Country of Residence
Discipline(s)
Institution
U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Research Interests
Science Diplomacy, Science Policy, Science Communication, International Scientific Cooperation, Global Health
Topics to speak on:
Science Diplomacy, Science Communication for Evidence-Informed Policymaking, Science Policy, Inclusive and Effective Science Communication, Global Health Security
“Effective policymaking requires not only the science of discovery but also the art of communication, bridging the gap between evidence and action”
Biography
Dr. Luz Cumba Garcia is an Advisor for Sustainability at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, where she supports global HIV/AIDS initiatives through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). An alumna of the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship, she contributed to U.S.-Mexico global health policy at the State Department and advanced Arab-Israeli scientific collaboration at USAID. Before joining AAAS, she was a Policy Advisor at Lewis-Burke Associates, focusing on public health and international affairs. Luz is a founding member of the Science Diplomacy Network in Latin America and the Caribbean, and alumna of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) STeP Fellowship. She holds a PhD in Immunology from Mayo Clinic, an MS from University of Granada, Spain, and a BS from Universidad Metropolitana in Puerto Rico. Awarded the Union of Concerned Scientists 2020 Science Defender Award, she is passionate about science communication, science diplomacy, advocacy, and community engagement.
Awards
2025 National Science Policy Network (NSPN) Leader
Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) 2020 Science Defender
São Paulo Innovation and Science Diplomacy School (InnSciD SP) Fellow
American Association for the Advancement of Science and The World Academy of Science (AAAS/TWAS) Science Diplomacy Course Fellow
IAI Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) Fellowship
1 of the 10 outstanding young people of Puerto Rico – Junior Chamber International of Puerto Rico (JCI) and The Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) Award