Research.  Dr. Mustra is the Director of Science Policy for the National Association of Biomedical Research (NABR), and has more than 14 years of professional experience in biomedicine and science policy/administration, developed in settings from community and hospital pharmacies to the US Senate.  Since completing his Ph.D. in Pharmacology, he has applied his extensive training in the field of pharmaceutical sciences to improving quality of health, expanding science and health education and research, and ensuring the application of sound science in government.  Through his research training, Dr. Mustra has explored all aspects of human health and the pharmaceutical sciences: from organic synthesis to the biological engineering of bioactive small molecules and proteins.  His doctoral thesis work focused on the cellular mechanisms of DNA repair and the role it plays in the process of carcinogenesis, and clinical cancer therapy.  During the course of his postdoctoral fellowship with the Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he worked in a drug discovery program where he researched bioactive natural products from the marine microenvironment.  During his second postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, he served as the technical expert in protein and biophysical studies on a collaborative drug discovery project and clinical study of TTR based amyloid disease.  His research publications highlight his experience in biomedical research and the use of animal models in studying the mechanism of disease.

Policy.  In 2007, Dr. Mustra served as the Legislative Fellow for environment, energy, and science in the office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton during the first session of the 110th Congress.  He applied his technical background to legislative issues involving environmental toxicants and their impacts on human health, as well as to items falling within the jurisdiction of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW).

Expertise.  Dr. Mustra earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology & Toxicology at Dartmouth Medical School, and his B.S. in Chemistry from Butler University.  Prior to joining NABR, Dr. Mustra worked at the Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) where he managed the STAR Computational Toxicology Grants Program.  Research grants developed and administrated by Dr. Mustra funded alternative methodologies for screening toxicants and guiding the ability to conduct human health risk assessments and targeted laboratory animal research.  As the Director of Science Policy at NABR, Dr Mustra’s training and expertise will help our mission to provide a unified voice for the scientific community on legislative and regulatory matters affecting laboratory animal research, as well as in communicating the importance of biomedical research and the use of animal models to both the public and decision-makers.