Dr. Antonio De Maio, PhD is an international expert in the heat shock response field with an active research group that studies the response to injury at the cellular and systemic levels. He was president of the Cell Stress Society International from 2009–2010 and is the current South American Ambassador. Dr. De Maio obtained his PhD from the Weizmann Institute in Israel and continued with postdoctoral training in the U.S. at the University of Massachusetts (Worcester, MA) and Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD). He was appointed a faculty member at Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1994 and stayed with Johns Hopkins until 2005. In 2006, Dr. De Maio was recruited to the West Coast where he joined the faculty of the University of California, San Diego as a tenured professor in the School of Medicine.
Dr. De Maio is an active advocate for diversity at UC San Diego and has established several programs aimed at providing opportunities for students from various underrepresented groups, including those with disabilities, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and students from minority groups that are traditionally underrepresented in science. He is the Director of Pathways for the Advancement of Diversity in Research and Education (PADRE), which supports programs that motivate, mentor, and facilitate the transition of students from disadvantaged economic and social backgrounds to higher education. Dr. De Maio is also principal investigator for the NIGMS-funded Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program and Co-PI of the UC San Diego Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program. Shortly after arriving at UC San Diego, Dr. De Maio was presented with a Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences Equal Opportunity Diversity Award in 2007 in recognition of his efforts to recruit underrepresented minority students to UC San Diego. In 2010, he was named Mentor of the Year by the Compact for Faculty Diversity of the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, which is a coalition of a federal and foundation programs that mentor underrepresented students in STEM careers.
Dr. De Maio is a member of the Cell Stress Society International, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Cell Biology, American Association of Immunologist, International Endotoxin Society, Shock Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.