that everyone is on the same page about. It’s important that every member understand clearly what is expected of them and they know what the ultimate goal of the work is. Additionally, I don’t believe in motivating by fear or negative reinforcement. While it can help some get motivated, I think it lower morale overall for the team. One should strive to maintain a team that looks forward to working with the lead and/or on the project/ In the light, it helps to care about the lives and wellbeing of your team members.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @gonzomusiclab
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docgonzalez/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GonzoMusicLab
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/i1i7SSWSP2Kakxab9
Image Credits
Image (5) Credit to Photogtaphy: Dustin Engelskind