LINDA FIGUEROA
San Diego,CA
Summary
Energetic Administrative Coordinator dedicated to assisting highly effective administrative teams and managing office operations with efficiency and grace. Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with advanced organizational and management skills with the ability to work independently and complete projects accurately.
Overview
1
1
Certification
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
Research Study Coordinator
UCSD –Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine
Huntington’s Disease Research Center
03.2025 - Current
- Assist in determining patient eligibility for studies by requesting, receiving, and recording medical data according to multiple protocols; interview and assess patients for screening purposes; contact referring physicians and obtain follow-up medical reports. Ensure that all protocol requirements for study entry have been satisfied. Enter patient registration into the research trials database.
- Monitored patient participation in multiple studies according to protocol requirements, tracked patient progress, and coordinated laboratory and clinical evaluations for study subjects.
- Document findings in protocol-specific formats for study purposes (e.g. case report forms, and adverse event and serious adverse event paperwork, other data summaries).
- Initiate follow-up requests for electronic or paper medical records as necessary and ensure comprehensiveness of individual patient data records per UCSD Medical Center guidelines.
- Initiated follow-up requests for electronic or paper medical records and ensured completeness of individual patient data records per UCSD Medical Center guidelines.
- Identified and resolved non-clinical problems in execution of protocol requirements, supporting study staff in addressing issues effectively.
- Trained and supervised undergraduate and graduate students and research assistants in administration of cognitive, behavioral, and clinical assessments for Huntington’s disease research.
- Serve as liaison with the community, affiliates and healthcare professionals.
- Assist with multiple administrative and operational components for research trials in the Huntington’s Disease Clinical Research Center
Hospital Assistant III / Spanish Coordinator
Autism Center of Excellence and Study of Infant Development
02.2008 - 03.2025
- Interact regularly with clinical psychologists and other collaborators with data analysis in preparations of project reports and grant submissions.
- Schedule and assist with all Spanish speaking families who participate in a NIH Funded research
- Developed and maintained research databases to support project needs and data integrity.
- Served as liaison to Pediatrician Network, facilitating communication and collaboration.
- Translated IRB approved documents from English to Spanish.
- Supervised clinic operations, ensuring maintenance of Clinical Research Lab and addressing facility needs. – Responsible for the maintenance of our Clinical Research Lab (calling for plumbing services, light fixtures, ordering of our water supply, shredding services etc.)
- Ordered clinical measures such as MULLEN, ADOS, VINELAND, and other testing materials needed for the research study.
- Independently drew blood samples from children aged 12-36 months according to study timepoints and from parents participating in genetics studies.
- Administer brief physical and neurological exams to include height, weight, head circumference of both children and parents.
- Maintain confidentiality of patients in all verbal, written and phone call communications
- Respond promptly and appropriately to patient/family requests and needs.
- Handled all medical records requests, including receiving and sending records requested by government agencies, and abstracted necessary data from medical records for research protocols.
- Supervise all student volunteers that participate in our program for college credit.
- Responsible for not only obtaining blood samples but for processing of the sample for different projects; ex; isolating plasma, extraction for DNA/RNA analysis, PBMC isolation, proper storage, and handling of samples in different freezer temps such as -80 / -20 / liquid nitrogen tanks.
- Obtain and coordinate a Microbiome pilot study - collecting samples, data, and feeding questionnaires.
- Work closely with our Data Manager and Data Entry Team to ensure all data is entered correctly and accurately.
- Maintain and log data into database of all blood and microbiome samples collected and projects assigned on subjects.
- Maintained organization and security of patient medical charts, scanned old records into digital form, and entered them accurately into the database.
- Coordinated and pulled samples for collaborative projects with other scientists.
- Collaborated closely with psychologists to manage their schedules and optimize patient care.
Lab Assistant
Labcorp of America
San Diego, CA
09.2005 - 07.2006
- Specimen collection for adults and pediatrics-which included blood,sputum,stool,ova and parasite cultures
- Collaborated with doctors and staff to ensure efficient patient care
- Entered patient and insurance information for private insurance, Medi-Cal, and Medicare, ensuring accurate records for billing and treatment
- Processed special and highly sensitive tests, maintaining strict adherence to protocols and confidentiality
- Data entry of patient and insurance information-private insurance, Medi-cal, Medicare insurances
Phlebotomist
Biopath Laboratory
Palm Springs, CA
09.2003 - 06.2005
- Collected specimens from patients in various healthcare settings. for adults and geriatric populations
- Collected samples from nursing, rehab centers, and mental health institutes to support patient diagnosis and treatment
- Collaborated with doctors and staff to maintain high-quality service and ensure safety for patients and team members
- Processed special and highly sensitive tests, including peaks and troughs and blood cultures, to provide accurate results for clinical decision-making
Medical Assistant – Pediatrics Department
Logan Heights Family Health Center
San Diego, CA
01.2003 - 09.2003
- Recorded vital signs of patients during examinations, immunization administration
- Managed front desk operations, including answering phones, scheduling appointments, and verifying medical insurances (Medi-Cal and private)
- Assisted M.D. with procedures such as wound cleaning, bandaging, ear lavages, and newborn circumcisions.
