The Aspen Institute

Dr. Giovanna Guerrero-Medina is the Executive Director of Ciencia Puerto Rico (www.cienciapr.org), an international network of scientists, students and educators committed to promoting scientific outreach, education and careers among Latinos. She is also Director of the Yale Ciencia Initiative at Yale University, where she studies the impact of scientific networks like Ciencia Puerto Rico in improving access and participation in science and works to promote diversity through the Yale Provost Office. Under her leadership, CienciaPR has become one of the largest networked communities of Hispanic scientists in the world, has secured over 2 million in federal and foundation grants to support diversity in science education and career development, and in 2015 received recognition as a Bright Spot in science education by the White House. Dr. Guerrero-Medina serves as Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Yale Ciencia Academy, a national program to provide graduate students with opportunities for professional development, outreach, and networking. She also leads “Seeds of Success”, an Amgen Foundation supported program to promote the participation of Latina middle school girls in STEM. Dr. Guerrero-Medina has worked as Head of Science Policy at the Van Andel Research Institute and as Health Science Policy Analyst at the National Institutes of Health. She has a B.A. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and was a 2005 Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies. (Participated in Spotlight Health)