Before moving to NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in November 2021, Desirée directed the Postdoctoral Research Associate Training (PRAT) program. She also managed Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards (IRACDA); the Supplement Program for Continuity of Research During Critical Life Events​; predoctoral research training grants in Cellular, Biochemical, and Molecular Sciences (T32); and research grants in the area of stem cell biology and regeneration.