Dr. Cristina Baciu is the Director of Operations of the new Department of Translational Neurosciences at the College of Medicine-Phoenix at the University of Arizona. She oversees the department's funding and research portfolio and works with interdisciplinary teams to advance the field of translational neuroscience. Dr. Baciu is a higher education leader and mentoring expert who has previously served as an Administrative Director and Research Program Manager at Arizona State University, where she co-founded several mentoring programs, such as the ACE Scholars Program. Dr. Baciu holds two bachelor's degrees (economics and psychology) and a doctorate in educational leadership in higher education. Her research and practice interests include mentoring and innovative ways to elevate operational excellence in higher education.