My experiences in science policy include alerting the public 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). I am currently a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow: Regional Science and Technology Cooperation Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), working under the Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program. Previously, I worked as Policy Advisor at the government relations firm Lewis-Burke Associates where I advised clients on public health, biomedical research, and international affairs. Prior to joining Lewis-Burke full time, I served as a fellow from the National Science Policy Network (NSPN) SciPol Scholars-in-Residence (SPSR) Program for 6 months, where I worked on providing recommendations to address vaccine hesitancy in minority communities. In addition, I have received didactic training as a fellow of the AIMBE Public Policy Institute and the ASBMB Advocacy Training Program (ATP). My experiences in science diplomacy include being founding member of the Science Diplomacy Network in Latin America and the Caribbean (DiploCientifica), IAI STeP Science Diplomacy Fellow, and alumni of the AAAS Science Diplomacy and Leadership Workshop, AAAS/TWAS Science Diplomacy Course, and the InnScid SP Science Diplomacy School. Additionally, I participated in the First Edition of the Science Diplomacy Course organized by the Embassy of Ecuador in India.
The Puerto Rico Science Policy Action Network (PR-SPAN) is an initiative of Ciencia Puerto Rico that seeks to alert about federal and local policies that are relevant to science and Puerto Rico, identify subject matter experts that can serve to inform these public policies, and
train and motivate the scientific community to serve as advocates for transparency, independent and sustainable science, and evidence-based public policies. As a PR-SPAN member, I am in charge of managing the social media accounts, organize webinars, and contribute to the creation of policy alerts, blogs, and op-eds.
 
The mission of the Science Diplomacy Network in Latin America and the Caribbean is generate awareness and knowledge about science diplomacy within the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, increase the visibility of the LAC region in the global arena of science diplomacy, and articulate a LAC community interested in science diplomacy. As a member of this organization, I work with the International Relationships Committee and the Communications Committee.