Cata Vélez-Ortega

I still love research... :)
Assistant Professor @UniversityofKY
Department of Physiology

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Congratulations to Dr. Ana I. López-Porras for successfully defending her PhD dissertation today!!! Ana was the first PhD student to join the #VelezLab.
I cannot wait to see what Ana accomplishes in the next chapter of her career!

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Extremely excited to share that the Provost has approved my promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure at UK!
I couldn't have done it without the support of my lab, Department, College, friends, and family. We were all together on a WILD roller coaster for the last 12 months!

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Picture from last month in Puerto Rico at the #ARO2026 meeting! #VelezLab

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Allow me to take a minute to brag about this award. 🌟
Big THANKS to my trainees for writing amazing recommendation letters!

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

What a busy week for the #VelezLab with 2 talks and 4 poster presentations at the 2026 MidWinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology in San Juan, PR! #ARO2026 @AROMWM

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Early morning flights for #VelezLab members on our way to #ARO2026 in San Juan, PR!

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Congratulations to Samantha Radomski, a PhD student in the #VelezLab, for receiving the 2025 Thomas V. Getchell, PhD Memorial Award for excellence in the Grant Writing Workshop!!!

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

#VelezLab at our annual Physiology Research Day! Congrats to Payton (our newest member) for getting a *best grad student poster award*!

[Hearing Health Foundation @HearingHealthFn]

Webinar Mon, Oct 27, 5pm ET! Emerging Research Grants scientist A. Catalina Vélez-Ortega, Ph.D., describes how, after noise exposure, cochlear supporting cells are involved in detecting tissue damage and in regulating hearing sensitivity. Register at https://t.co/pRBR8PlI4v

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" 🤞

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Lab dinner celebration of the 6th birthday of the #VelezLab and the 20th of our neighbor, the Frolenkov lab.

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

The #VelezLab is growing! Today was the #WhiteCoatCeremony for Payton Nies, the third PhD student to join the lab!

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Most members of the #VelezLab attended and presented their research results at the Kentucky Physiological Society #KPS2025 Meeting last week!

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Happy 6th birthday #VelezLab !

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Celebrating the publication of our latest paper:

"TRPA1 Deficiency Affects Cochlear Potentials Days After Noise Exposure"

#VelezLab

https://t.co/zD2xvz29Q8

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

The latest paper from the #VelezLab is free to download in the link below until August 31st!

https://t.co/zD2xvz29Q8

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Here's another casualty of the current administration. Make sure to read Uri's thread (all 15!).

The R01 I lost was through the same funding mechanism.

[PHD Comics @PHDcomics]

Academic "Deadlines"

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

"Dear Dr Velez-Ortega,
I am pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been accepted for publication."

Great way to start the long weekend!

Happy 4th of July, everyone! 🇺🇸
Don't forget to wear hearing protection if you are attending a fireworks show 🎆 👂

[Cata Vélez-Ortega @Catavelezo]

Had a great time with the lab members #VelezLab at the Midwest Auditory Research Conference (MARC) hosted by NEOMED.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again in Lexington, KY for #MARC2027!