Brandy Vincent

• National certification through BONENT
• Float Pool Technician (2023)
• Diversity Inclusion Council Committee member (2023)
• Safety Officer (2022)
• COVID-19 treatment team member (2021-2022)
• Enhanced patient care by providing efficient and accurate hemodialysis treatments via patient AVF/AVG access sites, performing cannulation techniques according to established infection control protocols for patients of other general population and in isolation.
• Conducted chairside monitoring by measuring and recording patient's pre- and post-dialysis vital statistics, promoting continuity of care by documenting detailed treatment records in electronic health systems for easy access by all healthcare providers involved in the patient''s care plan.
• Additionally, performed the set up, break down and disinfection of dialysis machines and treatment chairs, safe transport of patients to and from assigned treatment chairs, and lab sample collection.
• Demonstrated excellent teamwork skills while assisting other technicians and RNs during busy shifts for optimal patient care delivery.
• Explained dialysis procedures to patients and answered questions and concerns prior to starting dialysis within scope.

• Under Principal Investigator’s (PI) support, led as lab supervisor to coordinate with the Environmental, Health, Safety & Risk Management (EHSRM) manager for bi-annual lab audits. Secured the lab’s historic and perpetual report of full compliance for all institutional Laboratory Safety Evaluations at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)
• Demonstrated the ability to establish and implement biosafety, security and laboratory standards operating procedures and processes for the all lab work spaces; this includes for the Chemical, Laser, and BSL-2 spaces.
• Managed, directed and coordinated all lab personnel to meet biannual training criteria as established by institutional policy and regulatory mandates.
• Monitored progress against project timelines, ensuring timely completion of deliverables while maintaining high-quality standards.
• As Departmental cell culturist, trained and mentored graduate, undergraduate and junior student researchers on on diseased and non-diseased culturing techniques in support of optimized viability for research longevity and experimental introduction.
• As Lab supervisor, fostered a collaborative work environment that promoted knowledge sharing, instruction and training, documentation, environmental cleanliness standards, proper storage and usage of chemicals per MSDS regulations, equipment usage and maintenance, and interpersonal skill development.
• Maintained BSL-2 facilities records required for select agent programs comprised of accurate reports for both stored chemicals and inventory supplies used within the lab.
• Mentor researchers, including internal lab personnel and external collaborators, on safe lab practices as disseminated by PI and in support of standard lab facility upkeep while conducting research diagnostic activities.
• Assisted PI and numerous departmental PI’s and research staff with protocol development and implementation as nuanced by specific research.
• Demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills is a diverse environment.
• Perform cell culture operations according to institutional regulations to maintain sterility and health of cell culture by way of thaw, maintenance, experimentation through research and cryo-preservation.
• Systematically monitored temperature, cell viability, cell density, pH.
• Performed maintenance quality checks on all lab equipment within the Chemical, Laser, and BSL-2 facilities: Chemical fume hood, laminar flow hood with Level 2 bio-safety cabinet, Olympus inverted microscope. Ultrasonic cell disrupter, automated cell counter, Microplate reader with absorption, fluorescent and luminescent readout modes, incubator, Temperature controlled cold storage, UV oven, centrifuges, vacuum oven, furnace, water baths, dynamic light scattering instrumentation (DLS), CCD camera, and Optical parametric oscillator 20 Hz Nd: YAG laser.
• Published in various high-impact journals throughout my tenure. They include the following:

1. Sumeyra Tek, Brandy A. Vincent, L. Christopher Mimun, Arturo Ponce and Kelly L. Nash, “Atomic scale analysis of homoepitaxial core-shell upconversion nanoparticles synthesized through microwave-assisted route” Royal Society of Chemistry, Nanoscale, (submitted). (2019)

2. Tek, S.; Vincent, B. A.; Baker, C. A.; Tran, A. N.; Nash, K. L. In Upconversion nanoparticles for photobiomodulation of neuronal cells, Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications XIV, International Society for Optics and Photonics: 2019; p 108920N.

3. Vincent, B.; Smith, C.; Mendoza, J.; Tran, A.; Mendez, J.; Robledo, R.; Nash, K. L. In Bioessential chalcogenides and immunological applications: an in vitro exploration of Selenium nanoparticles as potential carriers and therapeutic agents, Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications XIV, International Society for Optics and Photonics: 2019; p 108920S.

4. S. Tek, B.A. Vincent, C.A.Baker, and K.L. Nash, “Optimization of Irradiation Conditions of Upconversion Nanoparticle Assisted Photobiomodulation of Neuronal Cells,” in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, OSA Technical Digest (online) (Optical Society of America, 2018), paper AM3P.2.

5. Lara, H.H., Guisbiers, G., Mendoza, J., Mimun, L.C., Vincent, B.A., Lopez-Ribot, J.L., Nash, K.L.

“Synergistic antifungal effect of chitosan-stabilized selenium nanoparticles synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in liquids against Candid albicans biofilms.” Int J Nanomedicine.

6. Franklin, S., Vincent, B.A., Tek, S., Nash, K.L. (2018)

Book Chapter: Influence of External Electrical Stimulation on Cellular Uptake of Gold Nanoparticles

Book: Use of Nanoparticles in Nanoscience.

7. Tek, S.; Vincent, B.K.; Mimun, L.C.; Tran, A.N.; Shrestha, B.; Tang, L.; Nash, K.L. “Lanthanum fluoride upconverting nanoparticles for photo-biomodulation of cell function.” SPIE BiOS; p8.(2017)

8. Guisbiers, G., Lara, H. H., Naranjo, G., Mendoza-Cruz, R., Vincent, B. A., Peralta, X. G., and K. L. Nash (2017). “Inhibition of Candida albicans Biofilm by Pure Selenium Nanoparticles.” Nanomedicine: NBM.

• Under Principle Investigator (PI), Jody Cantu, Ph.D., support, my focus was to confirm the experimental techniques and findings of initial experiments. This included the investigation of neuron cell membrane interaction with Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs) under ultra-short electrical pulses, and the measurement of their uptake mechanisms.
• Confocal microscopy is achieved to verify the colocalization of the AuNP uptake in the cells.
• Performed complex statistical analyses on large datasets using specialized software tools, informing project conclusions and future directions.

• Assisted department while serving as teaching assistant in lab, grading, proctoring examsand tutoring undergraduates in chemistry and biochemistry.
• Assist department faculty in research duties and literature searches and reviews on relevant topics to provide context for current studies and inform future investigations.
• Assist department hiring committee with detailed candidate packages for potential hires.

• Conducted literature reviews to identify gaps in knowledge and inform future research directions.
• As a summer intern of the Genetics/Genomics Research Education and Training program (HGSC-G/GREAT) for consecutive summers, I engaged with prominent scientists of Genetics/Genomics, Cancer, Bioinformatics, Engineering and Health Disparity backgrounds through seminar and roundtable talks.
• As a summer employee, my work supported genomic research that focused on the identification of human retinal diseased genes. In order to decipher the genetic architecture of these diseases, experimental analysis investigated the molecular mechanisms and variations in clinical phenotype governed by them.
• During summer-I and as a lab technician , my daily experimental contributions in support of expression pattern and gene mutation analysis included the following: bacterial inoculation and transformation, DNA sample isolation prep, Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Q-PCR, Colony-PCR, Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, and Electrophoretic band capture and analysis.
• During summer-II as a lab technician, and in addition to continuing all techniques and experiments of summer-I, tasks included: bacterial colony plating, single colony capture, and high throughput sequencing prep.