Dr. DeFea received her BA in Physiology from UC Berkeley and her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from UCSF. She was a postdoctoral scholar studying insulin signaling at Stanford University and did a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF, working on protease-activated-receptor (PAR-2) and neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) signaling. As a Professor of Biomedical Sciences at UC Riverside, her lab focused on Protease-activated-Receptor-2 signaling through b-arrestins, and the role of biased signaling in airway inflammation. Her lab had a long-term collaboration with Dr. Boitano on the role of pathway-specific PAR-2 signaling in asthma. She also collaborated with several researchers examining the role of a beta-arrestins in neuronal plasticity and pain. Dr. DeFea retired from academia to pursue work in the private sector, serving on scientific advisory boards and as a consultant on opioid and cannabinoid signaling. She has also been engaged in non-profit work developing problem based curriculum for science education. She brings extensive research experience on Protease-activated-Receptor signaling, as well as managerial skills.
