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LUZ M. CUMBA GARCIA, Ph.D.

Immunologist | Policy Advisor | Science Communicator
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
IAI STeP Science Diplomacy Fellow
2022 InnScid SP Science Diplomacy Alumni
2022 AAAS/TWAS Science Diplomacy Alumni
2020 UCS Science Defender
2020 iBiology Young Scientist Series Alumni
2020 NSPN SciPol Scholars Alumni
2019 ASBMB Advocacy Training Program (ATP) Alumni
2018- 2019 Yale-Mayo Clinic CERSI Alumni
2018 AAAS Science Diplomacy and Leadership Alumni
Luz

About Me

I am an immunologist with a unique career path that bridges biomedical science, public policy, and science diplomacy. Currently, I serve as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In this role, I contribute to fostering scientific collaboration between Arab and Israeli researchers, promoting regional development through research grants. I am also honored to be an Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) Science Diplomacy Fellow. Prior to being a AAAS - STeP Fellow, I worked as a Policy Advisor at Lewis-Burke Associates, a government relations firm. In that capacity, I provided expert advice on matters concerning public health, biomedical research, and international affairs.

I am deeply passionate about advocacy, science communication, and community outreach. With extensive experience as a speaker, I cover a wide range of topics, including science communication, science policy, and science diplomacy. My efforts to educate the public, especially Spanish speakers, about COVID-19 earned me the "Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) 2020 Science Defender Award." Additionally, I am committed to advance evidence-based policymaking in my roles as an ambassador of the Puerto Rico Science Policy Action Network (PRSPAN), and a founding member of the Science Diplomacy Network in Latin America and the Caribbean (DiploCientifica).

I take immense pride in my Puerto Rican heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan, PR, in 2012. Later, I earned my Ph.D. in Immunology from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where my research focused on analyzing tiny particles in the blood, called extracellular vesicles, as "liquid biopsies" to predict tumor growth and treatment outcomes in glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumor patients. This groundbreaking work resulted in a patent application. My academic journey has taken me to various countries, including China, Brazil, Germany (where I worked with the Nobel Laureate Harald zur Hausen), and Spain, where I obtained my Master's Degree in 2013 at the Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine Lopez Neyra. Throughout my career, my research endeavors have garnered numerous awards, peer-reviewed publications, and opportunities to present at national and international scientific conferences. I am dedicated to inspiring fellow Latinos to engage with science and contribute to the policymaking process.

Luz

About Me

I am an immunologist with a unique career path that bridges biomedical science, public policy, and science diplomacy. Currently, I serve as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In this role, I contribute to fostering scientific collaboration between Arab and Israeli researchers, promoting regional development through research grants. I am also honored to be an Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) Science Diplomacy Fellow. Prior to being a AAAS - STeP Fellow, I worked as a Policy Advisor at Lewis-Burke Associates, a government relations firm. In that capacity, I provided expert advice on matters concerning public health, biomedical research, and international affairs.

I am deeply passionate about advocacy, science communication, and community outreach. With extensive experience as a speaker, I cover a wide range of topics, including science communication, science policy, and science diplomacy. My efforts to educate the public, especially Spanish speakers, about COVID-19 earned me the "Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) 2020 Science Defender Award." Additionally, I am committed to advance evidence-based policymaking in my roles as an ambassador of the Puerto Rico Science Policy Action Network (PRSPAN), and a founding member of the Science Diplomacy Network in Latin America and the Caribbean (DiploCientifica).

I take immense pride in my Puerto Rican heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan, PR, in 2012. Later, I earned my Ph.D. in Immunology from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where my research focused on analyzing tiny particles in the blood, called extracellular vesicles, as "liquid biopsies" to predict tumor growth and treatment outcomes in glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumor patients. This groundbreaking work resulted in a patent application. My academic journey has taken me to various countries, including China, Brazil, Germany (where I worked with the Nobel Laureate Harald zur Hausen), and Spain, where I obtained my Master's Degree in 2013 at the Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine Lopez Neyra. Throughout my career, my research endeavors have garnered numerous awards, peer-reviewed publications, and opportunities to present at national and international scientific conferences. I am dedicated to inspiring fellow Latinos to engage with science and contribute to the policymaking process.