- Trained new medical assistant team members.
- Participated in medical assistant float team, providing support across departments including adult medicine and OB/GYN
Administrative Assistant
Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
Indio, CA
10.2000 - 06.2002
- Scheduled meetings, answered phone calls for the Gaming Commission
- Managed shipment and transportation of gaming devices, ensuring timely delivery and compliance with regulations
- Maintained all gaming machines in compliance with state gaming regulations.
- Collaborated with surveillance team on monitoring activities
- Coordinated special events for tribal members, enhancing community engagement and participation
Lab Assistant
Eisenhower Medical Center
Rancho Mirage, CA
01.1997 - 10.2000
- Phlebotomy services to in and outpatient
- Verified insurance information for private, Medi-Cal, and Medicare plans.
- Entered patient information into electronic records system accurately
- Provided care for diverse clients, including newborns and elderly patients
- Processed send out tests to ensure timely and accurate results
Education
Associate of Science Registered Nursing Degree -
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, CA06-2005
Certified Phlebotomy Technician #10233 - undefined
California Laboratory Field Services
Skills
- Cognitive assessment administration
- Efficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point),Redcap, Kuali
- Bilingual Spanish/English
- Flexible scheduling
- Extensive phlebotomy experience
- Specimen processing expertise
- Clinical assessment tools
- Laboratory compliance knowledge
- Clinical laboratory experience
- Participant recruitment
- Multidisciplinary team member
- Detail-oriented
- Phlebotomy procedures
- Organizational management
- Laboratory equipment operation
- Flexibility in shifts
- Multicultural effectiveness
- Organizational management
Accomplishments
- 1) Letendre, S., Thompson, W., Rosario, D., Lopez, L., Carter, C., Weinfeld, M., Spendlove, S., Schork, N., Courchesne, E. and Pierce, K. (May, 2011). A Sparse Panel of Biomarkers In Blood Distinguishes Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder From Typically Developing Children. Paper presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), San Diego.
- 2) Blood-Based Gene Expression Signatures of Autistic Infants and Toddlers- Stephen J. Glatt, Ming T. Tsuang, Mary Winn, Linda Lopez, Melanie Weinfeld, Cindy Carter, Nicholas Schork, Karen Pierce, and Eric Courchesne.
- 3) Lombardo, MV, Busuoli, EM, Schreibman, L, Stahmer, AC, Pramparo, T, Landi, I, Mandelli, V, Bertelsen, N, Carter Barnes, C, Gazestani, V, Lopez, L, Bacon, EC, Courchesne, E, Pierce, K. (2021). Pre-treatment clinical and gene expression patterns predict developmental change in early intervention in autism. Mol Psychiatr, http://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01239-2.
- 4) Lombardo, MV, Pramparo, T, Gazestani, V, Warrier, V, Bethlehem, RAI, Carter Barnes, C, Lopez, L, Lewis, NE, Eyler, L, Pierce, K, Courchesne, E (2018). Large-scale associations between the leukocyte transcriptome and BOLD responses to speech differ in autism early language outcome subtypes. Nature Neuroscience 21(12): 1680-1688.
- 5) Lombardo, MV, Eyler, L, Pramparo, T, Gazestani, VH, Hagler Jr., DJ, Chen, C-H, Dale, AM, Seidlitz, J, Bethlehem, RAI, Bertelsen, N, Carter Barnes, C, Lopez, L, Campbell, K, Lewis, NE, Pierce, K, Courchesne, E (2021). Atypical genomic cortical patterning in autism with poor early language outcome. Science Advances, 7(36) DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abh1663.
- 6) Pham, C., Bacon, E.C., Grzybowski, A., Carter Barnes, C., Arias, S., Xu, R., Lopez, L., Courchesne, E., Pierce, K. (2023). Autism https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221147416.
- 7) Pierce, K., Gazestani, V., Bacon, E., Carter Barnes, C., Cha, D., Nalabolu, N., Lopez, L., Moore, A., Pence-Stophaeros, S., Courchesne, E. (2019). Evaluation of the diagnostic stability of the Early Autism Spectrum Disorder phenotype months in the general population starting at 12 months. JAMA Pediatrics 173(6) 578-587.
