Balagtas earned his medical degree from New York Medical College and completed his pediatric residency at the U.S. Naval Medical Center in San Diego. Prior to his clinical and research fellowships at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University, Balagtas served in the U.S. Navy as a medical officer and pediatrician. He joined UC Davis in March 2012, where he serves as principal investigator for the Children’s Oncology Group. He is particularly interested in genetic changes underlying childhood cancers and the translation of these discoveries into clinical therapies. Balagtas is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and the Sub-Board of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.