My Ph.D. Dissertation

My Ph.D. dissertation aimed to study extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny particles shed from brain tumors and found in the blood. These EVs send signals promoting tumor growth and suppressing anti-tumor immune responses. Analyzing these vesicles could help detect tumors, determine their type, track their progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and understand immune suppression. This knowledge can guide early treatment and avoid unnecessary interventions.

Get to Know Luz's Passions: SciPol, SciDip, and SciComm (Spanish)

Get to Know Luz's Career Trajectory (Spanish)

Luz at "In a Perfect Policy" Podcast by CaSP UW-Madison

Upcoming Meetings

Science Diplomacy Training Program for Policy Makers in the Americas
October 19-21, 2023
Panama City, Panama

Past Meetings

International Workshop on STI Development in Central America
September 21-22, 2023
Washington, DC

SRI 2023 Congress
June 26-30, 2023
Panama City, Panama

AAAS Annual Meeting
March 2-5, 2023
Washington, DC

SACNAS Conference
October 27-29, 2022
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Tigers for Inclusion, Diversity, and Ethics (TIDE) Conference
March 7-10, 2022
Clemson, South Carolina

AAAS Annual Meeting
February 17-20, 2022
Virtual Conference

National Science Policy Network (NSPN) Symposium
November 19-20, 2021
Virtual Conference

AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop
September 23-24, 2021
Virtual Conference

S4D4C Final Networking Meeting
March 15-19, 2021
Virtual Conference

AAAS Annual Meeting
February 8-11, 2021
Virtual Conference

Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Annual Meeting
November 19-21, 2020
Virtual Conference

National Science Policy Network (NSPN) Symposium
November 13-14, 2020
Virtual Conference

AAAS Science and Technology Policy Forum
October 13-14, 2020
Virtual Conference

International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Meeting
July 20-22, 2020
Virtual Conference

AAAS Annual Meeting
February 13-16, 2020
Seattle, WA

Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Annual Meeting
November 20-24, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona

National Science Policy Network (NSPN) Symposium
November 1-3, 2019
Madison, Wisconsin

AIMBE Public Policy Institute
October 28-29, 2019
Washington, DC

International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Meeting
April 24-28, 2019
Kyoto, Japan

3rd International Conference of Women in Science without Borders (WISWB)
March 10-14, 2019
Cairo, Egypt

AAAS Annual Meeting
Feb 14-17, 2019
Washington, DC

Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Annual Meeting
November 15-18, 2018
New Orleans, Lousiana

Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Annual Meeting
November 3-7, 2018
San Diego, California

SEPA & NSPN Second Annual Science Policy Symposium
November 10, 2018
New York, NY

Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (MCGSBS) Symposium
September 26, 2018
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Individualizing Medicine Conference
September 12-13, 2018
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

24th Annual Mayo Clinic and Karolinska Institutet Scientific Meeting
September 10th-11th, 2018
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Leadership Development

IAI STeP Science Diplomacy Fellowship
March 2023 - March 2024

InnSciD SP Science Diplomacy School
August 1 - August 5, 2022

AAAS-TWAS Course on Science Diplomacy
July 25 - August 3, 2022

iBiology Young Scientist Virtual Training Series
September 28 - October 30, 2020

NSPN SciPol Scholars-in-Residence (SPSR) Program
July 29 - August 26, 2020

ASBMB Advocacy Training Program (ATP)
June 14 - December 6, 2019

Capita3 Leader Launch Program / Mayo Clinic
September 4-25, 2018
Rochester, MN

Mujeres de HACE
August 22 - December 11, 2018
Minneapolis, MN

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