Education: 
Florida International University
Biochemistry and Biological Sciences majors
B.S., 2019

University of Minnesota
Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program
Ph.D., 2025

MSTP Student Governance:

• Student Advisory Committee, 2024-2026

Honors & Awards:

• Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellows, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2024 - 2028

Thesis Advisor: Kirsten Nielsen, Ph.D.

Publications:

Betancourt JJ, McAlister JA, Perez JM, Meya DB, Thomas SN, Geddes-McAlister J, Nielsen K. Global proteomic analysis of Cryptococcus neoformans clinical strains reveals significant differences between latent and lethal infection. mSystems. 2025 Sep 25:e0075125. 

Betancourt JJ, Nielsen K. Insights from Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics on Cryptococcus neoformans. J Fungi (Basel). 2025 Jul 17;11(7):529. PMCID: PMC12298145

Jackson KM, Kono TJY, Betancourt JJ, Wang Y, Kabbale KD, Ding M, Kezh P, Ha G, Yoder JM, Fulton SR, Mukaremera L, Tiffin P, Gusa A, Meya DB, Billmyre RB, Xue C, Nielsen K. Author Correction: Single nucleotide polymorphisms are associated with strain-specific virulence differences among clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans. Nat Commun. 2025 Mar 13;16(1):2510. PMCID: PMC11906638

Betancourt JJ, Ding M, Yoder JM, Mutyaba I, Atkins HM, De la Cruz G, Meya DB, Nielsen K. Pulmonary granuloma formation during latent Cryptococcus neoformans infection in C3HeB/FeJ mice involves progression through three immunological phases. mBio. 2025 Feb 5;16(2):e0361024. PMCID: PMC11796415

Jackson KM, Kono TJY, Betancourt JJ, Wang Y, Kabbale KD, Ding M, Kezh P, Ha G, Yoder JM, Fulton SR, Mukaremera L, Tiffin P, Gusa A, Meya DB, Billmyre RB, Xue C, Nielsen K. Single nucleotide polymorphisms are associated with strain-specific virulence differences among clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans. Nat Commun. 2024 Dec 2;15(1):10491. PMCID: PMC11612297