- 8) Pierce, K., Gazestani, V., Bacon, E., Courchesne, E., Cheng, A., Carter Barnes, C., Nalabolu, S., Cha, D., Arias, S., Lopez, L., Pham, C., Gaines, K., Gyuryian, G., Cook-Clark, T., Karins, K. (2021). Get SET Early to identify and treatment refer Autism Spectrum Disorder at 1 year and discover factors that influence early diagnosis. Journal of Pediatrics 236, 179-188.
- 9) Pierce, K., Wen, T., Zahiri, J., Andreason, C., Courchesne, E., Barnes, C.C., Lopez, L., Arias, S., Esquivel, A., Cheng, A. (2023). Level of attention to motherese speech as an early marker of autism spectrum disorder. JAMA Netw Open 6(2): e2255125.
- 10) Pramparo, T., Lombardo, MV, Campbell, K., Carter Barnes, C., Marinero, S., Solso, S., Young, J., Mayo, M., Dale, A., Ahrens-Barbeau, C., Murray, SS., Lopez, L., Lewis, N., Pierce, K., Courchesne, E (2015). Cell cycle networks link gene expression dysregulation, mutation, and brain maldevelopment in autistic toddlers. Mol Syst Biol. 14:11 (12):841.
- 11) Pramparo, T., Pierce, K., Lombardo, MV, Barnes, CC, Marinero, BS, Ahrens-Barbeau, C., Murray, S., Lopez, L., Xu, R., Courchesne, E (2015). Prediction of autism by translation and immune/inflammation coexpressed genes in toddlers from pediatric community practices. JAMA Psychiatry 72(4): 386-394.
- Research Presented at Annual Professional Meetings
- Pierce, K., James, S., Bacon E, Skepnek, E, Leuthe, E, Barnes, C, Cha, D, Outhier, L, Lopez, L, Nalabolu, S, Pham, C, Gazestani, V, Cheng, A, Moore, M, Courchesne, E, Smith, CJ (2019, May). Testing the efficacy of the Get SET Early model as a mechanism to reduce the mean age of ASD detection and treatment referral. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), Montreal, Canada.
- Pramparo, T., Pierce, K., Carter Barnes, C., Lopez, L., Nalabolu, S., Guo, Z., Li, J., Lewis, N., Yu, P., Courchesne, E (2016, Oct). Dysregulation of translation processes: A persistent signal in the diagnostic prediction of autism in toddlers from community pediatric practices. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting for the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), Vancouver.
- Pramparo, T., Campbell, K., Carter Barnes, C., Marinero, SA., Solso, S., Young, J., Mayo, M., Zablocki, R., Dale, A., Ahrens-Barbeau, C., Murray, S., Lopez, L., Xu, R., Pierce, K., Courchesne, E (2014, May). Cross-tissue Gene Networks Distinguish Normal from Abnormal Brain Development in ASD Toddlers. Paper presented at the 13th International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), Atlanta
- Letender, S., Thompson, W., Rosario, D., Lopez, L., Carter, C., Weinfeld, M., Spendlove, S., Schork, N., Courchesne, E., Pierce, K. (2011, May). A Sparse Panel of Biomarkers In Blood Distinguishes Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder From Typically Developing Children. Paper presented at the 10th International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), San Diego.
Certification
CITI Biomedical Research Basic/refresher Expiration 03/12/2028, CITI Good Clinical practice Course Refresher Expiration 03/12/2028, CITI Information Privacy and Security HIPPA Research Privacy Completion date 03/12/2025, UC 49 CRF/IATA Shipping Biological Substance and Dry Ice Expiration 03/12/2028, UC Workplace Violence Prevention, UC Cyber Security Awareness Fundamentals, UC Laboratory Safety Refresher, UC Biosafety Blood borne pathogens training/annual refresher, UC Annual Laboratory Hazards Training, UCSDH 2024 Workplace Safety/Environment of Care HS include (Bloodborne Pathogens), UCSDH 2024 Annual Professional Standards, UCSDH 2024 Annual Compliance Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Health, UCSDH 2024 Protecting Patient Privacy (HIPPA)
Timeline
Research Study Coordinator
UCSD –Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine
Huntington’s Disease Research Center
03.2025 - Current
Hospital Assistant III / Spanish Coordinator
Autism Center of Excellence and Study of Infant Development
02.2008 - 03.2025
Lab Assistant
Labcorp of America
09.2005 - 07.2006
Phlebotomist
Biopath Laboratory
09.2003 - 06.2005
Medical Assistant – Pediatrics Department
Logan Heights Family Health Center
01.2003 - 09.2003
Administrative Assistant
Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
10.2000 - 06.2002
Lab Assistant
Eisenhower Medical Center
01.1997 - 10.2000
Certified Phlebotomy Technician #10233 - undefined
California Laboratory Field Services
Associate of Science Registered Nursing Degree -
College of the Desert