Medical research shapes which diseases we understand, which treatments get developed and, ultimately, who benefits from scientific progress.
But not every health problem receives the same attention, and not every scientist has the same opportunity to pursue the questions they believe matter. That’s part of what makes the work of researchers like Dr. Angelica Riestra important.
Riestra grew up in southeast San Diego and now leads a lab at San Diego State University, where she studies Trichomonas vaginalis, the parasite that causes trichomoniasis. It’s a common sexually transmitted infection, but one many people know little about. It also doesn’t affect everyone equally: Riestra points to significant disparities in infection rates, including among Black women.
Research like hers is a reminder that better health outcomes depend, in part, on which questions science chooses to pursue.
Some diseases and communities have historically received less attention and investment. Expanding who gets to lead research can help change that. Scientists bring different experiences and perspectives to their work, influencing the problems they notice and the questions they ask.
Riestra experienced that firsthand. Growing up, mentors helped her find opportunities and see what was possible. She also remembers the impact of seeing a Latino scientist leading a lab — something she hadn’t known was possible. Today, she is creating those opportunities for her own students.
In her lab, students bring perspectives that help shape the research itself. They contribute ideas and move the science forward, while gaining opportunities to build careers of their own.
Medical breakthroughs also require room to explore. Riestra’s team develops many of its own research tools, and some of the questions they want to pursue can be considered too new or risky for traditional funding.
That’s where flexible support can matter. Riestra is one of 14 researchers who received a grant through Prebys Foundation’s Research Heroes initiative. The grants were designed to give researchers greater freedom to pursue ambitious questions while helping build a more equitable and collaborative research community.
For Riestra, that flexibility has allowed her lab to explore creative approaches that might be difficult to pursue through more traditional grants and to support students as the needs of the research evolve. She describes that kind of philanthropic support as especially important for early-career researchers trying to build both a scientific program and a team.
That combination—more people with the opportunity to lead, more attention to health challenges affecting diverse communities, and more freedom to pursue promising ideas—can make medical research stronger for everyone.
Angelica Riestra’s story shows what that looks like: a scientist studying an overlooked health challenge, opening doors for the next generation and asking questions that could lead somewhere new.
Watch the video to meet Angelica and see how she and her students are building that future in the lab.
