Genaro earned his B.S. degree at San Diego State University and his Ph.D at UTSW under the mentorship of David Mangelsdorf and Steven Kliewer. His prior research experience includes the discovery of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) as a pancreatic paracrine secretagogue. He also identified the role of FGF21 in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis which has led to the development of new therapies for this disease. Genaro’s current projects in the lab include elucidating new chemistries for human atypical kinases as well as finding therapeutic targets against viral enzymes such as in the human SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In his free time, Genaro enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing golf and lead guitar for UTSW’s most popular bands: The Nasty Eyebrows and the Cis-repressors.