IBRI Researcher Teresa Mastracci Makes IBJ’s Forty Under 40 List
February 13, 2017
Teresa Mastracci, PhD, has been named to the Indianapolis Business Journal’s 2017 Forty Under 40 List, recognizing rising stars in their fields.
Mastracci, an Institute Scientist and Principle Investigator at the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI), was honored for her research on type 1 diabetes focused on regenerating insulin-producing beta cells. She was the first independent investigator hired by the IBRI early last year and was recently awarded a $750,000 JDRF Career Development Grant for her diabetes research.
“We are proud to see Teresa acknowledged as part of the 2017 Forty Under 40,” said David Broecker, President and CEO. “She is a talented researcher and emerging innovator. Importantly, she is committed to helping others succeed – especially female scientists. We know this is just the beginning of a long and distinguished career in making a difference.”
Mastracci is a molecular and developmental biologist. She previously worked an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, and the Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Mastracci completed her post-secondary education in Canada, earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Guelph, and her PhD from the University of Toronto at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute. Mastracci moved on to postdoctoral studies at Columbia University and the Naomi Berrie Center for Diabetes Research in New York. Here she merged her interests in developmental biology and human disease by studying how the pancreatic insulin-producing beta cell develops and functions in the normal and diabetic contexts.
In 2007, Mastracci was named the Naomi Berrie Fellow in Diabetes Research and was granted research support by the Russell Berrie Foundation. Subsequently in 2010, she was awarded a prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which continued to support her career development and research. Together these fellowships were instrumental in launching Mastracci’s career in the field of diabetes research.
In addition to running her research program and laboratory at the IBRI, Mastracci is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Indiana University School of Medicine. Read the IBJ’s Forty Under 40 profile on Mastracci or learn more about her education and research.
About Indiana Biosciences Research Institute
The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) is an independent, nonprofit discovery science and applied research institute focused on innovation targeting cardio-metabolic diseases, diabetes and poor nutrition. Inspired by the state and Indiana’s leading life sciences companies, research universities and philanthropic community, the IBRI is building a world-class organization of researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs that will catalyze scientific discovery and its application, resulting in improved health outcomes for patients. For more information about IBRI and donation or collaboration opportunities, please visit www.indianabiosciences.org.