Bio
Dr. Luz M. Cumba García is an immunologist by training with 13 years of experience working at the intersection of immunology, public policy, and diplomacy. Luz is currently a policy advisor at the government relations firm Lewis-Burke, LLC, where she leverages her biomedical research background to bolster issue expertise of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prior to joining Lewis-Burke full time, Luz served as a National Science Policy Network (NSPN) SciPol Scholars-in-Residence (SPSR) Fellow in the firm. In addition, during her Ph.D. Luz received didactic training in science policy and science diplomacy. Her experiences and extensive training in these areas have been fundamental for Luz in understanding the dynamic role of science and technology in decision-making and evidence-based public policies.
Luz is passionate about advocacy, science communication, and outreach. She is an experienced global public speaker in topics ranging from science communication, science policy, science diplomacy, diversity and inclusion, and professional development. Her efforts to inform the general public, especially Spanish speakers, about COVID-19 throughout the pandemic led to her being awarded the “Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) 2020 Science Defender Award”. Luz is an advocate for increasing diversity in science, alerting the public and scientific community about federal and local policies that are relevant to science and Puerto Rico as a member of the Puerto Rico Science Policy Action Network (PR-SPAN), and promoting science diplomacy in Latin America and the Caribbean as a founding member of the Science Diplomacy Network in Latin America and the Caribbean (DiploCientifica).
Luz is a proud Puerto Rican! She recently earned her Ph.D. in Immunology from Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Rochester, MN. Her thesis dissertation focused on analyzing small particles in the blood called “extracellular vesicles” shed from glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumors as “liquid biopsies” to predict tumor growth and monitor treatment outcome. This work resulted in a patent application. Luz graduated in 2012 from the Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan, PR with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology, where she performed studies on HIV epidemiology. She has taught and conducted research in different countries including China, Brazil, Germany with the Nobel Laureate Harald zur Hausen, and Spain at the Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine Lopez Neyra. In 2013, Luz obtained her Master’s Degree from this institution. Overall, her research efforts have resulted in multiple awards and presentations at national and international scientific conferences. Luz enjoys traveling (visited five out of seven continents!), shopping, writing on her blog and website, and exercising.
