Cynthia Mastick

Cynthia Mastick is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno, with a research focus on the biochemistry and cell biology of adipose tissue and its role in diabetes and metabolic diseases. She has held academic positions in the Department of Pharmacology (2016-2020) and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1998-2016) at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNRMed). Prior to her academic career, she worked as a Senior Scientist at Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research (1993-1998).

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Carnegie Mellon University (1990)
• B.S. in Biology, Carnegie Mellon University (1985)

Her research explores how sympathetic innervation regulates fat mobilization in adipose tissue, particularly through insulin-stimulated GLUT4 trafficking and caveolin phosphorylation. She has co-developed interdisciplinary programs like the Biotechnology BS/MS degree and contributed to curriculum design in medical education. Dr. Mastick's work spans molecular mechanisms in diabetes and metabolic diseases, utilizing adipocyte models and advanced cellular imaging techniques.

Analysis of her publications reveals trends in understanding insulin-regulated glucose transport, Rab GTPase roles in vesicle sorting, and stress-induced signaling pathways. She has authored studies on caveolin phosphorylation, syntaxin-4 knockout effects, and comparative trafficking mechanisms across cell types.

• Laboratory: FA 315, University of Nevada, Reno