Tama received her A.B. in Biochemistry from UC Berkeley and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University. She did her postdoctoral work at Yale University where she focused on the cell and developmental biology of molecular motors involved in hearing and vision. As an Assistant Professor at UC San Diego, Tama's laboratory continued her work on cytoskeleton proteins involved in hearing and deafness. She joined the URC/CARE staff in 2005 and as the Assistant Director she oversees programs funded by the NIH’s IMSD (National Institutes of Health’s Initiative to Maximize Student Diversity) including the CARE Fellows & Scholars Programs and PEERS. She also administers the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program and serves as the Director of the Amgen Scholars Program. Tama serves as the faculty advisor to the UCLA Undergraduate Science Journal and co-teaches with Dr. Patty Phelps an undergraduate course in Biomedical Ethics HNRS101F in the Spring. Please feel free to make an appointment with Tama if you are interested in learning more about research or applying to graduate school.