Betty L. Cabrera, MPH leverages more than a decade of expertise to accelerate cell and gene therapy development. At UC San Diego’s Gene Therapy Initiative, she directs a program that bridges discovery and  preclinical gene therapy research to IND‑enabling studies, fostering translational research partnerships with biotech firms. Previously, she led operations for one of California’s first cell‑ and gene‑therapy clinical research units funded by CIRM, guiding several IND‑enabling studies toward clinical trials. Her work on rare‑disease patient registries informs compassionate strategies that expand treatment options for underserved families, underscoring a lifelong commitment to improving outcomes.