4th-year Dental Student
Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine, Texas Tech Health El Paso
Diariza Lopez is a fourth-year dental student at the Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. Born and raised in McAllen, a border town in Texas, she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Texas at Austin with a concentration in carpentry, sculpture, and film photography, while also fulfilling the prerequisites for dental school. With a strong interest in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, she appreciates the specialty's unique integration of art and science. Diariza has a particular research focus on anatomical variations relevant to head and neck surgery, as well as regenerative therapies for craniofacial reconstruction using gingival mesenchymal stem cells. In her free time, she enjoys shadowing surgical cases in the operating room, exploring woodworking and clay sculpture, and spending time outdoors; especially during snowboard season.